Mohammad Yousaf speaking during an interview:
“We all want him to perform the way he used to—when his name was celebrated worldwide. Babar was called the King, there was constant hype, and his performances were outstanding. So, what has happened that these three players have declined so much during the tournament? My view is that such things shouldn’t normally be said, because we’ve played cricket ourselves. But repeated failures have forced us to speak up. After all, we are all here because of Pakistan. If Pakistan wins, everyone’s respect is intact. So why have their performances dropped so low?”
“Look at Shaheen—he used to bowl brilliantly, swinging the ball both ways. Now that quality is gone, the ball neither comes in nor goes out. Why has this happened? Did he ever go to a senior like Wasim Akram and ask, “My bowling has dropped so much, what should I do?” Take Waqar Younis as an example: when he had pace, his inswing was deadly. But when his pace dropped, he learned to swing the new ball away. That’s why Waqar and Wasim are still remembered as greats—they kept learning and adapting. We are not learning. Shaheen is a tremendous bowler, but right now, to improve his performances, he needs to go back to first-class cricket, play there, and learn from Wasim and Waqar.”
“Similarly, Babar is a fantastic player. But why is it that now he struggles even against part-time spinners? A little swing, and he opens his chest up. I’ve been saying for a long time that his technique has deteriorated. He needs to improve it, play first-class cricket, and spend time at academies. Unfortunately, the people around him lifted him too high, and in doing so, they spoiled him.”
About Shadab Khan’s comments:
“We want them to win more, not just rely on that one victory. The more they play well, the happier we’ll be, because Pakistan’s name will shine. I’ve already said these three (Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Babar Azam) were outstanding players, but there has been a decline, and we are explaining why. That one win in 2021 seems to have made them believe they are the best, and they stopped learning. Babar, at his level, after 10–11 years of cricket, should have been asked by management: “In which phase of the innings are you most comfortable? In the first six overs, can you score 60–65 runs? Between overs 7–14, can you maintain 8+ runs per over? In the death overs, can you deliver 10+ runs per over?” A player of his caliber should be guided like this. I want Babar to finish his career like Sachin or Kohli. But the people around him, who keep inflating him, are damaging his cricket even now. If he wants to succeed in T20 cricket, my advice is: go back to first-class cricket, fix your technique, and then return stronger.”
“Look back at the Champions Trophy, when Shadab Khan dismissed Yuvraj with a brilliant drifting delivery—there was pace, drift, everything. But now, even in the India match, he conceded an easy boundary, his bowling lacked bite, and his fielding was poor. In one over, he gave away 15–17 runs. Clearly, his bowling and fielding have declined. The biggest problem is that whenever someone becomes captain, they want to bat as opener or one-down. When Shadab captained Islamabad United, he started batting at number three or four. But his main job is bowling. He should return to domestic cricket, bat at six or seven, and focus on bowling. Pakistan desperately needs players at those lower-middle order positions, but everyone wants to open or bat one-down.”
About Saurav Ganguly’s statement that “There’s no match here anymore”:
“Yes, absolutely. In the past, even when we lost World Cup matches, India respected us, they feared us, they never said such things. But now, even when we win, they don’t acknowledge us. They don’t celebrate dismissals; they don’t even look happy after victories. They just say, “There’s no competition left.” That shows we must raise our game again. This is about Pakistan’s honor.”
“We’ll need to bring in young players, fresh legs, because another T20 World Cup is just two years away. New players must come in. Of course, we hope Pakistan wins and performs well, but moving forward is essential.”
“In my view, responding with performances is the best way. That makes everyone happy. Even when we played, criticism came our way. But we listened to what senior players said on TV, picked out the useful points, and tried to improve. If something didn’t seem right, we still respected them, knowing they wanted Pakistan to succeed. When we performed, they praised us, even called us personally. Tomorrow, these current players will also sit on TV panels and criticize others. That’s not to bring anyone down, but to help Pakistan win. So, they should take criticism positively.”
About Babar Azam’s number:
“Babar is a high-level player with over a decade of experience. Management should ask him directly: “Which phase of the innings do you prefer to play in? Our targets are clear—early overs, middle overs, death overs. Where do you fit best?” That’s the way forward.”
