World Cup 2019: 7 common factors for Pakistan between WC 2019 and their title-winning 1992

Pakistan has always been an unpredictable side in World Cricket. They have always possessed a strong pace bowling attack which troubles most batsmen. While the likes of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis were the initial torchbearers, the Rawalpindi express Shoaib Akhtar took over from them.

Now, the mantle is carried by the duo of Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz. Over the years Pakistan has also produced classy batsmen. Javed Miandad was one of the best players of spin while Inzamam ul Haq made batting look easy. Despite boasting such stalwarts, more often than not, they have flattered to deceive which surprises everyone.

Pressure situations have always troubled Pakistan which has brought their downfall. But if there was a team that has staged a remarkable comeback from such a downfall, then it has to be Imran Khan's 1992 World Cup winning team. Comparisons have been drawn between that side and the Sarfaraz Ahmed-led side in this World Cup.

Surprisingly, there are seven identical scenarios that exist between Pakistan's journey in 1992 and 2019.

#1 Round-robin format in the league stage

1992 WC had nine teams competing in a round-robin format

The round-robin format is the one where every team would play a game against every other opponent in the taking tournament. The top-4 at the end of the league stage would play the knockouts to decide the winner.

Cricket World Cup from 1975-1987 had eight teams split into two groups of four. Reinstating of South Africa in the 1992 WC made the organizers opt for the round-robin format. Although Pakistan had a poor start to the tournament, they went to clinch the title under the leadership of Imran Khan.

ICC went back to the format of two groups from 1996 to 2003. The 9th edition in 2007 had 16 teams divided into four groups. With a view in growing the sport globally, ICC allotted four spots for Associate nations in 2011 & 2015. But they went back to the round-robin format in 2019 with 10 teams to increase the competitiveness.

#2 Losing the first match against West Indies

West Indies blew the Pakistan batting line-up in their first game

Pakistan opened their 1992 World Cup campaign against two-time champions West Indies at Melbourne. Pakistan suffered a huge blow before the start of the match as their captain Imran Khan was ruled out of the match due to a shoulder injury. Batting first, Pakistan struggled on their way to 220/2 in 50 overs.

West Indies cruised home with 10 wickets in hand as a new sensation in Brain Lara announced himself on the world stage. His high backlift and immaculate footwork made the world watch him in awe as he scored 88 off 101 balls before Wasim bowled a brute of a yorker to retire him out of the game.

A similar result came to the fore against the same opponents in the 2019 World Cup. Pakistan was bounced out for a paltry score of 105 by a fiery Windies bowling attack. Chris Gayle's quickfire 50 finished the chase in 14 overs.

#3 Third match getting washed out

Pakistan was lucky to get a point from the England game

The fate of the 1992 World Cup would have changed drastically had the match between Pakistan and England not been washed out. With two wins from two games, a confident England took on Pakistan in their third match of the tournament. It was the third match for Pakistan as well as they had a win and a loss in the first two games.

England asked Pakistan to bat first and their bowlers responded by bowling out them for 74. England had a steady start to the run chase as they scored 17 for the loss of a wicket in six overs. But it was the show of rain after that, as the match had to be abandoned and points were shared between the teams.

History repeated itself as Pakistan's third game in the 2019 WC was also washed out. This time the rain never relented as the match had to be abandoned without a ball being bowled.

#4 Winning the second, sixth and the seventh match

Sohail's counter-attacking innings helped them post a big total

After losing the first match, Pakistan came back to win their second game of the 1992 WC against Zimbabwe. In the 2019 WC, their batsmen stood up and shocked pre-tournament favorites England to gain first points. With just three points from the first five games, Pakistan were in a must-win situation in both the 1992 and 2019 edition of the WC.

To the surprise of everyone, they had very similar results in the next two games of both these World Cups. In 1992, a Man of the Match performance from Aamer Sohail helped them beat Australia by 48 runs. In this edition, it was Haris Sohail whose 59-ball 89 not only earned him the Man of the Match but also helped them beat South Africa by 49 runs.

Pakistan went on to win their seventh match in both the World Cups. The striking similarity between the two is, in both those matches they reached the target in 49.1 overs.

#5 Losing the fourth and the fifth game

Miandad's antics was one of the memorable moment from 1992 WC

One of the most anticipated games in World Cups has been the India-Pakistan match. The 1992 WC presented the first opportunity for these rivals to face off on Cricket's grandest stage. India was victorious in their first ever WC game against arch-rivals Pakistan by 43 runs.

Pakistan then slumped to their third loss in five games as they lost to South Africa by 20 runs in a rain-curtailed chase. The fortunes were no different for Pakistan in the 2019 WC as they came second in their fourth and fifth match. Facing Australia in a crucial game, Pakistan failed to shut down the opening duo of Aaron Finch and David Warner as both batted Pakistan out of the game.

With six defeats against India, Pakistan was determined to win the WC game against their neighbors. But Virat Kohli's side were too good as they suffered a heavy defeat by 89 runs.

#6 Breaking New Zealand's unbeaten streak

Shaheen Afridi's spell was instrumental in restricting NZ's score

1992 World Cup produced many first-of-its-kind attempts like the coloured clothing for the teams and the introduction of white cricket balls. One team that brought fresh strategies on the field was New Zealand who were co-hosting the tournament along with Australia.

Their strategy to open the bowling with off-spinner Dipak Patel paid rich dividends as New Zealand finished at the top of the points table. The only team that defeated New Zealand in 1992 WC was Pakistan. It was the men in green who broke their unbeaten streak of seven games.

A similar trend has occured in the 2019 WC as the Kane Williamson's side suffered their first defeat of the World Cup at the hands of Pakistan. Babar Azam's magnificent century helped his side secure two points and stay alive for a spot in the knockouts.

#7 India and Australia being the winners of the previous two World Cups

Imran led from the front in their victorious campaign

The above-mentioned similarities have been drawn to indicate that if the trend continues then Sarfaraz Ahmed stands a chance to become the second captain to guide Pakistan to a World Cup title.

Another striking parallel that has been drawn is the two WC winners prior to the 1992 and 2019 World Cup. Kapil Dev's side stunned the entire cricketing fraternity to lift the cup in 1983 which changed the way people looked at cricket in India. Australia then went to win the 1987 World Cup.

Pakistan under the leadership of Imran Khan won their only World Cup in 1992 beating all the odds. With India and Australia winning the 2011 & 2015 WC respectively, the Pakistan fans are hopeful for a repeat of that sequence.