Sydney: Every time Pakistan enter a World Cup, fanatics start romanticising over past performances and try finding a common thread. Take the 2019 ODI World Cup for example. They got thrashed in the first game against West Indies, and then bounced back by beating hosts and eventual champions England.
T20 World Cup: Full coverage Photos
Suddenly, there was a romantic’s connect with the 1992 World Cup, wherein Pakistan had made a poor start and then recovered to lift the title in a similar format. It didn’t make sense, of course. As if 27 years didn’t provide enough of a differentiation in context.
It is almost a similar narrative now at the 2022 T20 World Cup. Qualifying for the semis in a miraculous manner, Pakistan and their fans are dreaming again. And the three other teams remaining in the fray are only helping to feed this frenzy further.
Sample this: Pakistan had beaten New Zealand in the 1992 semi-final, and then again in the 1999 World Cup semi-final, with different results in the summit clash. In 1992, mind you, they beat England in the final. In the 2009 T20 World Cup, they lost the first game to Sri Lanka and were on the brink, before beating New Zealand to survive and then went on to lift the trophy. Then, of course, there is the ultimate dream – of taking on India again in the World Cup final, a rematch from the inaugural 2007 edition.
Pakistan’s road to semi-finals