Naseem Shah attacks former Pakistan cricketers after bombing stops from the other end

Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah opened up about the criticism cricketers receive from former players and fans when the team underperforms. Naseem said that personal remarks about a player’s appearance or behavior are inappropriate, adding that such comments have a negative impact on the players’ morale.

Pakistan, led by Mohammad Rizwan, suffered a group-stage exit from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 at home. The Men in Green were also eliminated in the first round of the 2023 ODI and 2024 T20 World Cups and finished at the bottom of the standings in the 2023-25 World Test Championship cycle.

That Doesn’t Make Sense to You - Naseem Shah

Several former cricketers have harshly criticized Pakistan's team and individual players. In a video shared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Naseem Shah said that former cricketers, who have played for years, should make comments about players’ performances, not personal remarks.

"As a fan, if you watch cricket and someone says something that doesn’t make sense to you, you might think, 'Oh, this person has never played cricket.' When we go home, even our own brothers sometimes make comments that make us say, 'Yeah, okay, they’ve never played cricket," Naseen said (Via GeoSuper.tv).

"But when it comes to players who have actually played cricket for 10-15 years, you can discuss their performance—talk about how someone isn’t bowling well, isn’t batting well, or what mistakes they’re making. That’s fine. You can analyze what can be improved. However, I feel that getting too personal—commenting on how someone styles their hair or how they speak—crosses the line. These things hit personally," he added.

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Naseem Shah Excluded from T20I Squad vs New Zealand

Things went from bad to worse for the Pakistan national cricket team, as they face a 1-4 defeat in the recent T20I series against New Zealand. Naseem Shah was not included in the T20I squad. However, he is playing in the current ODI series, where Pakistan is trailing 0-1 in the best-of-three format.

Naseem had a challenging performance in the first ODI. The right-arm fast bowler took 1 wicket for 60 runs in 10 overs as Pakistan lost by 73 runs. He will be aiming to bounce back and help his team stay in the series during the second ODI against New Zealand at the Seddon Park in Hamilton on April 2.

We’d Criticize the Team When They Lost - Naseem Shah

Naseem Shah said that criticism from former players hurts more than that from fans. He acknowledged that fan comments are understandable due to their passion for the game.

"Fans make comments, and that’s understandable because they watch cricket passionately. Even when we were kids, we’d criticize the team when they lost. But if you’ve played cricket for 15 years and still make comments that have nothing to do with the game, it does hurt," said Naseem.

The 22-year-old, who made his Pakistan debut in 2019, has struggled with injuries that have prevented him from playing consistently. Naseem has taken a total of 133 wickets in 76 matches across all formats in his international career.

Also read: Naseem Shah attacks former Pakistan cricketers after bombing stops from the other end