On Wednesday, 9th of November, Pakistan will lock horns with New Zealand in the all-important semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup at the SCG in Sydney.
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Ther are lots of similarities with Pakistan’s historic 1992 World Cup campaign which saw the team from the subcontinent lifting the prestigious trophy for the first time.
Australia were the co-hosts of that World Cup as well as the defending champions and just like 2022, the defending champions had been knocked out of the World Cup they were hosting in 1992 as well.
Moreover, Pakistan was in trouble during that World Cup and it looked unlikely to go through after half of the round-robin stage had been conducted, but Imran Khan’s men came back strong to win their final three matches to put themselves in contention of going through, just like Babar Azam’s men have done this year.
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The similarities don’t just end there. Even in 1992, New Zealand and England were the first two teams to seal their qualification after finishing first and second respectively.
Even in that World Cup, West Indies were more likely to go through as the fourth side but they ended up losing while chasing on the same day that Pakistan played their final group encounter.
What happened next in 1992 doesn’t need a further introduction as Pakistan defeated both New Zealand in the semi-final and England in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to become world champions. Will history repeat itself?
It will be fascinating to see both these side clash in the all-important Semi-Finals, this match promises to go down to the wire with both teams equally matched.
Read More: Pakistan vs New Zealand semi-final is going to be very intriguing: Nikhil Chopra
Squads
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Martin Guptill, Lachlan Ferguson, Devon Conway, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Trent Boult, Finn Allen.
