Pakistan's performance in ICC T20 World Cup: Key stats
Pakistan will tussle for their second ICC T20 World Cup title in the upcoming event in Australia. They will play their opener against arch-rivals India at the MCG on October 23. Winners of the 2009 event, Pakistan have done well in the previous editions. They, however, have blown hot and cold in T20Is this year. Let's decode Team Pakistan's stats in T20 WC.
Runners-up in the inaugural edition
Pakistan met India in their opener in the inaugural edition in 2007. While the game resulted in a tie, the Men in Green lost in the historic bowl out. Nevertheless, they made a sensational comeback and advanced to the finals, where they again met India. The game went right down to the wire and Pakistan eventually suffered a five-run defeat.
Champions of the 2009 edition
Pakistan were crowned champions in the following edition. They lost to hosts England in their opener but that turned out to be their only defeat in the competition. The Men in Green thrashed Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final clash to lift the trophy. Shahid Afridi was the star of the final, scoring 54 alongside taking a wicket.
3 semi-final appearances in the World Cup
Pakistan suffered a heart-breaking three-wicket defeat against Australia in the semi-final of the 2010 event. Michael Hussey's majestic 60* took the Aussies to a famous win. In the 2012 competition, they lost to hosts Sri Lanka by 16 runs in the knock-out game. Pakistan suffered another agonizing defeat against the Aussies in the 2021 event. Matthew Wade was Pakistan's nemesis on the day.
Forgettable campaigns in 2014 and 2016
2014 marked the first T20 WC that didn't see Pakistan making it to the semis. They lost to eventual champions West Indies in their last league game, which was a virtual qualifier. Their campaign in 2016 was even worse as they could win only one of their four league games. The tournament marked Shahid Afridi's final outing in Pakistan colors.
Leading run-scorers and wicket-takers
With 646 runs, Shoaib Malik is Pakistan's highest run-getter and 10th highest overall in the tournament. Shahid Afridi leads the wicket-taking chart among Pakistan players, having scalped 39 wickets in 34 games. Overall, his tally is only second to Shakib Al Hasan (41). Three of the top five wicket-takers in the tournament are Pakistanis with Saeed Ajmal (36) and Umar Gul (35) following Afridi.
Pakistan's win tally in T20 WC
So far, Pakistan have appeared in 40 T20 WC matches and emerged victorious 24 times. Only Sri Lanka (27) have won more matches in the competition. Pakistan's win percentage (60) is the fourth-highest among teams with at least 10 victories in the tournament.
Umar Gul's astonishing feat
Umar Gul finished as the highest wicket-taker in the 2007 and 2009 editions, having scalped 13 wickets apiece in both competitions. No other bowler has been the highest wicket-taker in multiple T20 World Cups. Gul's figures of 5/3 against New Zealand in 2009 are the third-best in the competition's history. Former Sri Lankan spinners Ajantha Mendis (6/8) and Rangana Herath (5/3) lead the list.
Ahmed Shehzad: Pakistan's only centurion
Out-of-favor opener Ahmed Shehzad is the only Pakistani to score a century in the tournament. It was also the first ton by a Pakistani in T20Is. He scored an unbeaten 111 off 62 balls against hosts Bangladesh in the 2014 event. This remains the fourth-highest individual score in the tournament's history. Brendon McCullum (123), Chris Gayle (117), and Alex Hales (116*) lead the list.
