Pakistan continued their fairytale run in the 2022 T20 World Cup with an emphatic victory over New Zealand in the semi-final in Sydney on Thursday.
The Men in Green are considered one of the most unpredictable teams in the sport and they well and truly lived up to that billing in the first-ever T20 World Cup hosted in Australia.
A team that was staring at an early flight back home after back-to-back defeats earlier in the tournament would produce a miraculous comeback from out of nowhere and, aided by external factors, progress into the knockouts.
With the momentum firmly in their favour, they landed a knockout blow on the Black Caps, a team that had finished runners-up last year and entered the tournament final as one of the strong title favourites.
One could go to the extent of saying that Babar Azam’s men played like ‘Cornered Tigers’ in this tournament, much like the one Imran Khan led three decades back on this very soil in their only victorious 50-over World Cup campaign.
Pakistan fans, in fact, have been busy drawing comparisons between the 1992 and the 2022 campaigns, hoping Babar lifts the trophy much like future Pakistan Prime Minister Khan did back then.
We take a look at some of those comparisons below:
Losing their first match at the MCG
Pakistan began their 1992 campaign with a 10-wicket loss against West Indies in a game where only two wickets had fallen in a little over 96 overs of play as opening batter Ramiz Raja’s unbeaten 102 went in vain. Pakistan posted 220/2 on the board, but their bowling unit would fail to come up with solutions as Desmond Haynes (93 not out) and Brian Lara (88 retired hurt) made merry at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Three decades later, Pakistan would begin their T20 World Cup campaign with a defeat at the ‘G’, albeit against arch-rivals India.
Losing against India
India and Pakistan had never faced each other in a World Cup before the 1992 event. And at the Sydney Cricket Ground, India would come out victorious by 43 runs in a game widely remembered for Javed Miandad’s little chat with Kiran More followed by his jumping antics. India’s victory would also mark the beginning of Pakistan’s jinx against their neighbours, as they would not beat the Men in Blue in an ODI or T20I World Cup until Dubai 2021.
Much like 1992, Pakistan lost against India in the 2022 edition as well, thanks to a miraculous knock from Virat Kohli in Melbourne.
Similarities between WC 1992 & T20 WC 2022:
1. Australia were the defending champions after winning their 1st title (ODI & T20Is)
2. Australia were the hosts
3. Pakistan lost to India in group stages
4. Australia were eliminated in group stages
5. Pakistan beat NZ in SFs— Sarang Bhalerao (@bhaleraosarang) November 9, 2022
Facing an early flight back home
After their 10-wicket loss against West Indies in 1992, Pakistan fought back with a 53-run win against Zimbabwe but were staring at the barrel again after suffering back-to-back losses against India and South Africa. And it could very well have been three defeats in a row had the match against England, in which they were bowled out for 74 batting first, not rained off.
Fast forward to 2022, and Pakistani fans were being subjected to “Qualified for Karachi” memes after their team lost to India and Zimbabwe in their first two outings of the campaign.
Winning three matches on the trot to qualify for the knockouts
In 1992, they had beaten tournament hosts Australia in a decisive game by 48 runs to get their campaign back on track before registering victories against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, finishing a point ahead of Australia and West Indies.
In 2022, Pakistan would collect their first points with a win against the Netherlands, before well and truly igniting their knockout hopes with a comprehensive win against South Africa.
It was ultimately on the final day when the Netherlands shocked the Proteas and they beat Bangladesh, that they officially qualified.
Beating New Zealand in the semis
Pakistan might have a miserable record against India across World Cups, but they certainly have the edge over New Zealand, especially in the semi-finals. After beating New Zealand in their final round-robin match in 1992, they would face the Black Caps again just three days later, where Inzamam-ul-Haq produced the knock of a lifetime (60 off 37) to set up a four-wicket win in a 264-run chase.
Pak’s chances of qualifying (let alone winning the comp) stood at 3% when they were 43 for 4 v SA, requiring to win that game, Ned beat SA & Pak beat Ban. Less than a week later they’re in the final & have won four in a row. I believe I should say ‘Qudrat ka Nizzam’. #T20WorldCup
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) November 9, 2022
The Pakistani victory was even more one-sided three decades later, this time the Pakistanis strolling to a seven-wicket win against the Kiwis in Sydney, thanks to a solid opening partnership between skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.
Facing England in the final
England’s commanding 10-wicket victory over India in the second semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup in Adelaide threw up yet another similarity — that of a Pakistan-England final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Openers Alex Hales and Jos Buttler made mincemeat of a hapless Indian bowling unit, chasing the 169-run target down without ever breaking a sweat to confirm the side’s second T20 World Cup final in three editions.
England’s journey to the 1992 World Cup final, however, was as easy as they would collect a 19-run win against South Africa in a game that is widely remembered for the Duckworth-Lewis fiasco in a rain-marred game in Sydney, with Ian Botham’s side winning by 19 runs.
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