The parallels between the 1992 World Cup and the current World Cup, sometimes seriously and sometimes superficially, continue to be drawn. After the defeat to South Africa, people once again got an opportunity to say that ‘the same thing happened in the 1992 World Cup.’
Hearing this, the mind shifted to the 1992 match, the most memorable of which is Jonty Rhodes’ run-out of Inzamam-ul-Haq. It goes on being mentioned but the truth is that what the picture tells about the incident, words are unable to convey. The run-out beach was the story of the field. A story was being written off the field. It is also related to the image.
After Pakistan’s defeat, Imran Khan roared into the pavilion and threw his shirt from one end to the other.
The background of this celibacy is also explained. Rain turned out to be a boon for Pakistan. Inzamam was batting well before being run out. After him, Imran Khan was also out with a gap of one ball. After that, no player could touch the wicket. The match went out of Pakistan’s hands, and the possibility of reaching the semi-finals was very less. All these things upset the Pakistani captain.
Renowned photographer Iqbal Munir had the idea of taking a picture of Imran Khan in anger, but before he could take the plunge, Wasim Akram warned him that it was not appropriate to snap at the captain at that time, only Javed Miandad. Can go to them. Then this happens. In no time, Miandad is seen trying to calm Imran Khan’s anger and explain. Their hearts rejoice.
Iqbal Munir saved this scene in the eye of the camera. This story of taking the picture has been narrated by the famous writer Saad Shafqat in his article No third man. This picture is part of Iqbal Munir’s book ‘Pakistan: World Champions’. The said picture is also included in Miandad’s biography ‘Cutting Edge’ written by Saad Shafqat.
Going beyond the picture story, we talk about the mental state of the team after the defeat. In this match, Javed Miandad and Ramiz Raja were not part of the team due to unfitness. The positive side of the match was Inzamam-ul-Haq coming into form. The class he showed in this match was best shown in the semi-final against New Zealand. He also played well in the final.
If he had been dropped from the team after failing in the opening matches, one cannot imagine how much of a loss it would have been, but Imran Khan knew Inzamam was a match-winning player.
Imran Khan has written in ‘All Round View’ that after the defeat against South Africa, it felt like everything was over. The players had lost their confidence.
The team only managed to win a match against Zimbabwe in a month and a half or one point in a rain-inconclusive match with England. Pakistan team had also lost practice matches against Sri Lanka, South Africa and Tasmania.
Due to successive defeats, the players began to cry. For example, Saleem Malik said that he should go for batting at one-down, while Imran Khan was of the opinion that he himself had said at the start of the tour that the ball bounces more in Australia, so batting at number five is more for him. is better.
After South Africa, in the match against Australia, Imran Khan fulfilled Salim Malik’s desire to bat at number three, but he was dismissed for zero. Ramiz Raja could not play the match against India due to a shoulder injury. Now he used to tell people that he was fit before the match against South Africa but he was not asked. Imran Khan has denied this in his book.
He says that in the team meeting, every player was asked about his fitness and Ramiz Raja told that his left shoulder is not healed yet. According to Imran Khan, when the team plays badly, these kinds of things happen. Imran Khan’s words are confirmed by the current situation.
In 2023, it became the first time that Pakistan lost four consecutive matches in the World Cup. Since then, there have been reports of differences in the team. Fakhar Zaman said on his triumphant return against Bangladesh, “My injury was not too serious, I could have played with the injury, but it was good to rest a little.”
In the World Cup, Imran Khan was very angry with Salim Malik. Because of their behavior not their game. Imran Khan could not participate in the first match of the World Cup against West Indies due to unfitness. Javed Miandad took the captaincy in his place. Salim Malik created a controversy before the match that he was appointed vice-captain for the World Cup, so the captaincy is his right. He did not understand that Miandad did not go to Australia with the team when he later became part of the World Cup squad, so he had to captain in Imran Khan’s absence. Imran Khan also wanted the same.
Miandad was a bigger player than Salim Malik. He had more experience in the game and captaincy than him. Imran Khan himself had played under his captaincy. In the absence of Imran Khan, he had led the team many times before.
Imran Khan wrote in ‘All Round View’ that Saleem Malik’s behavior was disturbing for him who had more to do with his captaincy than the match.
He says that if Pakistan had a strong batting line-up, he would have dropped Salim Malik from the team in the manner in which he discussed this matter with the manager in the dressing room.
The mention of Salim Malik dragged on a bit too long, so now we go back to where we started: ‘Same thing happened in the 1992 World Cup’.
Now it remains to be seen whether we can repeat this phrase after the match with New Zealand. Because Pakistan defeated New Zealand not once but twice in the 92 World Cup. And that too on his land. New Zealand reached the semi-finals by winning seven consecutive matches in the round-robin matches.
His last match was against Pakistan in which he lost. The national team defeated him again in the semi-finals.
