Team History at Cricket World Cup – Pakistan (1975-2011)

Imran Khan with the 1992 World Cup

If words were picked to define teams in the World Cup, ‘unlucky’ would symbolize South Africa, ‘ruthlessness’ would probably define Australia, ‘passionate’ might be apt for India, ‘flair’ might go the West Indies way and ‘underdogs’ would be ideal for New Zealand. But what word could you possibly pick for Pakistan? Would ‘enigmatic’ clinch the deal, given the mysterious mix of good luck and dynamic leadership that coaxed them to their greatest night?

Would ‘mercurial’ be the right word for a team that blows hot and cold with the same alternating frequency as the flickering night lamps in rural India during summer evenings? Probably we could settle on ‘exotic’, because exotic has flavours and so does Pakistan. Exotic has mystery, so does Pakistan. Exotic has variety, so does Pakistan. Most importantly, exotic attracts and so does Pakistan.

From the fairy tale night of 1992 when cricket’s greatest Khan rolled the red carpet for himself with that indomitable sense of purpose to the disaster of 2007, following the shock exit caused by the loss to Ireland, Pakistan has given its fans a bumpy ride. From moments of genius that grind the best teams to dust to moments of ridiculous mediocrity, Pakistan owns the roller-coaster in cricket, especially in World Cups.

Overall Stats

Pakistan has been a good side in World Cups; not a great side like Australia or West Indies in the tournament’s early days, but good. Good that finds synonyms in other words, like attractive, charming, admirable. Sometimes, like on those two eventful nights at Auckland and Melbourne, you might drift a little and indulge yourself the luxury of using ‘adorable’. Yes, that batch of ’92 was adorable, losing their first match by 10 wickets to West Indies and unfairly gaining a point from an abandoned match that they deserved to lose against eventual runners-up England. Good, because 36 wins out of 64 in World Cup matches overall is the kind of performance that allows you to grin in pride.

You still don’t get daddy’s nodding approval, not the reserved spot on the drawing-room mantelpiece. But good enough to get your mom’s smile. Good, because the ‘exotic’ managed four semi-final appearances apart from the ’92 trophy. Good, because the strange odyssey that is Pakistan cricket always embodied unpredictability – a 10-wicket loss to West Indies and also a 10-wicket win against the same country. Their relationship with West Indies is quite a bizarre one, as Pakistan also has a win and a loss by just 1 wicket against West Indies. After all, who could forget the heartbreaking loss when Murray and Roberts put on 64 for the last wicket to chase down 267?

Pakistan has had strange World Cups: the ’92 for example, when not even the most optimistic fans gave them a chance in hell of reaching the semis, leave alone lifting the cup. But, like Rameez Raja who took ‘that last catch’ mentions, their captain was always 100% sure that it was going to be Pakistan’s tournament. And it was. Down Under. Coloured Clothing and lovely lights. Massive grounds that didn’t have ropes. Charming. Very charming indeed.

Almost a fairy-tale finish that incorporated South Africa’s rainy nightmare and New Zealand’s juggernaut malfunction when it mattered most. Pakistan’s 6-3 in ‘92 followed their 5-2 in ’87 when they were on fire, winning the first 5 games, but losing the last two including the one that mattered, the semi-final. ’96 was heartbreaking, ending No.2 in their group, but losing to arch-rivals India in the quarter-finals, losing in spite of Aamir Sohail’s breathtaking arrogance.

Yet 4-2 was not bad. ’99 took them to the crescendo, before Australia flattened them in the finals so badly that it took them three World Cups to recover. 2003 was mediocre, if mediocre survived on scraps. 2007 was dismal, so dismal that you could find their performance lying next to the litter that misses the garbage can after matches. If reaching the semi-finals in 2011 was any relief, it fizzled in the face of a defeat to, guess who? Their arch-rivals, again – who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat or who were gifted away.

Best Performance

So, what about that gorgeous, glitzy world cup of ’92 that makes it Pakistan’s best performance? Was it the sense of the underdogs finally making it big? Was it the captain courageous, the genius who owned the ground, the team and the audience, almost like he used a wand to play cricket and not bat and ball? Was it the beauty with which fortunes changed and destinies chalked making sure that a velvety path was opened up for the team that had the universe’s puzzling conspiracy working in its favor at every juncture? We would never know. All we would know is that Pakistan lost 3 of their first 5 matches and salvaged a point from a match where they were all out for 74, thanks to the rain.

Then came the cascading turnaround, the genius of Imran Khan whirling his wand yet again, making the rooks and bishops in Inzamams and Akrams perform breathtaking stunts, stunts that would ensure that glittery, sparkling crystal of a World Cup was theirs, a World Cup where they won their last 5 matches on a trot, where hosts Australia did them a mighty favour by knocking the Windies out.

Crowe and Greatbatch’s intimidating Black Caps bowed out in the semi-finals, after a young, innocent looking future-great smashed 60 in 37. England didn’t know what hit them in waves at the MCG, until it was too late to realize that it was a tall, fast left-armer who talked to the cherry like Harry Potter talked with snakes.

Worst Performance

Bob Woolmer and Inzamam-ul-Haq (R)

Pakistan has been an exotic side. Exotic, not consistent. Exotic, with traces of 92’ genius and the tainted patches of mediocrity from the first decade of the 21st century. 2003 wasn’t good. The ’99 runners-up played cricket in South Africa like they just wanted to leave at the earliest, losing to all the big teams including a massive loss to England. They didn’t make it past the first round. Probably, they would come back four years later, repaint the memories of the bad tournament in the Rainbow Nation. Probably they couldn’t.

2007 was a strange World Cup in the Caribbean, a World Cup that was too risky for the big teams, where one upset could mean diving off the cliff without a parachute. Pakistan, like arch-rivals India, had to swallow the bitter pill of that upset loss to Ireland – their cricketing brothers if you go by the shade of their jerseys. A stab in the heart. A consolation win against Zimbabwe wouldn’t help redeem the players, who had already lost to the hosts, West Indies.

Top Performers

An exotic side needs a master magician, a charmer whose languid movements could hypnotize the audience. Pakistan has had great cricketers. Fast bowlers. Mysterious spinners. Dogged batsmen. Oh yes, I could hear you whisper names for each category. But they also had the Chosen One: Imran Khan. The man who is rarely considered for the tag of the greatest all-rounder the world had seen.

Imran Khan could walk into Pakistan’s all time XI as a batsman. Imran Khan will waltz into Pakistan’s all time XI as a bowler. Imran Khan will just lounge at the pivot of Pakistan’s all time XI as a leader; a team of batsmen and bowlers could be picked around. 34 wickets at less than 20 apiece and at an economy of 3.86 – Imran Khan the bowler. Imran Khan the batsman – 666 runs in 24 inning at an average of 35. And then those two innings, 44 and 72 in the semi-finals and finals. Poetically, the man who picked the last wicket in the finals for the world to realize what he had always known, like the man who was sent a cheat code by destiny’s scribe.

Pakistan has had other warriors too - Javed Miandad for example, who played in 6 World Cups and is the only Pakistani batsman to score more than 1000 runs at the World Cup. There was Saeed Anwar – 915 at nearly 54. Inzy squandered his grand start to eventually crawl to 717. Rameez Raja touched the 700 mark, too, playing during the era when Pakistan won a World Cup between two semi-final appearances either side.

There were plenty of bowlers, as well, who added mysterious hints of aroma to the Pakistani recipe. Shoaib Akhtar, who bowled the fastest recorded delivery, in the 2003 World Cup, managed 30 wickets: the key to the team’s ’99 ascendancy. Shahid Afridi will play again and has 28. He could probably cross the great Imran. Wasim Akram, though, is untouchable, with 55 wickets at nearly 24 apiece, including 3 in the ’92 finals. Very few know that Akram also has more than 400 runs, including a blitzkrieg 33 in the ’92 finals, making it his finals in a tournament that belonged to his captain.

Memorable Matches

For an exotic side, how do you define ‘memorable’? If you ask Pakistan fans, they might probably say that it is still to come, probably a win against their arch-rivals. Does memorable have magic? Does it have the sweetness of a symphony? If it does, it has to be the ’92 finals against England, where at 24-2, they dangled precariously, before conjuring a great innings and then, from being cornered during the chase, managed to fight back in style.

Does memorable have blotches of fury? In that case, Inzy’s whirlwind knock will certainly qualify, coming against a side that dominated the World Cup until then, a side that, unfortunately, missed its injured captain in the most critical moments of the match. Does memorable mean painful, like the loss to Ireland or to Bangladesh or to India in every match the two teams played?

If memorable meant historic, the colossal 192-run victory over Sri Lanka, their first at World Cups, in 1975, would be a definite pick. If memorable means thrilling, ’87 Lahore against West Indies would be a great pick: 217 chased. Of the last ball. By the last batting pair. 4 wickets for Imran in that match, but Saleem Yousuf was destined to pocket that day. He did, with a nerveless 56.

If memorable meant efficient, the win against Australia in ’99 would be a good pick. 275 was Pakistan’s score. But, to stop probably the greatest ODI team, a special act of rebellion had to be performed. Who else but the trusted gladiator. Akram finished the day with 4/40. Australia tasted defeat in a tournament; they will eventually win. For Pakistan, revenge was waiting to be served cold, but that was for another day.

There were some painful losses along the way, such as the one-wicket loss to West Indies in 1975, the 10-wicket loss to West Indies again in 1992, the 39-run loss to India in Bangalore, 1996, a match they should have won. Easily. Memorable still, because exotic is not about celebrating as much as it is about flavours; distinct flavours that garner surprises and indulge the whims of unpredictability.

Pakistan is an exotic side. Flashy batsmen, Sultans of Swing, mystery spinners, searing pace bowlers. A team designed with the sheer intention to thrill. Good thrills, bad thrills. Thrills, nevertheless. A team that plays cricket in strange ways. Some days, it is a game that dances at their feet. Some days, it is the demon they lose themselves to. Yet there is something happening, all the time, something strange, a little different from the usual monotony. Hence, exotic!