Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has found himself in a pickle over his statement on former Pakistan players in response to criticism of the team after an embarrassing loss to India in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. His comments came after Pakistan beat Namibia in Colombo on Wednesday to qualify for the Super 8 stage.

After being humiliated by 61 runs in RPS Colombo by India, the Pakistan team was criticized by former Pakistan players like Saqlain Mushtaq, Mohammad Yousuf, and Shahid Afridi. They were concerned about the performance and selection of some senior players, including Shadab.

Shadab responded to his detractors by reminding them that the current Pakistani team is still the only one to defeat India in 16 World Cup encounters, including a victory of 10 wickets in Dubai in 2021.

“For criticism, you can’t control it. Everyone has their own opinions. Since I came back, there was just one time where things didn’t go well, and because of that, I faced a lot of criticism. But I don’t need to justify that. I focus on what I can control. A bad day or a bad overing can happen. It’s T20 cricket—you can concede runs or take wickets,” he said after Pakistan qualified for the Super 8s with a win over Namibia.

“Our former cricketers have their own opinions, and they have done great things for Pakistan. But at the end of the day, even in the World Cup, we as a team have achieved results, like defeating India in 2021. So, criticism is part of cricket,” he added.

Former cricketer Basit Ali reminded Shadab that one of those critics was his father-in-law, Saqlain Mushtaq, before questioning his credentials.

“He shouldn’t have replied to his father-in-law like that. The kind of match-winner Saqlain was, he would have had 10 Shadabs in his pocket. Players in the 90s were not selected based on recommendations; they made the team purely on performance. Some journalists should ask him about his own performance. Is he a bowling all-rounder or a batting all-rounder?” he asked on ARY News.

Then, Basit said that Shadab's inclusion in the squad was because of his closeness to head coach Mike Hesson.

“Against weaker teams, he is promoted to bat in the top order. Why? Because he is Mike Hesson’s ladla (favorite). Had it been Inzamam, Waqar, or Saqlain in charge, I would have seen where he would bat. I remember taking the A team to England. The whole time, he was busy on his mobile phone. I ended up snatching both his phones,” he stated.

Ex-Pakistani pacer Mohammad Amir slammed Shadab and reminded him that the Pakistani team of the 90s was a feared one, and even India knew that they could be beaten easily by that team.

“Yes, in 2021, Pakistan beat India. But there is a difference between India-Pakistan matches in the 90s and now. Earlier, the Indian team feared us because they knew we could beat them. Now they don’t take us seriously. They don’t even celebrate wickets or victories,” he said on a Pakistani show.

In the past, there was only the 50-over World Cup, which was contested every four years, Ahmed Shehzad added. Global tournaments have increased in frequency since the T20 World Cup was introduced, which means that the current generation has met India more regularly in ICC events.

“The people he is talking about used to play the World Cup once in four years. Back then, there was no T20 World Cup. Now it happens every two years. So this group of players has played more ICC matches against India than the ones they are referring to. And when the same group keeps losing, questions are bound to be raised,” he said.

Pakistan is in Group 2 of the Super 8s with England, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka.