'8–0': Pakistan selector Aaqib Javed revives Shadab Khan's dig at legends during T20 World Cup

NEW DELHI: Pakistan Cricket Board officials convened a press conference on Saturday to dissect the national side’s T20 World Cup campaign, which ended without the championship that arch-rivals India ultimately lifted. Against that backdrop, national selector Aaqib Javed bluntly dismissed the familiar lament over Pakistan’s World Cup record against India, reminding critics that the 8–0 ODI ledger spans eras and captains alike.

“Not being able to beat India in the World Cup is not an excuse; the result there is 8–0, and even the world’s best captains have played from 1975 to 2026, so set that aside,” Javed said, flanked by former captains Misbah-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq. “In the Super 8 stage, one match was washed out due to rain, and we lost one match—nothing else happened. Against Sri Lanka, winning by that margin wasn’t achievable. We lost only one match. We were eliminated only on net run rate. Making it such a huge issue is too much. It’s a big issue, but not so big that our cricket is destroyed or that we can’t compete anywhere in the world.”

Javed’s remarks reignited a controversy that had simmered during the tournament when all-rounder Shadab Khan, stung by criticism from retired greats after Pakistan’s defeat to India in Colombo, fired back at the chorus of ex-players. “Former cricketers have their own opinions. They were legends, but even they could not achieve what we have. We have beaten India in a World Cup,” Shadab said, referencing Pakistan’s 2021 T20 World Cup triumph over India in which he featured prominently.

The retort struck a nerve, particularly with Shadab’s father-in-law and former Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq, who labelled the comments “unwanted” and pointed to the significant victories his generation secured in Tests and ODIs despite never landing an ICC global title. “Those were unwanted comments, and most of the players had played with me. In fact, I am also one of them who had not won an ICC event, but we had won several big matches for Pakistan, Tests and ODIs,” Saqlain said on a Pakistani television show.

By reviving the 8–0 statistic, Javed has effectively echoed Shadab’s earlier challenge to the legends: past glory, however iconic, does not erase present shortcomings—or the enduring gap on cricket’s biggest stage.