Pakistan lost to India by 61 runs in T20 World Cup 2026 in Colombo.
His pained words came after Pakistan suffered an embarrassing 61-run loss to India in a T20 World Cup 2026 game in Colombo on February 15. India was asked to bat first after Salman Ali Agha won the toss. Ishan Kishan made 77, and Suryakumar Yadav made 32 as India posted 175/7 in 20 overs.
In response, the Pakistani batters collapsed against disciplined Indian bowling and were bowled out for 114. India won by 61 runs and qualified for the Super 8s stage.
The encounter in Colombo on February 15 revealed to the entire cricket world the genuine disparity between India and Pakistan on the cricket pitch, but a recovery is unlikely unless 'political influence' is eliminated from the board, according to the country's cricketing legend Mohammad Yousuf.
Pakistan's batting great has stated that the country's cricketing ecology must shift away from political interference and personal agendas for the sport to survive.
"Unless we remove political influence and personal agendas from Pakistan cricket, we cannot return to the team we once were. This is the darkest period in our cricketing history, and my heart bleeds for it. Incompetent individuals must be removed from office and from the team," Yousuf posted on X, taking an indirect swipe at Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chief and also the country's Interior Minister.
Since taking over as head of the Pakistan board, Naqvi has been at the center of several 'politically influenced' decisions.
His conduct of taking the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from the pedestal following India's refusal to accept it from his hands generated a major cricketing controversy. However, the Pakistani government recognized Naqvi for his actions.
Naqvi had also met with Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif to discuss boycotting the India match in the T20 World Cup 2026 to show solidarity with Bangladesh. The boycott ruling was overturned following a series of high-level negotiations, which included several ICC officials visiting Lahore. The event demonstrated Naqvi's predilection for politics over cricket.
Many believe that Pakistan's humiliation at the hands of India in Colombo was greatly influenced by the boycott drama.
Mohammad Yousuf, who scored 7530 runs in 90 Tests and 9720 runs in 288 ODIs for Pakistan with a total of 39 centuries, also stated that it was time Pakistan moved on from Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Shadab Khan and included young blood in T20Is.
“Time’s up for Shaheen, Babar, and Shadab, Pakistan’s T20 squad needs new performers, not empty wins against weaker sides #T20worldcup,” Yousuf stated on X.
Babar Azam fell for five runs, Shaheen Afridi gave 31 runs in 2 overs for one wicket, while Shadab Khan gave 17 runs in one over and scored 14 runs, as Pakistan lost to India by 61 runs.