India, March 20 -- Pakistan cricket's familiar cycle of hype, disappointment and internal backlash has returned with force after another poor run on the field. A Super Eight exit from the T20 World Cup 2026 was followed by a 1-2 ODI series defeat in Bangladesh, and the fallout has now drawn a fierce response from former opener Ahmed Shehzad.

Shehzad's criticism goes beyond a routine attack on selection or captaincy. His argument is that the Pakistan Cricket Board spent years building a small group of players into faces of both the national side and the PSL, only to find itself weaker, more dependent and no closer to consistent success when results began to slide.

"The calibre of your players is not at that level, which was built up as a...