Pakistan's all-time Cricket World Cup XI

If the all-time XI of each country played the ICC World Cup, it would be a sight for the gods. Pakistan could be one of the frontrunners in such a tournament, being a treasure-trove in all three departments – pace, spin and elegant batting.An all-time World Cup XI for Pakistan would mostly feature members of the great ‘92 winning team, although there are a few others who would make it in spite of being unlucky enough not to have ever won the cup. Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mushtaq Ahmed and Aaqib Javed, meanwhile, miss out by a whisker. Here is Pakistan’s all-time XI:

#1 Saeed Anwar

Pakistan’s best batsman without ever having won the World Cup, Saeed Anwar is next only to Javed Miandad in terms of runs scored in the tournament. That is not all. He is one of only two opening batsmen to have scored more than 500 runs for Pakistan in World Cups, the other being Rameez Raja.

Anwar, who scored 915 runs at an average of almost 54, also had an impressive strike-rate pushing 80 and scored 3 centuries from his 21 matches spanning three different World Cups.

#2 Rameez Raja

Now one of the most successful commentators on the circuit, Raja scored two centuries in the World Cup-winning campaign of 1992 and also had the good fortune of taking the catch that won them the finals.

Elegant, understated and offering stability, Raja, strangely enough, has performed brilliantly at World Cups, scoring over 700 runs without being able to repeat that same prolific form consistently across Tests and ODIs outside the tournament. He will undoubtedly waltz into Pakistan’s best XI for World Cups, edging ahead of Majid Khan, who too was one of Pakistan’s more successful and stylish openers.

#3 Zaheer Abbas

Amongst an array of good players fit for this spot, we pick Zaheer Abbas ahead of Mohammed Yousuf, Younis Khan and others, for two reasons.

Firstly, he has been far more successful at World Cups, scoring nearly 600 runs at an average close to 50. More importantly, Zaheer Abbas played between 1975 and 1983, which was known as the age of great fast bowlers from the West Indies and Australia in particular. One of the most elegant batsmen to have played cricket, Abbas will be our one-down for an all-time Pakistan XI.

#4 Inzamam-ul-Haq

The man who stole New Zealand’s World Cup with a breathtaking half-century, Inzamam at his peak was a sight to behold. He had no weakness, neither against pacers nor against spinners when in full flow.

In fact if anything, he was remembered for his hilarious run-outs - casual at most times, clumsy at other times. But at the crease, Inzamam, Pakistan’s third most prolific batsman at World Cups with 700 runs, was as regal as batsmanship could get, especially with his on side play.

#5 Javed Miandad

The only batsman to score more than 1000 runs for Pakistan at World Cups, having played six of them from 1975 to 1996, Miandad has a special place in Pakistan’s Hall of Fame. The man acquired legendary status by scoring a last ball six in an ODI against arch rivals India and was a fighter through and through. He was part of a breed of players who ensured Pakistan beat the odds consistently, especially under their charismatic captain Imran Khan.

Miandad is remembered for his unbeaten 57 against favourites New Zealand in the semi-finals in 1992. He came back to score another classy half-century in the finals against England, building a crucial partnership with captain Imran Khan in the process.

#6 Imran Khan (C)

Imran Khan would be one of the few players in the history of Pakistan cricket who could get a place in the team as a captain alone. The man, who could galvanize his sides and inspire them to achieve greatness, had an almost prophetic vision of how the ’92 World Cup was Pakistan’s.

Imran’s closest contender for the captain/batsman’s position is Misbah-ul-Haq, who late in his career has showed the kind of stability, consistency and level-headedness that is rare in Pakistan cricket. However, as a player, Imran was far superior, with an aggressive streak that is critical in tough conditions. With 34 wickets and 666 runs, he is also one of the greatest all-rounders to have played the World Cup for any team.

#7 Moin Khan (wk)

Moin Khan is Pakistan's most notable wicketkeeper, not because he was genuinely talented but more so because he was a fighter. He was more in the Miandad mould of getting things done when needed than in the Akram-Imran mould of people, who were born with pure talent and honed it further. Moin averages a respectable 28.6 in World Cups, but where he really makes a case for himself is his strike-rate of 106 in his 14 innings.

In other words, he is an impact player who didn't really contribute much with the bat in the '92 World Cup, but has been one of the more illustrious Pakistani wicket-keepers. Umar Akmal is about the only option close to him, but then Umar hasn't kept at World Cups and could be a risky choice in tense situations.

#8 Saqlain Mushtaq

Pakistan has almost half a dozen options for the spinner. In fact, bowling has been one of the strong points of the team, winning a lot of matches with its bowling alone. If we talk contemporary, Ajmal will walk away with that position.

But given he is currently away from active cricket due to a suspect action, it is fair to give that position to Saqlain, who gets the nod ahead of Mushtaq Ahmed, Abdul Qadir, and Shahid Afridi.

Averaging a legendary 21.78 in ODIs, Saqlain’s economy of 4.29 is also praiseworthy. While Mushtaq Ahmed and Qadir both have marginally better numbers than him in World Cups, Saqlain will take the place owing to his consistency over a much longer period. Shahid Afridi could be a decent pick when the team needs to pack the side with more batting on seamer-friendly pitches.

#9 Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar is expensive in ODIs, but very few have a better strike-rate than him in ODIs. The man capable of running through sides would be a real handful on fast, bouncy pitches Down Under. With 30 wickets in World Cups, only Imran and Wasim have more wickets than him. The Rawalpindi Express was part of Pakistan’s impressive ’99 campaign in England, where they marched to the final against Australia at Lord’s before crumbling to a heavy defeat.

#10 Waqar Younis

He missed the victorious ’92 campaign because of an injury. One wonders how much more convincing Pakistan’s victories would have been, had Waqar been part of their squad. Fast, fiery and a sultan of swing, Waqar and Wasim formed one of the most lethal and potent pace-bowling attacks in the history of the game. With 22 wickets in the World Cup, Waqar played in 3 editions from 1996 to 2003, even captaining the ODI side later.

#11 Wasim Akram

The ’92 World Cup is remembered for Wasim Akram’s contributions as much as it is remembered for Imran’s genius. The man who turned the finals around with both bat and ball, Wasim is the only Pakistani bowler to pick more than 50 scalps, taking 55 in 38 matches at an average of 23.83 and an economy of 4.04. Imran is the second highest with a distant 34 wickets. Wasim, who eventually captained the side as well, also has more than 400 runs with the bat, including a quick-fire 33 in the finals to give the score against England a final boost.