Pakistan can beat India in cricket only if Army Chief Asim Munir opens batting, ex-chief justice become umpire: Imran Khan mocks PCB

Synopsis

Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister, has sarcastically suggested that Army Chief General Asim Munir and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi should open for Pakistan against India, following recent defeats. He also proposed that key judicial figures should serve as umpires. Khan has been a vocal critic of the PCB's leadership and accuses Gen Munir of election manipulation.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister and cricket legend Imran Khan has mocked Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Army Chief General Asim Munir after Pakistan’s back-to-back defeats against India in the ongoing Asia Cup in Dubai. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Khan’s sister Aleema Khan said, “Imran suggested that the only way to win a cricket match against India was if Army Chief Gen Munir and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Naqvi bat as openers while umpires should be former chief justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Sikandar Sultan Raja.” She added, “The third umpire should be Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar.”

Imran Khan Blames PCB chief for damaging Pakistan Cricket

Khan, who led Pakistan to their first and only ODI World Cup title in 1992, has been critical of the cricket board’s leadership. He blames Naqvi for damaging Pakistan cricket through “incompetence” and “nepotism.”

Beyond cricket, Khan has also repeatedly accused Gen Munir of manipulating the February 2024 general elections with the support of then Chief Justice Isa and Election Commissioner Raja.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder has been in jail since August 2023 in multiple cases. Despite imprisonment, his remarks continue to make headlines in both political and sporting circles.

Dinesh Karneria criticises Pakistan Bowling

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria did not hold back after Pakistan’s defeat to India in the Asia Cup Super Four match, saying India’s opening pair completely dismantled Pakistan’s bowling attack with their aggressive approach. Batting first, Pakistan reached 171/5 in 20 overs, with Sahibzada Farhan contributing 58 runs and Faheem Ashraf adding an unbeaten 20 off just eight balls in the final overs.

Live Events

You Might Also Like:

Imran Khan suggests only way Pakistan can beat India is if PCB chairman, army chief bat as openers

India’s chase was dominated by Abhishek Sharma, who smashed 74 off 39 deliveries, hitting six fours and five sixes. He and Shubman Gill (47 off 28) put on 105 runs inside the first 10 overs, setting up India’s six-wicket win to begin their Super Four campaign on a high.

“Sahibzada Farhan signalled an AK-47, but then Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma launched a BrahMos of their own with the bat — and Sharma even followed it with a flying kiss. That’s how you do it. The Indian openers’ counterattack was so destructive that Pakistan players were left bamboozled. There’s ‘dhulai’ and then there’s ‘maha dhulai’. This was the latter,” Kaneria told IANS on Monday.

He added that India’s opening duo are capable of chasing even bigger targets. “When you have players like Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill as openers, even 200 can look like a small total against them on such a wicket. Both are class players,” Kaneria said.

The former spinner also criticised Pakistan’s habit of blaming individuals after defeats, pointing to Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal as the latest example.

Zaman, who had hit Jasprit Bumrah for two early boundaries, was caught behind in the third over off Hardik Pandya’s slower ball. The third umpire confirmed that Sanju Samson had taken the catch cleanly.

“Now Pakistan will look for another scapegoat, and they’ve found one in Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal. He’ll cry now, saying he wasn’t out. But it was a clear and clean catch by Sanju Samson — the gloves were clearly underneath the ball. And yet Pakistan will surely cry over it, talking about ‘benefit of doubt’. Fakhar will cling to this excuse,” Kaneria said.

India will next play Bangladesh on Thursday, while Pakistan will face Sri Lanka on Wednesday in a must-win clash.

(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)

(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

...moreless

(You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel)

(Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.)

Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online.

...moreless

India’s next wealth wave: Why tier II cities matter for investors

Retail inflows hold the fort, but can markets do without FIIs?

GST 2.0: A Diwali gift that offers big relief, but watch out for the firecrackers

A second CAG rap casts shadow over Godrej’s Greater Noida Golf Links project

Stock Radar: Breakout from rounding bottom pattern makes Ashok Leyland an attractive buy; check for target & stop loss

GST rationalisation: More to it than meets the eye. 14 stocks from different sectors with upside potential of up to 53%

1

2

3

Click here to read article