'The match we won against India in 2021 T20 World Cup damaged us a lot' - Mohammad Yousuf's candid take on Pakistan's recent downfall

Yousuf: The 2021 Win Over India Haunts Pakistan — And the Captaincy Race Killed the Squad

Pakistan's downfall didn't appear overnight. Mohammad Yousuf is putting the finger on the exact moment, and it's a bold call that's already stirring the nest.

The 2021 Wound

Yousuf traces the rot back to that T20 WC clash on Oct 24, 2021 — Pakistan beat India by 10 wickets, Rizwan 79*, Babar 68*, chasing 152 without losing a stick. First WC win over India in any format. Dominant. But Yousuf says the high backfired.

"After that victory, players started thinking they'd achieved something big. They couldn't understand what came next. Stay humble when you're firing. Raise your collar, get disrespectful, and problems follow. A lot have arrived in Pakistan cricket."

Translation: the squad got cocky, lost the edge, and never recalibrated.

The Captaincy Cancer

Bigger issue: everyone wanted the armband. Yousuf points to internal sabotage across the last 4-5 years — ODI WC, T20 WC, Asia Cup, Champions Trophy. All ugly. PCB kept proping the team up, coaches cycling through, no player stepping up.

"Everyone was trying to become captain. That's still hurting us."

The England Overhaul

Fast forward to now. Pakistan got dumped by England (194 runs at Lord's, innings+103 at Headingley), sitting 9th in the WTC. PCB went nuclear — 7 mid-tour changes, 5 uncapped. Rizwan, Imam, SAA, Ali Usman, Khurram, Aamir Jamal, Awais Jafar OUT. Saim Ayub, Abdullah Fazal, Arafat Minhas, Imran Jr, Said Baig, Imran, Razaullah IN. Coaches Sarfaraz and Umar Gul also axed.

Yousuf backs it: "Team's reputation getting ruined. Board had to act. I back what PCB did."

My Take

Candid words from Yousuf, and the data supports him. Winning streaks without a growth mindset are liability, not assets. Pakistan's problem's never the opposition — it's the ego inside the dressing room. Whether this squad overhaul is a reset or just another band-aid? Only cricket'll tell. But the diagnosis is spot on.

What do you think — was the 2021 win the turning point, or is Yousuf over-romanticizing? Drop your take.

Source: Crictracker