Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi is reportedly leading the organization ‘with an iron hand’ and a politician. According to PTI, he sent back the 2025 Champions Trophy squad list to the national selectors for them to ‘again review’ and ‘make sure’ the best options were selected. The report said that Naqvi, a former politician who is serving as the interior minister of Pakistan, has refrained from interfering in cricketing matters so far but is still making sure he’s ruthless in his attitude toward the functioning of one of the most notoriously unorganized cricketing boards in the world. “When the squad for the Champion Trophy was finalized by the selectors and sent to Naqvi for approval he sent it back telling the selectors to again review the squad to be sure the best players were selected,” PTI cited a PCB source as saying. “It was only after the third time that the chairman approved the 15-member squad for the mega-event but made it clear to the selectors and team management they were solely responsible for it,” the source said. “Naqvi, having remained the caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, is running the board affairs with an iron hand and no decision is implemented or executed without his final approval,” the source claimed. “He has now mainly brought in his own team of bureaucrats and government officials to run the cricket and board affairs.” He has been in the job as the PCB chief since February 6, 2024, overseeing the country’s disastrous time at the 2024 T20 World Cup and the ensuing preparations for the 2025 Champions Trophy, their first ICC tournament since 1996, the discussions with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the hybrid hosting model as well the team’s readiness. Pakistan have started the tournament poorly, losing to New Zealand by 60 runs in the opener in Karachi. They will now face India on Sunday, February 23 — a match they’ll have to win to retain hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals.