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.

Amid the scrutiny, Mohammad Hafeez on Monday (March 17) issued a clarification through social media, 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.

“Some of the media houses are fabricating the actual content. Context of discussion was all about Teams winning ICC events to inspire coming generations. Therefore I explained how the greats of game from Pakistan with all the cricket talent they have couldn’t win ICC events (post 92 WC) in 1996,1999 & 2003. It was never a personal criticism on any of the respective player from my side,” Hafeez wrote on X.

After the Champions Trophy debacle, Pakistan are currently in the midst of a white-ball tour to New Zealand. The Men in Green have lost the first two matches of the five-T20I series, which will be followed by three ODIs.