Stones Left Unturned by Pakistan Cricket Team
Pakistan started its cricket back in October 1952 when a team led by Abdul Hafeez Kardar faced India in their first test at Delhi. Since then, Pakistan has made a name for themselves in world cricket and have won all of the major ICC trophies which include the 50-over World Cup under Imran Khan in 1992, 20-over World Cup under Younis Khan in 2009 and most recently, the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 under the leadership of Sarfraz Ahmed.
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Members of the Pakistan's first Cricket team. |
This team has also performed well in regional tournaments such as winning the Asia Cup in 2000 and 2012 and the Asian Test Championship in 1998/99. Despite the PCB's jersey sworn with star-badges of every major trophy, there are some hills that are yet to be conquered by the 'Men in Green' discussed below:
Test Series Win in Australia
Australia has been an uncharted territory for Pakistan in Test cricket where they have won only four of their thirty-five test matches. Off these 35 test matches, Pakistan tasted defeat in 24 test matches and drew 7.
The closest that they have come to win a test series in Australia was when under Majid Khan in 1979, they won the first game of the two-match series by 71 runs. Australia comfortably bounced back in the second test to draw the series 1-1.
Test Series Win in South Africa
Pakistan's record in test matches in South Africa is drearily dull. They have featured in five test series in South Africa including the one-match series in 1995 and have lost all. Off the 12 matches they have played in South Africa, they have secured a win in only two, tasted defeat in nine and managed a draw in one.
Their best show in South Africa was in 1998 when they won the second test match of the series comfortably after settling for a draw in the first test. Injuries and internal differences between the team members caused the team to under-perform in the third test which South Africa won. Hence, an opportunity was lost to beat South Africa at their home turf.
Twenty-20 Series Win in India
Pakistan vs India is the contest that every cricket fan wants to watch. Given their history, both teams go out of their skin to outsmart the opposition. Both teams have met each other once in a bilateral T20I series in 2012 which ended as a 1-1 draw.
The current political tension between the two nations suggest that Pakistan might have to wait for a few more years to win its first twenty-20 series in India.
Twenty-20 Series Win in Australia
Likewise test matches, Pakistan is yet to win a T20 series in Australia. They only time they have played a bilateral T20 series in Autralia was a one-off match back in February 2010 which Australia won after a close encounter.
A World Cup win against India
"We (South Africa) have never reached the final ... It's not a single factor. Why Pakistan is not able to beat India (in World Cups) is a billion dollar question," said South African legend Jonty Rhodes after Pakistan's 6th straight defeat against India in ICC World Cup 2015.
The two teams first met in a World Cup in 1992 when India defeated the arch-rivals by 43 runs at Sydney. Pakistan suffered the same feat in 1996, 2003, 2011 and most recently the 2015 World Cup. The situation is similar for Pakistan in T20 World Cups they have lost all five of their matches. One of the matches in 2007, which ended in a tie, was decided on a bowl-out.
A 50-over World Cup win against Bangladesh
Believe it or not, Pakistan is yet to defeat Bangladesh in a 50-over World Cup game. The two teams have met only once in a 50-over World Cup in 1999 which Bangladesh won by 62 runs.
About the Author: Israr Ahmed Hashmi is a freelance cricket writer and statistician. He has been featured numerously on Cricingif, Cricket World, Crictracker and the Express Tribune Blogs. You can follow his work here.
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India celebrate another WC win, the ICC World T20 2007, against Pakistan. |
India-Pakistan
Rivalry in Major ICC Tournaments
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Tournament
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Matches
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India
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Pakistan
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ICC World Cup
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ICC World Twenty-20
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ICC Champions Trophy
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A 50-over World Cup win against Bangladesh
Believe it or not, Pakistan is yet to defeat Bangladesh in a 50-over World Cup game. The two teams have met only once in a 50-over World Cup in 1999 which Bangladesh won by 62 runs.
About the Author: Israr Ahmed Hashmi is a freelance cricket writer and statistician. He has been featured numerously on Cricingif, Cricket World, Crictracker and the Express Tribune Blogs. You can follow his work here.
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