Pakistan’s Babar Azam is bowled by India’s Axar Patel. (PTI photo)
NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s emphatic 61-run demolition of India in the T20 World Cup sparked an extraordinary outpouring of anger and anguish from former Pakistan great Mohammad Yousuf, who described the current phase as the “darkest period in our cricketing history”.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!The defeat extended Pakistan’s dismal World Cup record against India, who have now won eight of the nine World Cup T20 meetings and all eight World Cup ODI encounters between the rivals. On Sunday night, Suryakumar Yadav amassed 175/7, powered by 77 from Ishan Kishan, before firing Pakistan to 114 in 18 overs to storm into the Super Eights alongside the West Indies.
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Soon after the defeat, Yousuf vented his frustration on social media and wrote, “Time is up for Shaheen, Babar and Shadab, Pakistan’s T20 squad needs new performers, not empty wins against weaker sides.” A day later, his criticism deepened. “Until 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 cricket history and my heart bleeds for it. Incompetent individuals must be removed from the post and from the team,” he wrote on X.Pakistan’s collapse was swift and brutal. After early strikes from Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah, they were 13/3 in three overs. When Axar Patel bowled Babar Azam for five, the score read 34/4 and the match was virtually over. Usman Khan’s 44 provided a brief resistance but a reckless attack on Axar ended his stay and precipitated another collapse.Earlier, Kishan set the tone with a fearless stroke play as he brought up his fifty in just 27 balls. “I just kept it simple and watched the ball,” Kishan said, while Suryakumar added: “When we were 0-1 up, someone had to take responsibility and the way he took it was amazing.”However, in the case of Pakistan, the conversation has shifted beyond one defeat. Yousuf’s stinging words framed it as something deeper.