Waqar Younis reacts to Mohammad Hafeez's remarks about 90s cricketers

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis reacted to Mohammad Hafeez’s criticism of the country's 1990s cricket stars for failing to win major ICC tournaments.

During a recent interview alongside Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, and Sana Mir, Hafeez shared his views on the legacy of that era.

“I am a big admirer of the cricketers from the 1990s, but when we talk about their legacy, it’s clear they didn’t bring home an ICC trophy. They were part of the World Cups in 1996, 1999, and 2003, and despite our strong performances, we lost each time. In fact, we only made it to the 1999 final, and that loss was quite heavy,” Hafeez said.

“They were megastars as players, but they couldn’t inspire us by winning an ICC event. After that, we endured a tough phase, losing the 2007 T20 World Cup final. However, in 2009, under Younis Khan’s leadership, we finally secured a title, providing inspiration for the next generation,” he added.

The former middle-order batter further reflected on Pakistan’s recent cricketing struggles, noting, “Unfortunately, a major setback hit Pakistan cricket, and we have yet to fully recover from it. Then came the 2017 Champions Trophy victory, which became a huge source of motivation. Today, people idolize Babar Azam, and while he may not have played a significant role in that tournament, his presence there made an impact.”

Reiterating his point, the 44-year-old said, “There’s no doubt they were talented, but the fact remains that the 1990s stars were unable to clinch an ICC event, despite their immense abilities.”

Hafeez’s remarks apparently did not sit well with Waqar Younis, who shared combined Test stats of him and legendary left-arm pacer Wasim Akram on X, formerly Twitter and wrote “Guys from the 90s” in the caption, coupled with hashtags “not bad” and “good old days”.