"If that had happened, Pakistan would be on same level as Australia & India" - Kamran Akmal reacts to Mohammad Hafeez's statement on 90s cricketers
Kamran Akmal recently commented on the ongoing controversy around former cricketer Mohammad Hafeez's statement on Pakistan's 90s cricketers. Hafeez had questioned the legacy of the Men in Green's team of the 1990s by pointing out the side's failure to succeed in ICC events.
Speaking on the PTV talk show 'Game On' Hafeez had said (via India TV News):
"I am a huge fan of those who played in the 1990s but when it comes to legacy, they left nothing for Pakistan. They didn't win an ICC event - they lost the (World Cups of) 1996, 1999 and 2003. We reached one final (in the 1999 World Cup) 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"
Reacting to the controversy, Akmal said that the team won multiple ICC events in the 1990s, Pakistan would have been a force to reckon with in world cricket like India and Australia. He suggested that cricket often took a backseat during the era as the players were busy having a go at each other.
Akmal's comments came on ex-Pakistan batter Basit Ali's latest YouTube video on his channel 'Basit Ali.' He said (from 8:43):
"The players from the 1990s still speak against each other. The same was happening back then as well. The focus was not on cricket-related things. We should have won more events at the time. If that had happened, Pakistan would be on the same level as Australia and India."
Akmal pointed out that instead of taking Hazeef's comments positively, there have been social media tweets from some players. He possibly referred to Pakistan's pace-bowling legend Waqar Younis, who recently shared his and erstwhile Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram's stats on social media with the caption "90's KA LONDA."
"You should take these things positively. Even now, everything is in front of you, the tweets that have come from both sides; it was the same back then," the 43-year-old added.
"The teams were not picked on merit" - Kamran Akmal on Pakistan's squads for New Zealand tour
Kamran Akmal also expressed disappointment with Pakistan's ODI and T20I teams for the upcoming New Zealand tour. He opined that the players were picked based on likes and dislikes.
Criticizing the Pakistan selectors, he said in the aforementioned video (from 1:58):
"There is no struggle or value in being part of the Pakistan team. Everyone has picked three-three players of their choice and made the team. The decision-makers of Pakistani cricket have given their quotas to the selection committee. The teams were not picked on merit, and this has been going for a very long time now."
Pakistan were the hosts and defending champions in the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy. However, they suffered an embarrassing group-stage exit at the ICC event following losses to India and New Zealand.