Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has claimed that the national cricket team’s current struggles can be traced back to one of its most memorable victories — the 10-wicket win over India at the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai.
Pakistan produced a dominant performance in the high-profile clash, with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan guiding the team to a comfortable chase of 152 without losing a wicket. However, nearly five years later, Yousuf believes the historic victory had unintended consequences for Pakistan cricket.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
According to Yousuf, the win led some players to believe they had already achieved something significant, while internal competition for the captaincy further contributed to problems within the team.
“That match which we won against India in 2021, that damaged us a lot. Because after that victory, players started to think that they had achieved something big. They couldn’t understand what they had to do next,” Yousuf said.
He stressed that players need to remain humble after achieving success and warned that arrogance can eventually create problems.
“When you are performing well, you should stay humble. If you behave with your collar raised, and get disrespectful, problems will arrive. And a lot of them have arrived in Pakistan cricket,” he added.
Yousuf also highlighted the ongoing captaincy issues within the Pakistan setup, claiming that several players were focused on becoming the team’s leader.
“Everyone in the team was trying to become the captain of the Pakistan team. The consequences are still hurting Pakistan cricket,” he said.
The former skipper further criticised Pakistan’s performances in recent years, pointing to disappointing campaigns across major tournaments, including the ODI and T20 World Cups and the Asia Cup.
Yousuf also said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has repeatedly attempted to improve the team by changing coaches and making other adjustments, but believes the players have failed to take sufficient responsibility.
“There has been terrible cricket. The PCB has been supporting you throughout. So many coaches have come and gone, so many things have changed just to try and help the Pakistan team. But no player has stood up and taken responsibility,” he said.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
