'Darkest period in Cricketing History': Mohammad Yousuf Blames Political Interference After India Humiliate Pakistan In T20 World Cup 2026

Pakistan proved to be a no match for the Indian team as the defending champions crushed Men In Green by 61 runs in a one-sided T20 World Cup 2026 encounter on Sunday at R Premdasa Stadium in Colombo.  With this win Suryakumar Yadav's India qualified for the Super 8 stage while Pakistan dropped to third place in Group A.

Mohammad Yousuf Lashes Out At Pakistan After T20 WC Defeat

Despite the hype, Pakistan failed to capitalise on the conditions and couldn't restrict the Men In Blue to a smaller total. Riding on an explosive Ishan Kishan innings, India breached the 170-run mark and the bowlers did the rest of the job. Except for Usman Khan, no other batters took the fight to the Indian bowlers. This was Pakistan's eighth loss in nine T20 World Cup matches and former PAK captain Mohammad Yousuf blamed the political interference for the recent deterioration of quality in cricket.

He posted on X, "Unless 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 cricketing history, and my heart bleeds for it. Incompetent individuals must be removed from office and from the team."

India Dominated Pakistan In Colombo

The Colombo surface looked heavily in favour of the spinners, and captain Salman Ali Agha's decision to bowl the first over paid quick dividends as he dismissed the dangerous Abhishek Sharma for a duck. But Ishan Kishan had some other plans. The southpaw launched a brutal onslaught on the Pakistani bowlers and at times, the Men In Blue looked on course to breach the 200 mark.

Pakistan loaded their team with spinners, but Kishan targeted Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan particularly and he went on to score a fiery 41-ball 77. Suryakumar, Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube also chipped in as India finished with175 runs on the board.

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Pakistan never looked convincing while chasing the score and were stuttering at 34/4 courtesy early strikes from Hardik, Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel. Usman Khan tried on his own to bail the team, but the Indian bowlers struck in quick succession to wrap up a 61-run win.

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