Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf has offered a surprising explanation for the team’s prolonged cricketing crisis, linking it to one of the most memorable victories in the country’s recent history. Yousuf believes Pakistan’s 10-wicket win over India at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai played a significant role in creating some of the problems that have continued to affect the side. Pakistan produced a near-perfect performance against their arch-rivals in that group-stage encounter.
Babar Azam scored an unbeaten 68, while Mohammad Rizwan remained not out on 79 as Pakistan chased down India’s 152 without losing a wicket. It was Pakistan’s first-ever World Cup victory over India and was celebrated as a landmark moment in the team’s history. However, five years later, Yousuf believes the victory may have had unintended consequences. According to him, some players began to believe they had already accomplished something major, rather than using the result as motivation to achieve more.
“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,” Mohammad Yousuf said in a conversation with Samaa TV.
Yousuf also felt that success affected the attitude of certain players. He stressed that maintaining humility after a big achievement is essential, particularly in international cricket, where sustained performance matters more than one memorable result.
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“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.” The former Pakistan batter also blamed internal competition for the captaincy for creating divisions within the dressing room. He believes players becoming more focused on leadership ambitions contributed to instability within the national setup.
“Everyone in the team was trying to become the captain of the Pakistan team. The consequences are still hurting Pakistan cricket,” he said. Pakistan have endured significant instability since their famous victory over India, with repeated changes involving captains, coaches and support staff failing to deliver sustained improvement. Yousuf pointed towards the team’s performances across major ICC events, including the ODI and T20 World Cups, Asia Cups and Champions Trophy, as evidence of the decline.
“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.
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The situation eventually forced the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to make sweeping changes. Following heavy Test defeats against England at Headingley and Lord’s, the board sent seven players home and brought in seven replacements, including five uncapped cricketers. Head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and assistant coach Umar Gul were also removed.
Pakistan’s struggles have not been limited to the England series. They were beaten 2-0 by Bangladesh earlier this year and suffered the same result against them at home in 2024. Yousuf believes the PCB was justified in taking drastic measures after years of inconsistent results. “Eventually, PCB had to take a step that it did. I back what PCB did,” he said.
