T20 WORLD CUP: The similarities and dissimilarities in Pak’s run in 1992 and 2022

Losing to India, check. Nowhere in the reckoning for silverware halfway through the group stage, check. Stroke of luck, check. A late streak, check. Beating New Zealand in semi-finals, check. Playing the finals against England, check. Playing at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, check.

There are many similarities between the Pakistani conquest of the 1992 one-day international (ODI) world cup and the odyssey its 2022 T20 World Cup campaign is shaping out to be. But then, in many ways, it is very dissimilar. Here are two similarities and two dissimilarities between two runs of the Pakistan cricket team, separated by 30 years.

Similarity: Written off to writers of history

In the 1992 World Cup format, each of the nine sides played each other, with the top four then qualifying for the semi-finals. After five of its eight group matches, Pakistan had just one win – against Zimbabwe, the weakest side in the tournament. They had endured losses to West Indies, India and South Africa. And, in a much-needed stroke of luck, escaped with a no-result against England, in a rain-hit match in which Pakistan, batting first, was skittled out for 74 runs in 40 overs.

The side still needed to win all its remaining three group matches (against Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand), and hope results of other top teams fell their way. Two were wins by some margin. Sri Lanka was a tense chase, and Pakistan won by four wickets with just five balls to spare. Similarly, in 2022, the first two group matches yielded two losses for Pakistan, and they were again written off. It was the Netherlands heist on South Africa that opened the door for Pakistan, and they waltzed back in the running.

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Similarity: Stability in captaincy

For Pakistan, a big factor in 1992 was their captain Imran Khan, who was ageing at 39, but was still a talismanic force that could bind a team of supreme, but unpredictable, talents. The history of Pakistani cricket shows stability in captaincy is a much-needed glue, but also elusive. Khan retired from cricket immediately after winning the 1992 World Cup, but his Pakistani record of 139 ODIs captained still stands. Since his departure, only Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Misbah-ul-Haq have had tenures of notable length.

Babar Azam is shaping in their shoes. Just 28, he has remained prolific as a batsman. While these are still early days for him in Tests and ODIs, he has already captained Pakistan in 65 T20 matches — the most for a Pakistani captain in the new format. Among all captains, he is ranked fifth in a list led by Australia’s Aaron Finch (76 matches) and has the highest winning percentage among the five (67%).

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Dissimilarity: No top performers in tournament

There are similarities in the construct of the 1992 and 2022 teams: a multi-pronged pace attack, a snappy leg spinner, a jack-in-the-box wicket-keeper. The difference, however, is in their performance. In 1992, once Pakistan went on a winning run, they racked up statistics that added to something substantial. Three batters ended up in the top 10 by runs scored in the tournament (Javed Miandad, Ramiz Raja and Aamer Sohail), and two in the top five by wickets taken (Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed).

In comparison, the 2022 show has been less about some individuals being unrelenting mainstays, and more about different players stepping up at different points in time. The highest run-getter from Pakistan in this tournament is Mohammad Rizwan, and he is ranked only 16th. He will need another 40 runs in the finals to break into the top 10. There are two bowlers in the top 10 (Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan), and they will need at least two wickets in the finals to enter the top five.

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Dissimilarity: England, a playing habit

Another dissimilarity between the two sides is the amount of cricket they have played in the respective format. In terms of match readiness, the 1992 side had a poor run-up. In the trailing 12 months from the finals, Pakistan played just 13 ODIs before the world cup. They didn’t play England in a single ODI in the run-up.

By comparison, the 2022 Pakistan side has been prolific in playing T20s. In the trailing 12 months, excluding the world cup, Pakistan have played as many as 26 matches. The side they have played the most is England. Pakistan hosted England in a seven-match series at home this September and October, losing 3-4. Two of the matches they won, they did so by a margin of 3 runs and 6 runs, respectively. That sums up Pakistani cricket through the ages: one is never sure what one is going to get. And that is part of the charm.

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