Hyderabad: The Pakistan Cricket Team, led by Babar Azam, is eyeing to continue their impressive T20 World Cup record and end the 15-year trophy drought since their victory in the 2009 T20 World Cup. With arguably the best bowling lineup of the tournament, Pakistan can fancy their chances to emerge triumphant in the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup.
With pacer Mohammed Amir and spin-bowling all-rounder Imad Wasim coming out of retirement, and already having the likes of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf, along with Shadab Khan, who can contribute with both bat and ball, Pakistan looks like a formidable contender to win the marquee event.
Captain Babar Azam will be leading the top order, and the presence of wicket-keeper batter Mohammed Rizwan, southpaw Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Azam Khan forms a strong batting lineup. So let's delve into their journey from the inaugural edition to the last T20 World Cup.
Finals
- 2009 T20 World Cup
While India fell flat in the Super Eights, Pakistan, who fell agonisingly short in 2007 losing to their arch-rivals, clinched the title in the 2009 T20 World Cup. Pakistan qualified for the Super Eight with a victory over the Netherlands after losing to England in the group stage. With a couple of wins in the Super Eight, the Younus Khan-led side entered the semi-finals where they beat formidable South Africa by seven runs thanks to an exceptional display from the bowlers.
The Sri Lankans were unbeaten throughout the tournament, but all-rounder Abdul Razzaq’s three-for coupled with Shahid Afridi’s (20/1 off 4 overs) economical spell helped Pakistan to restrict their opponents to a below-par target of 138/6 in the final. Pakistan comfortably chased down the target with all four top-order batters making contributions.
- 2007 T20 World Cup
Having played only four T20I games before the T20 World Cup, Pakistan were not the favourites to clinch the tournament. However, the likes of Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Hafeez, and Misbah-ul-Haq pulled their team out of trouble despite losing to India in a bowl-out. They won against Scotland, Australia, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka in the group stage and then thrashed New Zealand in the semi-final to reach the finals.
In the final, Pakistan first restricted India to 157/5 with Umar Gul claiming three wickets off his four overs, increasing their chances to pull off a miracle. However, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals and found themselves reeling at 77/6 after 11.4 overs. All-rounder Yasir Arafat and pacer Sohail Tanvir’s crucial cameos with Misbah at the other end took Pakistan closer to the target. Men in Green needed six off the last four balls to lift the trophy, but Misbah failed to connect the scoop shot properly and ended up giving a sitter, albeit a high-pressure catch, to S Sreesanth, who made no mistake.
- 2022 T20 World Cup
In 2022, Pakistan missed out on an opportunity to clinch the title for the joint-most second time when Shaheen Shah Afridi left the field and didn’t bowl his vital 10 deliveries because of an injury he sustained in the 16th over. The left-arm pacer’s absence at the fag end cost them the final to England at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Australia.
After the shocking defeat against India at MCG, Men in Green decided to play with four seamers, which turned out to be a very good decision for them. Except for their disappointing one-run loss against minnows Zimbabwe, Pakistan’s batting unit complemented the bowling extremely well.
However, in the summit clash, England's bowlers put up a strong performance and restricted Pakistan to a below-par target of just 137 runs for 8 wickets in their 20 overs. Ben Stokes smashed a crucial half-century that led England to victory. They achieved the target in 19 overs with five wickets in hand, finishing at 138 for 5.
Knockout Exits
- 2010 T20 World Cup
Pakistan continued their stupendous record in the T20 World Cup by reaching the semi-final stage for the third consecutive time. Despite blowing hot and cold throughout the tournament, winning three and losing two, they faced defeats from Australia in the group stage and later to New Zealand and England in the Super Eight stage. However, they still managed to qualify for the semi-finals due to a better Net Run Rate than New Zealand and South Africa, where Australia showed them the exit door.
Despite setting a target of 196, Pakistan's bowlers couldn’t defend the score courtesy of Mr. Cricket Michael Hussey’s blistering 60-run knock at number seven, and Cameron White’s crucial 43 took Australia over the line.
- 2012 T20 World Cup
Men in Green reached the semi-final for the fourth consecutive occasion since its inception. They were formidable contenders to lift the coveted trophy with the tournament happening in the subcontinent, and they played in a certain way. Pakistan won all the group stage and Super Eight matches except against India and stormed into the semis, where they faltered for the third time as they lost against the hosts, Sri Lanka, by 16 runs in a low-scoring encounter.
Pakistan pacers, well complemented by the spinners Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi, almost tilted the semi-final clash in their favour, increasing the chances to advance into their third T20 World Cup final. However, they were let down by the batters. Only three batters were in double digits, which is evidence of their dismal batting performance.
- 2021 T20 World Cup
Pakistan were the favourites to win the 2021 T20 World Cup as it was held in the UAE, their home ground, despite India hosting the marquee event. The Babar Azam-led side kicked off the season with a historic victory over India, the first across ODI and T20 World Cups, and topped the Super 12 Group 2 stage with all five wins.
In the semi-final, Pakistan were slightly ahead of Australia in defending a 175-run total until the arrival of Matthew Wade and Marcus Stoinis on the crease when the Aussies were reeling at 96 for 5, needing 81 off 46 balls to storm into the finals. Wade smoked 41 off 17, and Stoinis amassed 40 off 31 balls, throwing Pakistan out of contention with one over to spare in the innings. On another day, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan would have been match-winners. Later, Australia clinched their first ICC T20I title comprehensively, defeating New Zealand in the final.
Group Stage Exits
- 2014 T20 World Cup
Pakistan had a disappointing outing at the 2014 T20 World Cup as they couldn’t qualify for the semi-finals. Their batting lineup faltered against India, losing to India for the fifth time in the T20I showdown. They made a remarkable comeback, posting a 191-run total against Australia and winning the encounter by 16 runs, and then thrashing Bangladesh by 50 runs. But, with the semi-final qualification on the line against West Indies, Pakistan's batting bundled out for a mere 82-run total in a chase of 167. It was the first instance when Pakistan did not qualify for the T20 World Cup.
- 2016 T20 World Cup
The same was the story in the 2016 T20 World Cup, where Pakistan made a Super 10 exit after finishing fourth in group 2. Pakistan managed to win only one match, and that too against Bangladesh in the Super 10. This has been the worst T20 World Cup outing for the Men in Green so far.
In conclusion, Pakistan has always been a strong contender for the T20 World Cups with a proven track record of reaching three finals and as many semi-finals. They have failed to reach the knockout stage only twice. They have some woes in their batting lineup, but their bowling is arguably the strongest of the tournament, with a couple of all-rounders having the ability to score crucial runs at a good strike rate.
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