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Former Pakistan National Cricket Team batter Mohammad Yousuf pointed out the exact point from which the team went behind the curve instead of moving forward. In his surprising assessment, Yousuf claimed the 10-wicket win over the arch rivals India in the 2021 T20 World Cup was the turning point of Pakistan cricket.
Recent twin defeats against the England National Cricket Team put the Pakistan men's cricket team into a chaotic situation. From snubbing seven players to reshuffling the coaching set-up, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took multiple steps to control the damage, with one more match to be played against England.
Mohammad Yousuf paints a bizarre explanation behind Pakistan cricket's downfall
For the last few years, the Asian giant has been in a slump, producing below-par results across the formats and ICC events. From batting and bowling to coaching, the PCB officials tried multiple combinations within a short time frame without fetching any significant results.
What is the main issue with the team? To find out the answer, Mohammad Yousuf walked back down memory lane, which took him to the 2021 T20 World Cup when Pakistan defeated India in a one-sided match.
Did the win against India in the T20 World Cup cause Pakistan cricket's downfall?
Yousuf observed that after the win, the Men in Green troop was on the ninth cloud, far from the ground. The sudden change of attitude, which might have made the team overconfident, could have caused problems and long-term problems.
"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 Mohammad Yousuf in a conversation on Samaa TV.
Mohammad Yousuf supports PCB's mass-sacking policy
While most of the cricket pundits criticized the PCB for making changes in the squads and the coaching set-ups, the former batter shows his support for the cricket board. According to Yousuf, not a single player so far has stepped up to do the needful for the team. So, as the board has at least tried to do something to change things in support of the team, the former cricketer found nothing wrong in the recent shuffle in Pakistan's Test team.
"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 to five years, from ODI World Cups, T20 World Cups to Asia Cups and Champions Trophy. There has been terrible cricket," Mohammad Yousuf added.
"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.
