Mohammad Hafeez explains his comments about 90s cricketers

Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has responded to criticism over his recent comments about cricketers from the 1990s, saying his words were misrepresented by the media.  

Hafeez had earlier said that players from that era did not leave a lasting legacy because they could not win an ICC trophy for Pakistan after the 1992 World Cup. His remarks led to backlash, with many former cricketers and fans questioning his statement.  

However, Hafeez clarified that he never meant to personally attack any player and that his comments were taken out of context by some media outlets.  

His statement comes after Pakistan’s poor performance in the 2025 Champions Trophy, where they lost their first two group matches against New Zealand and India. A match against Bangladesh was later washed out, confirming their exit from the tournament.  

“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.

Following the backlash, Hafeez took to social media on Monday to clear up the misunderstanding. He said his comments were only about the team’s failure to win ICC tournaments, not about individual players.  

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

“Therefore, I explained how the greats of the game from Pakistan, despite all their cricketing talent, couldn’t win ICC events (post-’92 WC) in 1996, 1999, and 2003. It was never personal criticism of any individual player,” he added.