Legendary Pakistani cricketer Waqar Younis responded angrily on social media after former player Mohammad Hafeez questioned the legacy of the heroes of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Legendary Pakistani cricketer Waqar Younis responded angrily on social media after former player Mohammad Hafeez questioned the legacy of the heroes of the 1990s and early 2000s. After failing to win several ICC events during their time, Hafeez said in an unpleasant live television incident that the stars of the 1990s and early 2000s could not motivate the future generation. “Those who played in the 1990s left little for Pakistan in terms of legacy, even if I am a tremendous fan of them.They lost the World Cups in 1996, 1999, and 2003; they did not win an ICC event.
We reached one final (the 1999 World Cup) and lost miserably. As stars and players, they were big superstars. However, they could not inspire us by winning an ICC event. Then came a difficult moment, and in 2007, we lost the T20 World Cup final,” Hafeez stated during news report.
Instead, Hafeez praised Pakistan’s T20 World Cup (2009) and Champions Trophy (2017) winning teams. He also stated why supporters idolise stars like Babar Azam.” In 2009, we won under Younis Khan’s captaincy, which served as an inspiration for the next generation. Unfortunately, a bad incident occurred with Pakistan cricket, and we have yet to recover from it.
Then we won the 2017 Champions Trophy, which was a big source of inspiration. People idolize Babar Azam today because, even if he didn’t play a significant role in the event, he was present. So, despite their talent, the superstars of the 1990s were unable to win ICC events,” he remarked.
Waqar responded to Hafeez’s criticism of the legacy of 1990s and early 2000s stars. Waqar shared his and fellow Pakistan great Wasim Akram’s stats on social media, writing “90’s KA LONDA (Boys of 90s)”. He also mentioned the number of Tests and One-Day Internationals played by the duo, as well as their wickets.
The Pakistan cricket team’s campaign at the Champions Trophy 2025 ended on an unsatisfactory note. While the team lost its first two matches against New Zealand and India, it finished the tournament with a draw versus Bangladesh. Mohammad Rizwan and his teammates eventually finished last in the Group A table, with one point and a net run rate (NRR) of -1.087.
It was a disappointing conclusion for Pakistan, who were not only the defending champions but also the event hosts. Pakistan became the defending champions with the poorest finish in tournament history. They exceeded Australia’s previous record of one point and -0.680 NRR set in the 2013 Champions Trophy.
