Here's how Pakistan have replicated 1992 World Cup performance
Pakistan came into the ICC World Cup 2019 as one of the top favorites to win the tournament. However, the recent string of poor performances have dented their hopes. Although, not yet ruled out of a semis spot, on a notable instance, it has been seen so far that they have repeated their 1992 World Cup winning performance. Here's how.
Pakistan open campaign with a loss against Windies
Notably, on both the editions, Pakistan have opened their campaign against the Windies, and have suffered defeats on both instances. In 1992, batting first, Pakistan posted a modest total of 220, while Windies' Desmond Haynes scored an unbeaten 93 to win the match. In 2019, Pakistan were bundled for a paltry total of 105, as Chris Gayle's half-century sealed a seven-wicket win for WI.
Pakistan managed to win their second game on both occasions
While it was not the best of start for Pakistan, they managed to brush it off with a win in the next match of both editions. In 1992, they tamed Zimbabwe by 53 runs, as Aamir Sohail's 114 propelled Pakistan to 254/4. Wasim Akram's 3/21 helped Pakistan bundle out Zimbabwe for 201. In 2019, Pakistan beat England by 14 runs in a high-scoring affair.
Rain hampered match number three both times
Interestingly, Pakistan's third match across both editions were hampered by rain. In 1992, England were on the verge of a victory at Adelaide after having bundled out Pakistan for just 74. Rainfall dented English hopes, thereafter. In 2019, Pakistan were up against Sri Lanka. The match was abandoned with a single ball being bowled after persistent rain.
Two consecutive losses followed
Following the washout, Pakistan's luck seemed to devoid them as they lost two consecutive games. In 1992, Pakistan succumbed to successive defeats against India and South Africa, by 43 and 20 runs, respectively. The ongoing edition also saw Pakistan losing two games in a row. They lost against Australia by 41 runs and then lost the marquee clash to India by 89 runs.
Pakistan come alive in match number six
After two successive losses, Pakistan managed to win their sixth game of the tournament. In 1992, they came on top against defending champions Australia, outsmarting them by 48 runs. In 2019, it was the same once again as Pakistan played well to beat South Africa by 49 runs, as the latter crashed out.
Will Pakistan repeat the show against NZ?
Pakistan are scheduled to take on New Zealand in match number seven of the ongoing 2019 World Cup today. Going by current form, New Zealand seem favorites to win the tie, while they are also unbeaten so far. However, riding on the luck factor, Pakistan may run away with a win as they managed to beat Sri Lanka in the same game in 1992.
Round-robin factor could be Pakistan's guardian angel
It should also be noted that the 1992 World Cup was the only previous instance when the tournament was played as per the round robin format. Also, the author feels that it is this format that could certainly help an inconsistent team like Pakistan. Also, if anyone who does not believe in history being repeated, this could be their chance to prove themselves wrong.
