Psychiatrist bhi unko kuch nahi seekha sakta: Ex-PCB chief mocks Pakistan for hiring motivational speaker

Pakistan's decision to hire a motivational speaker to support the team during their campaign in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025 has garnered attention from all corners. After suffering a crushing 7-wicket defeat against India in the group stage and triggering massive controversy over Suryakumar Yadav & Co.'s handshake snub gesture, Pakistan have hired motivational speaker Dr Raheel Karim to help the players mentally.

In the aftermath of the handshake controversy, Pakistan threatened to boycott their final group-stage clash against UAE earlier this week. However, they agreed to play after claiming to have received an apology from match referee Andy Pycroft, whom they wanted removed from the panel of referees for the tournament.

Sharing his views on the Pakistan team management's decision to rope in Karim as a motivational speaker, former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Najam Sethi expressed his reservations about the move. Sethi also took a dig at the Pakistan players, stating that even a psychiatrist can't help them.

"I tried for it [Having a psychiatrist] during my tenure. But, players here don't really accept such things, because in our culture therapy is often misunderstood. Going to a psychiatrist is considered a sign of weakness or even madness, which creates stigma," Sethi said on Samaa TV.

"Mental health, however, is a broader concept. Unfortunately, here it is only reduced to: 'Are you crazy or not?' But the most interesting factor here is, many of these experts are foreign-qualified. They communicate in English which isn't the language of our boys. They are required to be told in Urdu or Pashto," he added.

Sethi said the lack of formal education among the players in the Pakistan cricket team is a huge issue and that even a psychiatrist can't help them improve their performances overnight.

"Their backgrounds, their class, and the lack of proper education is another issue. Psychiatrist bhi raato raat unko kuch nahi seekha sakta (A psychiatrist can't help them overnight)," he explained.

According to reports, the Pakistan team management decided to bring in Karim as a motivational speaker after witnessing the players' struggle in dealing with the pressure of playing against arch-rivals India. The Pakistani players reportedly went through jitters while playing India and failed to deal with the pressure in the high-intensity clash.

Meanwhile, India will be looking to bag their second win in a row against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 when they lock horns with Salman Ali Agha-led side in their Super 4 clash on Sunday, September 21. India are unbeaten in the tournament so far and will look to keep their winning run intact against a struggling Pakistan.