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'If You Watch Cricket...,': Naseem Shah Condemns Ex-Pakistan Players For Personal Remarks

Poulomi Chakraborty

Naseem Shah on Fair Criticism vs. Unfair Personal Attacks (Source: @INaseemShah/x.com)Naseem Shah on Fair Criticism vs. Unfair Personal Attacks (Source: @INaseemShah/x.com)

Over the last few years, Pakistan cricket has been facing some down times as the national side is facing setbacks in consecutive outings. After every failure, they face some harsh criticism, and sometimes, former Pakistani greats didn’t hold back from criticizing the current Pakistani side.

As Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Rizwan gathered for an Eid special video of PCB, Naseem highlights the issue. Naseem took the moment to address an important issue, emphasizing the difference between constructive criticism and personal attacks.

General Criticism Doesn’t Even Bother

As the Pakistani cricket team is facing consecutive setbacks on the global stage, they receive harsh criticism from the cricket world. From fans to cricket greats, the criticism came all the way for them. In a recent video, pacer Naseem Shah addressed the issue, stating that while opinions and criticism are part of the game, personal attacks cross the line. He also added that, despite the noise, the team remains unfazed by fan reactions.

“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.” Naseem said.

Veteran Legends’ Remarks Matter

After Pakistan’s defeats or horrific performance, the former legends often hold back from criticizing them. Sometimes those analyses become personal, too. While talking about this, Naseem stresses over the issue.

“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.” Naseem said.


“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 said.


“Fakhar Zaman mentioned that we look up to them as legends. So, should we start ignoring them just because they make personal remarks? Should we stop listening to them altogether, even when they have something meaningful to say?” while agreeing with Fakhar Zaman, he asked.

Naseem Draws A Difference Between Fans’ Criticism And Personal Attack

Behind a team, the fans' energy is a significant part. If a team wins or loses, fans share their opinions. And that happened in every sport across the globe. However, while he respects fan reactions, he draws a clear line between criticism and personal attacks.

“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,” he said.

Pakistan’s setbacks are still going on as they suffered a horrific 4-1 defeat in the T20I series against New Zealand. As they stepped into the ODI series, nothing much changed, as they started the ODI series with a massive 73-run defeat. As the second ODI match is coming up on April 2, Men in Green will be eyeing a stronger bounce back.