Shoaib Akhtar while referring to Dr. Nauman Niaz says he will keep typing on a computer but his main job was to make sure their bags got to their rooms
RAWALPINDI: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-May 31st, 2025) The longstanding tension between former national fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and senior sports journalist Dr. Nauman Niaz has once again flared up.
Dr. Niaz sent a legal notice to Shoaib Akhtar on May 25, 2025, following a controversial remark made by the former cricketer during episode 31 of the cricket show The Dugout aired on the streaming platform Tamasha.
During the show, Shoaib Akhtar commented on the coaching system and management of the Pakistan cricket team, using his own experience as an example. He remarked, “During my time, I didn’t even know who the coach was. We didn’t even know who the manager was.”
He went on to say, “What we did know was whether our bags had reached our rooms. Managers were there just for that. This Dr. Nauman used to carry our bags—that's what he was kept for. He would keep typing on a computer, but his main job was to make sure our bags got to our rooms.”
The journalist found this remark insulting and damaging to his reputation.
In the legal notice sent on May 29 by Dr. Nauman Niaz's lawyer, Qazi Umair Ali, it was stated that Shoaib Akhtar’s comments have harmed his client’s image.
The notice warned that if Shoaib Akhtar does not issue a public apology or retract his statement, further legal action will be taken under the Defamation Ordinance 2002.
This is not the first time the two have clashed. In 2021, Shoaib Akhtar walked off a live ptv Sports show following an argument with Dr. Nauman Niaz. Though he later returned to the show, tensions between the two have remained.
