Former fast bowler Shoaib Akthar has caused a stir as a video of him mocking the Pakistani cricket team has gone viral.

Akhtar appeared with Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh on a comedy show in India called 'Comedy Nights with Kapil.' The show is popular in both India and Pakistan.

Among other things, Shoaib joked about Pakistani cricket team captains being old, saying: "If we add up Misbah's, Younis's and Afridi's ages this team will itself be 150 years old."

While Akhtar's jokes may have been lighthearted and expressly for the purposes of the comedy show, this combined with his recent criticism of the Pak team's performance has many questioning his loyalty.

Fans and celebrities didn't find his humour funny, and they took to Twitter to say exactly that:

Some wonder if this is the same man who played for the Pakistan team once:

Meanwhile, on Pakistani TV, Umer Sharif expressed his disappointment in the former fast bowler, saying he had lost his place in the nation after his remarks.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

OFFICIAL post-budget media briefings in Pakistan are carefully choreographed affairs, full of reassuring phrases ...
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...