Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has given an unusual explanation for the problems that have affected the side in recent years. Yousuf feels that Pakistan’s blistering 10-wicket win over India at the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai may have contributed to the difficulties that the team is encountering now. The victory was a historic one for Pakistan against arch-rivals, but Yusuf believes that it changed the mindset of some players and created complications within the team. In the match, Pakistan performed really well, restricting India to 151 before Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan helped the side chase the target effortlessly.
Yusuf's comments come in the wake of Pakistan’s crushing defeats against England in the opening two Tests of the ongoing three-match series. They lost the first Test by an innings and 103 runs at Headingley, and in the second Test they went down by 194 runs at Lord’s.
“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. 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,” said Yousuf in a conversation on Samaa TV.
Yusuf also said that one of the major problems behind Pakistan’s difficulties was the race for captaincy that also triggered the turmoil. Meanwhile, after Pakistan’s defeats against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took a stern decision, releasing seven players from the squad ahead of the third Test, including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, and Salman Agha. Along with players, head coach Sarfraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed.
“Everyone in the team was trying to become the captain of the Pakistan team. The consequences are still hurting Pakistan cricket. Look at all the cricket Pakistan has played in the last four-five years, from ODI World Cups, T20 World Cups to Asia Cups and Champions Trophy. 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. Eventually, PCB had to take a step that it did. I back what PCB did,” added Yousuf.