The 1992 Cricket World Cup (CWC) really was the stuff dreams are made of. For every Pakistani it was a source of great pride and joy to see Imran Khan’s tigers fight their way back during the course of the tournament and carve a place for themselves in cricketing history by winning the coveted title. What was of particular delight was our teams’ never-say-die attitude.
Come 1996, and every Pakistani was looking to see a repeat performance but this time live at Gaddafi Stadium. Unfortunately this did not materialize as the Pakistani team was beaten quite comprehensively by India in one of the quarter-finals, albeit a victory clouded by allegations of match-fixing. This defeat stung us greatly…I don’t think any Pakistani who watched that match can forget Amir Sohail taunting Venkatesh Prasad after hitting a boundary and getting his stumps shattered the next ball!
It seemed the Pakistani’s would regain their lost glory in the 1999 CWC. A fit Wasim Akram, a young Shoaib Akhtar, an in-from Moin Khan, a strong batting line-up and a good team balance gave us a good chance. Add to that our expertise in English conditions and that world-cup was practically ours. But a nervous final did us in…what hurt most was the way we crumbled for a mere 135 runs. All those expectations, all the hype, all the celebrations we had planned were crushed within the first hour of the final.
Perhaps the worst performance in recent memory was our trip to Africa for the 2003 CWC. Wasim was at the end of his career, Waqars’ bowling seemed stale, Shoaib was still wayward and the overall morale in the team did not seem promising. We never looked to be a winning unit and team unity was severely lacking. We were disgraced in this particular edition as we failed to even make it to the Super-Six stage. A decade on from our victory, the team looked at it’s lowest yet.
Come March 13th, the Pakistan team will kick off the 2007 CWC with a match against the West Indies. The team is currently in the process of being humiliated by the South Africans in the ODI leg of their tour. What depresses me most is that the team though displaying more unity than some previous teams, severely lacks a backbone. There is a lack of fight and spirit in this team. Perhaps the countless injuries are to blame…add to that the doping scandal and the recent ban on Afridi and things really don’t look too promising this time.
Therefore, to save myself from further disappointment, this time around I have decided that my World Cup dream is not to see Pakistan pull off an improbable victory, but rather simply to see the Australians’ lose their crown. They have become way too cocky for their own good and I would extract great delight in watching them fail in their efforts. This time I’m playing it safe-way too often have I been led to the depths of despair by this Pakistani team…
This time I am not rooting for just one team to win; I’m rooting for one team to lose! This time I’m not hoping that one team will win; I’m hoping that one of the 15 teams other than Australia will take the cup!
Just a minor correction: Pakistan were all-out for 132 in the 1999 finals.
Although I agree with you completely that this team really does not look like WC Champions as yet I feel there is a contradiction in what you say. You say that they are displaying more unity than several previous teams, but lack the fighting spirit. Don’t both go hand in hand? I think its the countless injuries that will effect Pakistan’s chances in the WC.
Also, just today there has been a severe questioning of Australia’s status as unbeatable. England beat them in their third match in a row.
To be honest after today’s performance in SA I wouldn’t put my money on Pakistan, but I already have just so that my support does not waver during the tournament. I guess I’ll have to hedge it by putting some on either SA or Aus.
Hmmm…well i guess with any normal cricket team unity and fighting spirit would go hand-in-hand but unfortunately ours is not a normal team.
There are way too many thinhs working against them right now, what with the CAS taking up the doping matter during the world cup, the injuries, lack of form, and all-round dismal show in SA so far. Unless we hand SA a thumping defeat in tomorrows final ODI and level the series, i feel our chances are slim…to say the least!
4 defeats in the last 5 games for the Aussies at the time of lodging this post… your WC dream seems destiny Salahuddin….