Inzamam-ul-Haq reacts to Mohammad Hafeez’s comments on 90s cricketers

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has responded to the ongoing controversy surrounding Mohammad Hafeez’s comments about the legacy of Pakistan’s cricketers from the 1990s. Hafeez, who faced significant backlash for his remarks, later clarified that his statements had been misinterpreted by certain media outlets and were not meant as a personal attack on any former cricketer.

Hafeez’s remarks followed Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the Champions Trophy 2025, where they were eliminated after consecutive group-stage defeats to New Zealand and India, with a washed-out match against Bangladesh sealing their exit from the tournament.

In his comments, Hafeez acknowledged the talent of 1990s cricketers but pointed out that they failed to win an ICC title during their 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.

He continued, “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.”

In a recent media interaction, Inzamam strongly disagreed with Hafeez’s perspective, emphasizing the significant contributions of 1990s players to Pakistan’s cricketing success. 

“If we remove the ’90s cricketers from Pakistan cricket, there won’t be much left. Whatever we won after the ’90s was also achieved by players from that era. We won the ’92 World Cup, and its captain and key performers were all from the ’90s," Inzamam stated.

He added, “No one should make such statements. I didn’t hear the remarks live, so I don’t know the exact context. However, everyone knows the contributions of the 90s cricketers.”

In response to the backlash, Hafeez took to social media to clarify his stance. He explained that his comments were about Pakistan’s inability to win ICC titles during that period and were not directed at any individual player. 

“Some media houses are misrepresenting the actual context. The discussion was about teams winning ICC events to inspire future generations,” Hafeez tweeted.

“I simply pointed out that despite their immense cricketing talent, Pakistan’s greats couldn’t secure ICC titles post-1992 in 1996, 1999, and 2003. It was never meant as personal criticism of any individual player,” he added.