BLOG: Pakistan Vs Australia, 5 moments you can never forget

Pakistan has finally made it to the quarters-finals, isn’t it?

Although many in Pakistan are still rubbing their eyes in disbelief, but it’s true, a team termed as the weakest and most inexperienced in their WC history, made-up of some misfiring and forgotten players, is continuingly winning games and also hearts.

Just a few days ago, some would jokingly term the Men in Green as a “Chalta Phirta Hospital”, (a walking hospital, for their endless injuries), but no one dares taking them as anything but serious anymore. In fact, Pakistan are now serious World Cup contenders.

But ask skipper Misbah and he believes it’s no fluke or a twist of fate that Pakistan are in the knockouts, for him, it’s the fruit of tireless hard work, dedication and of course, prayers.

They now face the Mighty Aussies and that too in their own backyard, but not to worry, they know the place well. Historically, Australian pitches have given Pakistan some of their most pleasant memories. The 92 Cup tops the chart, 96 Tri-Series, 2002 ODI win and countless others.

Whenever confronted, both teams have given each other a run for their money; have produced high voltage battles and delighted cricket fans. As such, expectations are high from Friday’s spine-chiller, with no clear favorites and both outfits spitting venom, the gentlemen spirit would have little space on the field.

So before you cook that mouthwatering biryani, gather friends and take off from work, let’s recall some of the fantastic moments these two units have produced on the field.

Imran Khan “Cornered Tigers” Speech

Ask any Pakistani in his or her 30’s for their most remarkable cricket moment, and they would spontaneously mention 25th March 1992 with a broad smile, the day King Khan lifted the beautiful crystal trophy. But for me, the defining moment came a few days earlier, when the “Thought of the Day”, actually changed the history and dimensions of Pakistan cricket.

It was 11th March 1992, the ground was Perth and the opponents were Australians. Allan Border came out for the Toss in his yellow Aussie kit, what Imran wore surprised many. His plain white shirt, with a roaring tiger on it, set a bench mark for all cornered situations for times to come.

“I have told my boys to play like cornered tigers”, were the booster words that put the much needed spark in Pakistan’s dying batteries and from there onwards, their performance went from awful to incredible.

Herb Brooks had lifted his young American Ice-Hockey team with his legendry “Miracle on Ice” speech at the 1985 winter Olympics. Living on the same spirit, Imran’s self-coined Cornered Tigers turned mythical, rather, inspirational on its own.

The Great Escape, Healy misses Inzi's crucial stumping at Karachi

21 long years have passed, but Ian Healy can’t get that crucial and match-losing missed stumping of giant ‘Inzi’ out of his head.

What a test match it was, even the famed Umpire Dickie Bird was forced to call it the best test he stood in. The year was 1994, under a baking Karachi sun and a massive turning wicket under their feet, Pakistan and Australia slugged hard for five long days.

The match saw countless thrills, but we will stick to the fourth innings. Pakistan were given a record 314 to chase, they put up a brave fight but Shane Warne kept a check on their runs, taking his 5th scalp by removing Waqar Younis. Pakistan were left doubtful at 9 for 258.

The last wicket needed to score 55 to save the match, but there was little in Pakistan’s favor. The sun was burning hot, the turn in the wicket made Warne look like a Gladiator, Inzimam was the last man standing with little hope of assistance from Mushtaq Ahmed and statistically, Pakistan had never chased down 314.

But Inzi and Mushi fought, and fought well. I was there at the National Stadium as a school going kid to witness the first real thriller of my life. As the batsmen kept inching towards the magical target, the numbers in the crowd grew and with that, the chants of “Allah-o-Akbar”.

It came down to just three runs needed, Mark Taylor brought out midwicket to force Inzi come out and hit, he did exactly did and missed the ball completely, however, he was not the only one to be blinded by Warne’s big spin. Healy failed to collect the ball and it rolled down the ropes to give Pakistan a nostalgic win.

A dispirited Healy still blames himself for that painful defeat.

Take five, Razzaq’s five consecutive boundaries to McGrath

He was Glenn McGrath, Australia’s champion bowler who didn’t like to get hit. Facing him was Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan’s savior, who didn’t mind punishing anyone who bowled at him.

So it just happened on a fine evening in January 2000 at Sydney, when the two came face to face, with Razzaq in a hammering state of mind.

Interestingly, Razzaq had just started munching spinach on the advice of his anonymous Guru and was dying to show his Popeye Muscles, and he found the right occasion and the best person to flex them against.

The first five balls of McGrath’s fifth over, were mercilessly smacked by Razzaq to the boundaries, a message to his fun making team mates that Spinach does actually work.

Andrew Symonds mammoth 143 at Johannesburg, 2003 WC

It was Pakistan’s first game in the 2003 World Cup and Wasim Akram was at his fierce best, rising up to the occasion he removed Gilchrist, Hayden and Martyn to give Pakistan a good chance of winning. Waqar Younis joined the fun by removing Jimmy Maher.

At 86-4, Australia needed an angel and Symonds decided to spread his wings and absorb the miseries himself. As he built his innings run by run, he started to turn demon and punished the bowlers all over the park.

His match winning 143 snatched the game from Pakistan and set the tone for Australia’s triumph at the World Cup.

Mike Hussey bamboozles Saeed Ajmal, 2010, T-20 World Cup Semi-Final
If you want to know how intense and hard-fought Pak-Aussie matches can be, just take yourself back to the 2010 T-20 World Cup semi final, a game where skill, luck and determinations kept swinging till the last delivery.

Thanks to some skillful hitting by Umar Akmal, Pakistan set Australia a mountain to climb. 191 in 20 over’s against a lethal Pakistani attack would challenge all their skills and character.

Pakistan harnessed every batsman, except Hussey. When the seventh wicket fell at 144, Australia still needed a daunting 48 of 17, and would you believe it, they did it with a ball to spare, with Hussey being the main tormentor.

With 18 required from the last over, Afridi tossed the cannon-ball to his trusted weapon, Ajmal. The first ball was played by Johnson for a single, but what followed next was unimaginable. Six, six, four and six, game over for Pakistan.

The unthinkable had just happened; it took hours for Hussey to catch his breath and Ajmal to dry his tears.


Ashar Zaidi is a Senior Anchor/Sports Journalist with Geo Tv, he Tweets @AsharZaidiGeo