The former pacer, who had called Naqvi 'incompetent and illiterate' on an Indian news channel, later claimed his harsh words were aimed at the broader state of cricket administration. Speaking on ARY News, Akhtar explained he was only frustrated with Naqvi's sudden U-turn on the boycott stance against India in the T20 World Cup.
Akhtar's initial criticism had been blunt, questioning Naqvi's suitability for the PCB chairman role. 'If you make me the chairman of a channel, how would I know how to run it? Now there is a person who does not know, and he is the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board,' he had said.