Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez is known for his forthright opinion and this trait often put him in a difficult spot.

Durin the recently held ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Hafeez stirred a controversy by making a bold comment on Pakistan’s star players from 1990s.

"I am a huge fan of those who played in the 1990s, but when it comes to legacy, they left nothing for Pakistan,” Hafeez said while speaking on PTV.

Hafeez further claimed that their lack of success led to a general decline in Pakistan cricket for the years to follow.

“They didn't win an ICC event – they lost in 1996, 1999, and 2003. We reached one final 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,” he added.

Hafeez's 'no legacy' remark met with harsh criticism, with the likes of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis also responding in a savage manner.

Now, former speedster Shoaib Akhtar has lashed out at Hafeez for his take on Pakistan's legends from the 1990s era.

“There were many times when Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis won us matches and series. Just in front of me, the two have won at least 60 matches together alone. I just remembered the ’90s ke launde’ statement. Sorry," Akhtar said while speaking on a Pakistani TV channel.

“That guy (Hafeez) is telling Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, ‘Sir, you left no legacy.’ Then, who left a legacy? You?" he added.

After the social media backlash, Mohammad Hafeez had issued a clarification last month, explaining that his statement was not a personal attack on any player but was a mere attempt at highlighting that Pakistan managed to win just one ICC tournament in the 1990s despite having rich talent pool in their ranks.

Following the Champions Trophy debacle, Pakistan cricket team travelled to New Zealand for a white-ball series, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs. While the Men in Green suffered a 4-1 defeat in the T20I series, they copped a 3-0 whitewash in the 50-over format.