File photo of Wasim Akram (left) and Waqar Younis.© X/@waqyounis99
Pakistan legend Waqar Younis has come out with a fiery response on social media after ex-cricketer Mohammad Hafeez questioned the legacy of the 1990s and early 2000s stars. An awkward incident on live television saw Hafeez saying that the 1990s and early 2000s stars could not inspire the next generation by failing to win a number of ICC events during their time. “I am a huge fan of those who played in the 1990s but when it comes to legacy, they left nothing for Pakistan. They didn’t win an ICC event – they lost the (World Cups of) 1996, 1999 and 2003. We reached one final (in the 1999 World Cup) and lost that badly. As stars, as players, they were the mega superstars. But then they couldn’t inspire us by winning an ICC event. Then came a difficult period that we had to go through and then in 2007 we lost the final (of the T20 World Cup).,” Hafeez said during a discussion on PTV Sports.
On the contrary, Hafeez lauded Pakistan’s T20 World Cup (2009) and Champions Trophy (2017) winning sides. He also explained why players like Babar Azam get idolised by fans.
” In 2009 we won under Younis Khan’s captaincy and so there was an inspiration for the next generation. Then unfortunately a bad incident happened with Pakistan cricket and we have still not been able to recover from that. Then we won the 2017 Champions Trophy, that was a huge source of inspiration. People idolise Babar Azam today and that is because even if he didn’t play a big hand in that event, he was there. So that thing about winning ICC events, this the superstars of the 1990s couldn’t do, with all due respect to their talents,” he added.
Waqar replied to Hafeez’s attack on the legacy of 1990s and early 2000s stars. Sharing his and another Pakistan great Wasim Akram’s stats on social media, Waqar wrote “90’s KA LONDA (Boys of 90s)”. He also metioned the number of Tests and ODI matches played and wickets taken by the duo.
“90’s the Londa”
Test – 191
Odi’s – 618
Wkts – 1705
Runs – 8594
5wkts – 66
10wkts – 10#NotBad @makrammlive #GoodOldDays pic.twitter.com/09VaeKbycJ
— Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) March 6, 2025
The Pakistan cricket team finished its campaign at Champions Trophy 2025 on an embarrassing note. While the side failed to win first two of its matches against New Zealand and India, it shared points with Bangladesh in its final game of the tournament. The eventual result saw Mohammad Rizwan and co. finish at the bottom spot in the Group A table with one point and a net run rate (NRR) of -1.087.
It was a shameful finish for Pakistan, who were not only the defending champions but also the hosts for the tournament. Pakistan became the defending champions with worst-ever finish in the event history. They surpassed Australia’s previous record of one point and -0.680 NRR that had come in the 2013 Champions Trophy.
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