Muhammad Yousuf blames ‘poison’ coaches for Pakistan batting decline

KARACHI: Former Test captain Muhammad Yousuf on Sunday launched a scathing attack on coaches associated with the national team, accusing them of failing to address technical flaws in the batting of Babar Azam and other Pakistan players.

Yousuf argued that the problems, which he believes could have been corrected at the time, have since developed into major weaknesses and contributed to Pakistan's current decline. "That failure has dragged Pakistan cricket into the decline we see today," he added.

"These coaches are poison for the game. They lack vision, they block progress, and they misguide even the most talented players. If our cricketers don't learn who to listen to, their careers will end far sooner than they should."

He said the poor technique of Pakistani players has now been brutally exposed from Bangladesh to England. "What could have been corrected years ago has instead become a glaring weakness, leaving Pakistan cricket vulnerable and struggling on the international stage," wrote Yousuf, who had resigned as batting coach with the PCB last year in July.

The spate of poor results and batting collapses in recent times culminating with the first Test defeat at Leeds on the tour of England has clearly created a division in Pakistan cricket with some former cricketers also going after each other on social media and in mainstream media.

Former batsman Muhammad Wasim, who has remained chief selector from 2020-2022, also questioned Imam-ul-Haq's calf muscle injury during the second test at Lords.