On This Day: Pakistan complete a stunning turnaround 

After 25 years of a 50-over global title drought, Pakistan pulled out the big guns against India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final, to win the match, not only against all odds but in a fashion that could not have been any more native to Pakistani cricket.

Known for swinging between enigmatic and mediocre in small inconceivable periods of time, this is exactly how Pakistan went about pulling off a tournament win when nobody gave them a chance.

With nothing to lose, Sarfaraz Ahmed's cornered tigers, like Imran's, all the way from a quarter of a century back, fought as a unit to compensate for the lack of standout individual brilliance. On their way to clinching the much-yearned silverware, they had to face off three of the tournament's favorites and defying logic, defying expectations, defying the textbooks, they stuck to their own unique and unorthodox brand of cricket.

To see them go about their business in their typically peculiar yet consequently flamboyant fashion was a much refreshing sight in a day and age where sports are so much influenced by analysts and specialist coaches that apparently "increase performance efficiency" and ruin the career of Steve Finn without much regret.

While the win was an important statement from them to the cricketing world, instigated by Ian Chappell remarking earlier the year that Australia should stop inviting Pakistan, it also played a huge role in bringing international cricket back to Pakistan.

On the first anniversary of one of the most important days in Pakistani cricket, we look back at their roller coaster of a ride in the 2017 Champions Trophy.

Match 1, versus India, lost by 124 runs (D/L)

A microcosm of Pakistan's struggles in their opener

In a match where they picked 3 wickets in 48 overs and were carted for 319 runs, as effortless as you like, all over the perimeters of Edgbaston, it seemed like as if their performance was a harbinger of the things to follow for them in the tournament. Wahab Riaz went for 87 off 8.4 overs and had to be relieved via an unfortunate injury.

Their batting was even more befuddling, set 289 in 41 overs after a rain intervention, they never showed the intent to chase it down or get even close to it. Barring Shoaib Malik's miniature cameo of 15 runs off 9 balls, nobody even scored as quickly as to breach the run-a-ball mark and struggled against seam and spin alike. In the end, they crawled to 164 all out in 33.4 overs.

It was a performance where nobody could point to what exactly went wrong. They never bowled with sustained pressure, fielded like the Pakistan of the nineties and batted like the Pakistan of the eighties. It all looked to go pear-shaped for them from here.

Match 2, versus South Africa, won by 19 runs (D/L)

Where the turn-around started

In a stunning reversal of fortunes, Pakistan showed the first signs of their miraculous unpredictability, the attribute that made the cricketing world fall in love with them. They attacked the South African top order with the spin duo of Imad Wasim and Mohammad Hafeez, who spun the ball both the ways and also bowled suffocating lines, to expose the Proteas' susceptibility against the spin.

Wasim was immediately effective against AB de Villiers, who was dismissed for a golden duck and a collapse was triggered. David Miller's grind gave Pakistan a chase of 220, but without the massive scoreboard pressure of the first game, they would not face troubles this time around.

They kept things simple while batting, and did not try too many shots like the first match, their approach showed a lucid thought process and with contributions from Fakhar Zaman and the middle order, they steadily reached to 3/119 off 27 overs when rain intervened their second match in a row and with no further play, they completed a shock win over tournament favourites, South Africa.

Match 3, versus Sri Lanka, won by 3 wickets

Where they held on in dire straits

Pakistan had no answers to Indian bowling, Indian bowling could not defend 321 against Sri Lankan batting, commutativity would have predicted an even worse thrashing for them at the hands of their rival. If only Pakistan followed the universal protocols.

The fast and the curious trio of Amir, Hasan Ali and Junaid Khan picked seven wickets between them to ensure that Sri Lankan batsmen did not have another field day. Even the batsmen who got starts were never allowed to go on to capitalize by the relentless tight lines of the bowlers and the much-improved fielding display. The defining moment being Amir's ripper to knock over Angelo Matthews.

Pakistan went back to being Pakistan when it came to their turn to chase Sri Lanka's 236. They stumbled to 7/162. All seemed down and out for them and it looked like Sri Lanka, defying odds themselves, will seal the semi-final spot. That was when the skipper channelized the spirit of Imran and lead from the front, with an unbeaten 62, aided by an inspired Amir who contributed an invaluable 28 runs along with preservation of his wicket to set up a thrilling 3-wicket win.

Semi-final, versus England, won by 8 wickets

Where they made a thundering announcement

A team that barely scraped to the semi-finals versus the undisputed favorites of the tournament. A team that batted at an average of 26 at a run rate of 4.92 versus a team that has looked like breaching the 450 run mark in every match they have played in the last two years. A side with an unsettled team combination versus the concretely defined home side.

Rationality derived inferences would tell you who to back. And how the second team clearly has a massive edge over the first. But once again, cognitive deciphering counts little for Pakistan.

Winning the toss, they put in England to bat on a sluggish surface at Sophia Gardens and then the bowlers did the rest. Well, to be fair they were aided by England's maddening one-dimensional batting and lack of adaptability. Even without the stalwart Amir, they restricted the powerhouse of ODI cricket to a not so daunting 211. Hasan Ali, coming in as the third change bowler did the chief damage picking 3 wickets for 35 in his 10 overs.

Any qualms regarding a repeat of their efforts at chasing in the last match were put to a hold as Fakhar Zaman and Azhar Ali put 118 for the first wicket. They only lost one more wicket in the rest of the chase as they knocked over the runs with a gargantuan 77 balls to spare, thanks to a sedate 76 by Azhar Ali.

Final, versus India, won by 180 runs

25 years on, still the same aura, still the same imperfections, still the same likability

Amidst the massive support for India all over the social media and at Edgbaston alike, Pakistan once again were the underdogs heading into the decider, despite having a longer winning run in the tournament than India. Even on paper, they stood little chance against a side that boasted arguably two of the greatest ODI cricketers in Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, and a seemingly invincible bowling line-up.

Then the contest began. Batting first for the first time in the tournament, Fakhar Zaman saw an unforeseen glimmer of freedom and went on an all-out assault against India. Well, Jasprit Bumrah crossing a line he should not have, accounted for the majority of the freedom. India had no answers to his phenomenal 114 off 106 deliveries and their premier spin twins Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja went for a wicketless 18 overs between them, leaking 137 runs.

Where they conquered the world: 1/3

A late Shoaib Malik flourish saw Pakistan reach 4/338 in their 50 overs, a breathtaking mirrored account of the first clash between the two sides. More similarities followed in their defense of the target.

Mohammad Amir, making a comeback amidst an injury cloud, trapped Rohit Sharma in front for a three-ball duck and hence avenged the opener's year-old taunt at him labeling the fast bowler "normal". But the real magic was summoned in his second over as he exposed Kohli's widely documented fallibility in perhaps the biggest match of his life. He drew an outside edge on a lovely outswinger at a fourth stump line, Kohli caught the bait and edged to third slip, where he was dropped.

Only Pakistan could do this, brilliant and painful to watch in the same ball.

What if this reprieve is the difference at the end?

Well, an inspired left-arm pacer, moreover an angry left-arm pacer, has little room for what-ifs in his mind. Next ball, he drew a leading edge with an even more menacing ball where Shadab Khan held on to the most important catch he has ever clung on to. Kohli effectively dismissed twice for 5, set the free-fall in motion.

Where they conquered the world: 2/3

Shadab set up Yuvraj with a peach of a leg-spinner and then called for an even more convincing review to have him sent back, Dhoni crumbled to Hasan Ali's unabating provocation and Hardik Pandya, who looked like inching towards a miracle comeback, fell to his own lack of communication with Jadeja to be run out.

Where they conquered the world: 3/3

And that kids, is how the cornered tigers roared again.