Pakistan’s embarrassing defeat to India in the T20 World Cup 2026 match in Colombo on February 15 has now turned into a full-fledged TV war. Just hours after the 61-run defeat at the R Premadasa Stadium, Mohammad Hafeez and Saqlain Mushtaq clashed badly on live television.
Mohammad Hafeez vs Saqlain Mushtaq turns into heated battle after Pakistan’s defeat
Speaking on the show Tapmad, Mohammad Hafeez and Saqlain Mushtaq’s heated on-air fight has left fans shocked. They clashed over a big question – who is responsible for this insult? Hafeez supported the players and said that experience and clarity of roles were not the problem.
The former Pakistan captain and coach said the main issue was execution, as he felt the team had the right combination but failed to show courage and skill when it mattered most.
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Hafeez asked Saqlain, “There have been six management changes after you, but the players are the same. How many people do they need to give clarity about their roles?”
Saqlain replied, “Look Hafeez, I understand that when you change support staff, in our culture, we are used to listening to our superiors. You respect your elders. And then you realize that if you don’t follow them, a tag will be put on you. So, you hand over your responsibility to someone else, and they start stepping in for you.”
Saqlain blamed constant changes, Hafeez blamed lack of development
To which Hafeez replied that the main players of Pakistan are very experienced. He said that many of them have already played more than 100 T20 matches for the country.
He added, “Among them, I can show you six players who have each played 100 games. That’s our core, right? There’s nothing wrong with the roles; they’re just not executing, not developing their skills.”
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However, Saqlain stressed that the players are very talented and have a lot of potential. They believe they can perform much better, but do not feel settled or confident because of too many changes in the team and support staff. “Too many cuts and changes is one of the reasons they’re not performing well,” Saqlain said.
Tactical mistakes in the first nine overs
Meanwhile, Hafeez raised questions on Pakistan’s tactics as they allowed India to dominate the first nine overs in Colombo. The former coach insisted that the Men in Blue could have finished the match in the “first nine overs”, but they came up with “our trump card”. [Usman Tariq]“Most worrying, only in the 11th over.”
He said that by then the match was over. Hafeez insisted, “These players knew their roles, but they could not execute their skills. Let’s blame the players now.”
Family angle adds more spice
The debate became even more dramatic because one of the players who struggled in the match, Shadab Khan, is Saqlain’s son-in-law. Well, Saqlain did not agree. He defended the players and blamed frequent changes in management for the poor performance.
Saqlain asked Hafeez, “You said twice that in the first nine overs, the way Pakistan played, India took the match away from us. You have been a head coach, director of cricket and captain. Would you say that the match was lost in those nine overs? Can you take a decision at that time, or will that idea come later?”