Hello cricket and baseball fans. Toronto Blue Jays are hosting
Cricket Night at the Park presented by TD this Friday, May
the 10th. Experience the same drill of
cricket with the Blue Jays at Rogers Center and get yourself a
White Blue Jays Cricket Hat T20 World Cup Champion.
Remember the name Carlos Verrathowit will be there, The
Canadian Cricket team will be there and many more exciting
guests as well. There will be lots of cricket
related activities like batting cages and cricket theme photo
OPS as well as the T20 World Cup being unveiled at the event.
Don't miss out on this wonderful event.
Bring your family, bring your friends.
Tickets can be found at bluejays.com/cricket or in the
links below. See you guys there.
Welcome back to Backward Point podcast.
My name is Dezar Sayed and this is an episode about every single
T20 World Cup that has ever happened, from 2007 all the way
to 2022 with me as always, my Co host and my brother Brishaw
Sayed. Hello, welcome to a Backward
Point Legacy podcast leading up to this upcoming T Only World
Cup. We're about just a month away
and I thought it would be a great idea.
Just sit back, reflect on all the World Cups that have
happened since the first one in O 7 to the last one that
happened in Australia in 2022. So sit back, relax and enjoy.
I hope you guys have a good time.
We're going to look back at every World Cup, top performers,
highlights, key moments. And then obviously, because you
have Pakistani background, there's going to be a Pakistan
POV of how Pakistan played in that World Cup, how things could
have gone and what are our memories.
Because the cool part about this podcast will be that we've
watched every single World Cups during the World Cup since its
inception. So I have memories, I have
thoughts, and I think I want to be sitting here reflecting on
them. We've watched the World Cups
together. Yeah, I think we are the T200
World Cup generation, for better or for worse, maybe the ODI
World Cup generation was our parents, but this is definitely
our tournament. This is something that we've
grown up with from the start, so the analysis that we may give
will be based on experience and that's we can't always say that
about the ODI World Cups. I wasn't there in 1983 when
India won. So I I don't know exactly what
the ramifications of that were. You know, I can always be in
hindsight and I can always read all about it, but you know,
being in that moment is different and we were in that
moment from 2007 onwards. But you were there in India won
in 2007. I was there in India, won in
2007. I remember that.
I I remember how it defeated I felt after that final and I
remembered how, you know, the IT was one of the first times that
I truly felt dejected and like, oh, this is a really weird,
cumbersome feeling. I don't know how to navigate.
This. It's funny I say that because
this is the same year where the ICC hosted the ODI World Cup and
Pakistan lost to West Indies and Ireland and they had a first
round exit and then our codes died.
Rest in peace, blah Blumer. So you're saying you felt even
more dejected by losing to India in the final?
Yeah, because obviously you were so close to that, you know, to
to that crowning achievement and whatever happens, India will
always be the team that won the first T win World Cup of all
time. Like they will never.
Nobody can take that away from them.
And it would have been nice to be that team, even though we ran
it back, the next time we went in, it just it was, it was, you
know, the inauguration, the inaugural event, and it was
India in the finals. And we weren't able to get that
monkey off our back for another 15 years almost.
It was just one of those things that would have been nice just
to have it done and dusted and then you don't.
You wouldn't have A7 and O8 and O situation and almost star
sports ads. Yeah, like it would have been
done. Like so much marketing would
have been down the drain. It would have been a nice little
inflection point for us, but yeah, it was one of my first
tastes of how defeat feels when you root for a team and that
sort sort of parasocial relationship you have with that
said team and it was all a pillar dawn from there,
depending on your lens. But you know, one thing that did
happen was it solidified superstars in my mind for the
box on cricket team, Chad Alfredi, Omar, Gul Abdul Razak.
These guys were just they they were really good players and
favourites of that era, just just alleviate themselves into
superstars and continue to solidify themselves after that
World Cup. So yeah, how about we just dive
deep into this, and I'm glad that you mentioned the 2007
World Cup because that's the first one we're going to be
talking about. We'll go into chronological
order and we'll hit every single World Cup all the way to 2022.
I think this World Cup was very important for the ICC for a
couple of reasons and also just in the broad prospect of
cricket. Firstly, the 2007 ODI World Cup,
you can say from a financial point of view was a flop for the
ICC because two of the major cricketing teams being Pakistan
and India had a first round exit.
Now, we all know that ICC gets most of their broadcast
viewership from India and Pakistan.
So having both of them out of the World Cup, the first round
made sure that not a lot of people were still following the
World Cup. And then just the backlash that
happened in India and in Pakistan, the can't imagine what
those players of those times were going through.
Do you remember what teams India lost from?
They were lost, but the. Last time the loss was to
Bangladesh and that's that was sort of the the, yeah, nil in
the coffin. And for the ICC to then adapt to
the T20 format because before this there were games happening.
I remember the first ever international T20 game that
happened between Pakistan and England was it was Pakistan's
first ever match. It was in 2006 in Bristol and
then T Horn cricket just sort of it kicked on.
The UK was a bit ahead of everybody because they had their
T20 Blast tournament happening since 2003.
So ICC finally gave in, had this World Cup and India, the team
that got a first or an exit, sent in a brand new fresh team
with fresh faces, a brand new captain and Ms. Dhoni.
The World Cup was happening in South Africa.
Beautiful stadiums. A lot of people say that Lords
Cricket Ground is the best cricketer in the world, but
people who have been to Wanderers say that Wanderers is
the most beautiful ground in the world.
I think it's in between mountains and there's a a
beautiful view this grass Banks people sit on top and the
environment, the atmosphere of that stadium is unmatched.
Just Lords may have had the history but I think Wanderers
for people who have been there and I would myself love to
experience Wanderers because we've been to Lords.
We've watched the game at the World Cup.
I would love to see how Wanderers compares.
So 2024 Parkland South Africa series.
Are we reaching or not? Maybe.
Sounds like a good woman. Maybe.
Boxing Day test.
Let's see. So the tournament happened with
12 teams and they were split into four groups of three and
then the top two teams from each group I I believe they went to
the Super Super 8 or Super six stage.
They were two, they were Super 8 stage and then there were four
groups of each. They played each other for the
semi finalists and finalists. Now my first memory of that
World Cup is the Pakistan India Super 8 match that happened, the
one that was tied, the one that went to a bowl out.
And that's the first glimpse of Ms. Dhoni's genius we saw on
display. The game was tied.
And then I see how this incredible idea let's do a bowl
out, which is similar to penalties in soccer or football.
And on the Pakistani side, we saw Pakistan's main frontline
bowlers trying to target the stumps.
Whereas in India they had part timers like Prender Sehwag and
Robin Uthappa balling to the stumps.
And Pakistan had Umar Ghul, Shahid Afridi and Yasir Arfat
who all three of them failed to hit the stumps.
Now I've heard Robin Uthappa and other players from that World
Cup talk about that bowl out and they mentioned that they had the
game awareness that the ICC had brought this rule in and they
were practicing this in their practices before matches.
So firstly, they're prepared and secondly, they knew what to
expect and Dhoni made the decision of giving the like
picking Harbhajan, Robin Luthaba and Seval because they were the
ones who were dismantling the stumps the most times in
practices. And in pure Pakistani fashion,
we just forgot to do our assignment.
No homework was done. And we just were like vibes.
We'll give it to a long here, no more go, you know, Never brought
that hairstyle back. But it was interesting to see
that 'cause I was going through the the highlights and I was
like I forgot that, you know, he when he went into the 2009 World
Cup and where Guild was more of a crew cut, like a more of a
civilized fast bowler. And I think that was also that
era where, you know, Schebuckter was at his peak and there was
Mohammad Aasi was there and long haired fast bowlers were like a
thing I remember. Was it like a bracket?
Nathan Bracken also had that headband from Australia, so it
was, it was a vibe. It was interesting to see Omer
go like that, miss the stumps completely.
That bowl out was the first nail in the coffin until we went to
the finals and then it came back a very more.
I think the more interesting thing about that World Cup was
that I think it was the first time that I saw anybody hit six
sixes in an international match and it was Yuvraj Singh versus
Scor. Broad actually just said say
Yuvraj Singh versus Andrew Flintoff and store.
Broad was at the blunt end of that and collateral damage,
collateral damage. The man had nothing to do with
the feud just comes in and you already have fired up Yuvraj
Singh and Yuvraj just completely blasted him all over the ground
360. And you can see I, you know for
better or for worse, kind of solidified the end and the
beginning of of the end of store Broad's white ball career
because he didn't really have a long career After that.
He moved all the way over to Red Ball and then just I.
Actually think he played until the 2015 World Cup.
But it wasn't at that point. It was this, like he wasn't able
to translate those numbers that he had in the Test matches over
to the white ball. And I feel like there was a
monkey hanging on his back, which was like I got whipped
across the stadium. I by RU Rod Singh, I have an.
Opinion So Stuart Broad gets gets hit for six sixes by Rod
Singh. I guarantee you, if that had
been a bowler from India or Pakistan, that would have likely
have been their last game of their career for Stuart.
Broad didn't go out to get the event of Test wickets.
He did. Longevity he had in his career.
But he also focused on Test cricket a lot more.
I feel like he, you know, both him and Jimmy Anderson, they
both played the 2011 World Cup. And the 15 World Cup.
Yes, but for me, they're always Test bowlers.
Their white ball accomplishments for me have never like out
trying their Test match accomplishments.
Let me ask over 250 ODI wickets. Somebody can.
I don't. Remember a single spell that
stands out. Well, yeah, I do, yeah.
Because Jimmy's frost ever ODI World Cup in 2003.
Exactly. He demolished Pakistan's batting
attack. I think he took like four or
five wickets and just nobody could play his outswiggers.
I mean, that was 2003. He got into Mom Bold, Mamad
Yousuf Bold and other Pakistani batsman.
He just couldn't see him. Yeah, I mean that again, 2003,
it's been a while. You know, it's almost been 20
years, a little bit more actually 21 years.
And I get that. But again, that was just like a
little bit of a rise and he found his footing in red block
cricket and then he hasn't looked back, both of them.
So abroad, sort of has hung up his Cape.
But Jamie Anderson is still fighting crime, bro.
I think he's over 40 years old and my bowling inspiration is
Jimmy Anderson. I'm like if this guy can bowl at
over 80 miles an hour at his age with his fitness, like why am I
not being able to ball 4 overs in the Markham Premier League?
We by the way, we had our first game yesterday and we won that
one run. I saw that I was following that
game. You guys can follow that, follow
along as well. Quick Clubs Shay CCI.
Prefer you not. I but I prefer that you do.
I would. I would love to have people who
have eyeballs and Bushar's cricket performance.
Hey, but we had a good game. It was.
We played in the midst of fog. I've never played in such
conditions in my life before, where almost half the ground was
covered in fog and I couldn't see who was on the other side of
the wicket. Yeah, so new experience, fun
experience. It's one of one of those things
where, you know, Premier League games, bro.
That's what happens. So Javad scored a 12, ball 50,
which at the time was the fastest 50 in T200 cricket.
Also just before still. The fastest. 50 It likely is I I
would love to be Fact Check. I'm not sure exactly.
I'll check it. Months before that, Yuvraj was
himself hit for five sixes by somebody called Dimitri
Mascrinus from England at The Oval.
So I'm sure Yuvraj had some sort of flavor of what it feels like
to be hit for that many sixes consecutively.
I thought it was amazing that Ravi Shasti was on the
commentary. So for him to be walking us
through each and every six. Was pretty special.
The president Singh Airy has a nine ball 50.
He's from Nepal, Nepal versus Mongolia.
That happened last year in how many balls, 9 balls, 9 balls and
then Yuvraj with 12 balls has the second fastest T20.
I fifty of all time. I I believe Shahidah everything
should be on this list somewhere.
That's 18 or 19 I believe. Sure Malik is on the list.
Sure, Malik 18 ball 50 against Scotland in 2021.
Sharjah we got compete on the list with the 19 ball 50.
Yuraj is on the list a few times actually.
Yuraj with 20 ball 50 twice against Sri Lanka and Australia
as well. So there you go.
One thing that also solidified again personally speaking for me
in the 2007 World Cup was how much I fell in love with Shahid
Afridi. I believe he was the player of
the tournament for this 2007 World Cup and he sort of
cemented his place as a proper balling all rounder.
Like he was known for his wildly successful, you know, cameos
when he would come in and blast the opponent off.
But it was his bowling where he really wanted people to know
that he may actually just be a bowling out runner.
I remember there was a lot of back and forth through his
career. Where is he a batting all
runner? Is he a bowling runner?
Sometimes? Sometimes he's a bowling all
runner, sometimes he's a batting all runner and that's like the
the beauty of Shahidah for his career.
Like you can pin, you cannot. You can pinpoint a specific era
and be like, oh, this is when he was like just bowling out of his
mind like the 2011 World Cup. 21 wickets insane.
But then you could go back to like the 2004 or 5I Pakistan
series and he was like, oh, he was opening and he was batting
like at in the top order and using the power play or whatever
they call it at the time. And like, it's just lovely to
see that his career has so many different arcs.
The captain arc, the revenge arc, the I'm not going to retire
yet arc. Like it's just beautiful to see.
And the 2007 World Cup, Yeah, that's when I was like, oh,
this, this. I think my favorite player of
all time has to be. Alfredi took 12 wickets.
In seven innings at an economy of 6.7 At the same time, he also
scored 91 runs at an average of 15 and strike rate of 198.
That's what it was, right? He comes in, he plays 5 balls, 6
balls, he gives you 15 odd runs, 20 odd runs.
That's what. That's what we needed.
And this is, I think, the person that we're missing right now in
the box line cricket team, a version of Shahid Alfredi that
comes in and just goes ballistic.
Arguably Shadab might be that guy, but you know he has to win
us a lot more games before he he becomes to that stature.
Well, Shadab did cross Shahidah Frithi in terms of the most
wins, the match, awards and wickets.
So I think Shadab does have the potential.
But Shadab looks at himself as a more of a proper batsman.
I think he takes his batting quite seriously.
Honestly, nobody gets success like a Shahidah Frithi does and
nobody will. Like people love Chris Gillo or
Shahidah Frithi. That's his personal preference,
honestly. It's like if you're like Alu and
Abaddon, you're not like some people do, some people don't.
I don't. So that's why I prefer Shia Daf
really. And he's going to be in my, you
know, T20 all time list forever. Maybe a captain in that list.
Even the second match that happened between India and
Pakistan, which was the World Cup final, I mean that's that is
the redemption arc that the ICC wanted AT20 World Cup happening
for the first time in South Africa and India versus Pakistan
in the final. It's only happened what twice in
I see events in history. So for India and Pakistan to be
in the final two. Finals and then one semi final.
That was the only playoff games that Pakistan has played against
India I believe. Fact like us, but I'm pretty
sure. So India scored 157 and Pakistan
in response were cruising through.
My man Imran Nazir was 33 out of 14, hitting fours and sixes like
it was EA Sports Cricket 07/07. And then he gets run out, which
totally changes the whole face of the match because Yunus Khan
comes in, he struggles. Show him more.
Like the captain comes in and he struggles and Bogusan is sort of
falling back on the pedestal of the run rate because when Inman
as you got out, it was 53 for three and 5.4 over.
So basically Pakistan needed like 105 runs to win in 15
overs, which is just over six or seven and.
Now that's like, just like you would close it, turn off the TV
and start celebrating if that was the.
Case and Eunice Khan and showed molecular batting, so it should
be easy singles and double S the odd boundary here and there, but
they just struggled. Trim.
Well, they got a criminal eight runs off 17 balls with a strike
rate of 47. Like, if that.
Like, I don't even know what to do with that.
That reminds me of how hard if the heart choked in the 2022
final. I think I'm getting ahead of
myself but like that's just not it.
And then just like a wild golden duck by Shahi Dafi, like the and
but from. Like it was the battle of the
two batons, Shahi Dafi said that if Irfan baton is not a real
baton and they were having that beef going on and if Amberdan
gets Afridi out, I remember he had a very crazy, like a very
excited celebration after that, after that wicket.
If Amberdan had 4 / 16 and three.
Wickets. Yep.
He was a man of the match. Wild from India.
That's the arc that I wouldn't have predicted.
And then Mizba doing a Mizba, he pulls the game back, smashes
sixes to Harbhajan Singh and we come towards the last over.
And at this point, I think Harbhajan Singh had one over
left and then Jogindra Sharma, who a lot of kids watching, may
not even know who that guy is, but you'll find out that he
saved that game for India in the end.
See and this is how weird like my memories, I remember Munaf
Patel born in that over. No, but it was Jogindra Sharma
who is AT20 World Cup winner. And now a police officer in
India. Couldn't pick him out of a line
up. That was the thing the last
match could have played for. India.
And then, hey, he made it happen.
He made it happen. He got he's in one of the most
iconic moments of cricket of all time forever.
Cemented Bacchus needed 13 off 6 and the last over and first ball
that Joginder Sherma balls is wide.
Next ball is a dot and then Mizba smashes him for a six over
long off. He walks down the track and just
creams it. Bacchus needs 6 off 4.
Mizba tries to go for the hero. Lap shot over.
Short fine leg and gets caught out by sreeshant of all the
fielders in the world. Yeah.
I think the best calculation there was that Joginder Sharma
balled at like 1/21/25 KMH. There was never enough pace on
the ball for him to we lap that over for a boundary.
And I think that was the tournament where he actually
kind of made the scoop shot, famous he was.
He brought it back. He brought it back.
He was hitting them all over the park.
And yeah, I mean, I honestly still nightmares of that.
Like, I still remember a defeated Miss Balak sitting on
the pitch, head down and just, yeah, I I don't know, man.
It's tough talking about it. I think Miss Balak's legacy,
sadly, is that when you think of Miss Balak, the first thing you
think of is that scoop shock. Yeah.
The second thing you think of is the the slow innings.
He played in the semi final and 2011 and then maybe you're like,
OK, he was also a good Test captain.
He brought the team back after the whole match fixing scandal.
But do you hear Rizbo's interviews and he still backs
himself saying that if I was in that position again I would have
played the same shot because he was getting lots of runs in that
World Cup on that same shot. So why not try it again?
Yeah, yeah, fair enough. I mean.
I mean, you live by the sword, you die by it.
But what in an inaugural tournament for the ICC, for the
G20 like that just solidified its place in our in the Canon of
of international cricket. This is hard to argue that it it
took the sport global. After that you have the impacts
that are just still resonating today, which is just the
inauguration of the IPL right after that.
Still single Best IPL ever, you know?
My first match is my favorite one.
Remember Bernard McCallum scored like one 58158.
Yeah, 158 and like it from there.
Like it was just like go. Like nobody was stopping.
After that, leagues became a thing, and it was truly the
inflection point of of the the way that we play cricket today.
And it all goes back to this World Cup.
And you know what would have happened if India hadn't won?
Pakistan had pulled it through. We don't know.
Do you think we would have had the PSL come in before?
Probably not like they're. I mean, the PSL they've been
trying to get, they were trying to get the PSL off the ground
since 2011 when we were at the PSL this season we, we were told
a lot of history about where it actually came out.
And I didn't like debut until the 2016, 2017 year, but they
were planning it for a while now and who knows, man, I don't
know. I don't know.
I honestly don't know. I just do know that nothing was
the same after that. Fond memories from that World
Cup, But then we go towards the next World Cup in England.
Pakistan loves to play World Cups or ICC events in England.
The last time the ICC event happened, still the ICC World
Cup happened. It was the 1999 World Cup in
Pakistan. Went all the way to the finals
with Arguably one of their best ODI teams.
So Pakistan goes to this World Cup.
A change of captains. Eunice Khan takes over the
captaincy from Shoaib Malik to ask Shoaib Molek in.
Oftentimes he says that he regrets taking the captaincy in
the 1st place because he felt like he was very young and a lot
of the guys in the team were a lot more senior than him.
Eunice Khan I believe was being groomed as Inzamam's vice
captain. So shocking that he did not get
the captaincy ahead of Shoaib Molek.
But eventually Eunice had become the captain.
Pakistan go to England and my first memory of that World Cup
is me and you sitting at our puppy's house or Alan's house.
And it was the Pakistan versus New Zealand match happening.
And it's the game where Umar Gould takes 5 wickets for six
runs, just the most incredible display of reverse swing
bowling, and more specifically that catch from Shahid Afridi of
Scott Cyrus while he was running back.
I watch that in slow motion sometimes, like if you've played
any cricket at any level, and if you've taken a catch running
back, you know exactly how hard it is.
So for a free D to calculate how high it is, how far back it is
and how close he is to the boundary, take that.
Catch his hair flying, cap dropping.
Just the most beautiful scene ever.
And that's some of the best camera work you'll ever see as
well. Like just having the camera
focused on him as he's running back and I think that's where
the iconic the X-Men pose of his became comic like, that was that
was it. After that it was just him there
everywhere. Honestly, if the 2007 World Cup,
I didn't introduce child after me, the superstar, then 2009
definitely solidified him like he's this is the guy and I'm
honestly Uniscon's captaincy. You don't attribute the uniscon
Ness of that team as you do like the 1992 of the Imran Khan is of
that team. But for whatever reason you
could say a lot of, there's a lot of theories on why that's
the case. He sort of is more forgotten in
that sense. Do you agree with that?
He doesn't. Get the credit he deserves.
There we go. Yeah, when we speak of good
captains in the Pakistan set up, the players who played in Yunus
era mentioned that he was a very he's quite strict on rules,
regulations, discipline and that's sort of why all the
players rioted against him. But I think that world's Cup,
one of the best decisions that Yunus Khan made, that Mohammed
Armour has disclosed is that the selectors at the time did not
want to pick Mohammed Armour. But Yunus Khan put the foot down
and said that I need this 17 year old youngster in my team
and then he used Amir brilliantly.
It was the first time we saw Amir on the big stage, a 17 year
old kid just running in hair, flying, balling at 1:45 clicks
and just showing how much of a big match temperament he has.
Yunus Khan gave him the last over in the semi final when he
had 15 or 14 to defend and you know just the gall and Yunus
Khan to do that and just the the way that he stepped up, Mohammed
Amir stepped up and made sure that he was in command.
This goes to show that he was a born bred superstar ready to
happen and Eunice really gave him that confidence to make sure
that he pursues that line again. It's the Shahida for the
tournament of it all. That to Marcus, to Jacques
Calis. I still like that's That's a
sticker that I still use every single day.
So context. Jacques Calis is balling to
Shahida Free in the semi final World Cup.
He balls him two bumpers that go straight over Afridi's head.
They're 90 miles an hour, quick, rapid and the next ball
Chylafridis Max. The next two balls actually
Chylafridis Max and for back-to-back forwards and gives
him a virtual kiss to the one of the greatest odd hundreds in
world's cricket. Jack Callas.
So that just showed the confidence level of what Afridi
was and if the 2007 Pakistan team was trying to make a
statement, this team was trying to carry that same team's legacy
and saying hey, we have some unfinished business here.
We were in the final last time but we're here to win at this
time. And there were a few more
important additions in Pakistan's team, one of them
being the introduction of Sayed Ajmal who I think was is one of
Pakistan's greatest T20 Ballers. I It's very hard to make an all
time Pakistan T 2011 without the likes of Ajmal Afridi, Umar
Golivan. So to imagine all these guys are
playing the World Cup together. Looking back, it seems like that
team was way ahead of its time. Honestly, and just that a lot of
those players in that 2019 would go into an all time P20 player
from 1009. Yeah, it's 19.
Oh I said 19. My bad 2019, 2009 team.
That's what I said. Oh team, that's what I said.
The 2009 cricket team of the team Pakistan.
A lot of those players were going to their all time national
team and it shows that they were.
I would, I would say that team today would probably go and give
these boys a hard time. One thing I wanted to discuss is
the 2009 T 20 World Cup was horrible for Team India.
When they came over to the Super Eights, lost every single game
and the team that they played were All Stars.
Gotham, Gambhiro Sharma, Suresh Rayana, Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni as
Captain, Yusuf Botan, Efan Botan, Harbhajan, Zahid Khan
like that's and then Nishan Sharma and Pragya and Oja.
These are people. Maybe not Oja, but everybody
else is an all timer for for Team India and they completely
dropped the ball. They were there to defend their
title but couldn't make a path to Super Eights.
Didn't get a single win in that Super Eights tournament.
You. Know what's interesting?
So firstly, OK, this is the first World Cup happening after
the IPL and India doesn't win a single match in the Super 8.
But secondly, I was just thinking about this the other
day. Ms. Dhoni has captained India in
thousand 7910121416 1600 World Cups and he's won once, so his
winning ratio of winning the 20 World Cups is one of six.
Yeah, and do you think sometimes we're a bit too harsh on
Pakistan captains? Like after one World Cup we
changed them. Or if Baba loses 2 World Cups
back-to-back, we're like, OK, he's not winning anything.
I mean, this is change him. This is the first time a
Pakistani captain is going to captain a Pakistan squad for the
third time at a World Cup. First time ever.
So the point is like, do captains need a longer run like
Dhoni had a? In that nine years he was able
to win three trophies. That was Ms. Dhoni though.
Like that's that's a different breed.
If we had an Ms. Dhoni type player then yeah, we would have
definitely done that. Was Imran Khan, the captain of
the 83 World Cup as well. I can't remember.
I don't think so. I think it's going.
To be 87, he was. 87 and 92 was simran. 83 might be me though
actually. Yeah, again, I mean, Imran Khan
didn't get a three term World Cup series.
So this is the first time that it is for Pakistan that a
Pakistani captain will go in and captain it three times.
I just want to again just touch base a little bit on 2009 World
Cup Group A. This is Group A, India, Ireland
and Bangladesh. I mean it was set up for India
to go back back-to-back, but they threw it in, man.
I don't know. That's why I kind of kind of
hoped that the 2009 World Cup, the only thing I'm missing from
that glory is, is a boxer in India game.
I think that's where they kind of dropped the ball and they try
to make it happen in the Super Eights.
But you know now they're no better to not not separate the
2:00 every single tournament after 2011.
I think they've been in in the same group every single
tournament, and it's a money maker.
Why not? Also, Australia didn't make it
past the first round, which sometimes we forget to look back
on. I think they were still trying
to figure out their whole T20 set up, but ultimately in the
final I remember actually the same final.
It was the first time we saw Unicom promote Afridi to bite up
the order and he scored a 50I remember he scored like 5
boundaries of Johann Bothas over off the offside, cut shot over
the covers, just really demolishing both a.
Peak. Peak shot after the like, That's
what I mean when I say that this is the guy who who was the
answer and plus in his bowling, he got Herschel Gibbs was 09,
Herschel Gibbs was one of the best.
And also AB de Villiers. So those are like one of the
greatest white ball batsmen from South Africa.
So for Afridi to be just rolling through them?
Pika Fridi. Pika Fridi, man, that's again.
So they defied him as a superstar and the world never
looked back. You know, the greatest of all
time for me when it comes to T 20s was shy of Afridi 100.
Percent the final of that World Cup, I remember we went back to
our puppies house. We had a whole watch party with
all of our cousins. That's one of my highlights and
for Pakistan to have the start that they did.
Abdul Razak gave Pakistan early breakthroughs.
He got you're forgetting Mama Lamir is made in his first over,
first over, insane. One of the greatest first awards
I've seen in an ICC final. For a 17 year old to be bowling
to Dilsan, who was the highest run scorer and eventually the
player of the tournament of that World Cup, it was a clear plan.
Ball, short stuff, cutters. Quick bouncers and eventually
the Shawn went for his go to shot, which is kind of like the
Dill scoop but like not as fine as you typically plays it.
I think that's horrible branding for that shot by the the Dill
scoop. It never caught on.
It was like, it's a scoop. The Dill Shawn scoop, people
would say. But the Dill scoop, that was not
a thing, ever. Sorry and.
It was caught by Shahzeb Hasan. The legend.
Maybe the greatest thing he's done is in his career was take
that catch. Chazeeb Hassan Bro.
That was. There was a time where we
believed he was also the answer. But not the answer.
No. The wrong question maybe?
And that was when we realized, like, Mohammed Amir is the real
deal. Yeah, like this kid has a
potential. People are talking about him.
They're saying he's the next Wasim Akram.
Some are saying he was like Wasim Akram was never this good
at his age as what Amir currently was at the time.
One of the things, one of the things that I sort of lament
over, is the fact that Scherbakter never got to play a
team in the World Cup. That's true, because OK, one of
the highlights of the last World Cup was that Scherbakter had hit
Muhammad Asif with a bat. I think there was a fight
between Afridi and Scherbakter and Muhammad Asif was laughing.
And eventually Scherbakter was. He was coming off of a a
training session, just bowling at high pace and just threw a
bat at Paul Mlassif. Could have injured him, could
have killed him, some say have. Killed him some.
Say that would have that would that would have been more
beneficial for the Pakistan team?
Nobody in the long run. Nobody's killing.
Anybody but the bat. Schreibacher looks back and says
that I hit him with one bat. I should have hit him twice.
That's such a Schreibacher answer, yeah, but that makes me
sad, man. Like, you know, Schreibacher.
Was he in the 2007 ODIA World Cup?
No, I'll get injured. He only put the 99 World Cup,
2003 World Cup and then straight to 11.
That's like only three World Cups for him.
All three horrible, horrific. Honestly, 2011 was the last time
that boxing went into a semi final, but that semi final was
nothing to talk about. I mean, given Sherbuckter's
fitness and his run insurance with the PCB, I've read his book
right here and he talks about that in detail.
So I think looking back for the amount of cricket that
Sherbuckter has played is itself a testament to how mentally
tough he was throughout his career.
The next World Cup was in 2010, the last time the West Indies
hosted a World Cup, and since then it's been about 14 years
since they've hosted another ICC event.
Wonder what happened there? Pick three?
Well yeah, last time West Indies hosted a World Cup.
Historically, Pakistan has been really bad in West Indies and
Pakistan were trying to go back-to-back in this one,
defending their title. The format was the same as the
last two editions, which I think was actually a very beneficial
way to keep the T20 World Cups interesting.
Another World Cup where India part did not face each other and
Pakistan, they just won two of the five matches in the group
stage and they qualified like they qualified barely to the
semi finals based off of their net run rate.
I think looking back we think Pakistan had a good World Cup
that that World Cup but it wasn't as good as we remember.
But in the in the final, the semi finals against Australia,
we were in the game for 95% of the match.
We batted well, we put run on the board and it was just that
last over by Ajmal against Mike Hussie that ruined Pakistan's
chances. Now important to notice here is
that Unas Khan retired from T 20s after the online World Cup
and then Charles Affidi took the captaincy and I think he was
trying to use say Ajmal. As to how Wasim Akram used to
use Sakhlan Mustaq back in the 90s, right?
Which is to used him as a death over bowler.
And before that match was working, it was a tried and
tested formula and just Mike as he showed up.
I think there was also because T20 was so new the team did not
know. How to use certain players in
certain instances? For example, Salman Butt was
still opening for Pakistan in 2010 and AT20 match and that's
crazy to me because Pakistan, I mean the world didn't really
know that they were. There need to be differences
between who the T20 openers or T20 players are going to be or
the other players are going to be and Test players are.
Going to So man, what was the third highest run scorer?
Again, like time tells us, that run scoring has not been the
right metric of success for a batsman.
Rankings are no, neither are average.
It's the strike rate, obviously. And so man, what goes in is
never on any list for Pakistan's high strike rates.
And this is, it just goes to show that, like, we really
hadn't figured it out yet of what was what needed to happen.
And obviously as as the sport grows and as the format keeps
getting played over and over again, it'll get redefined once
again. Like this IPL of the 2024 IPL is
insane. Like the average score is like
210 per in, per innings. And maybe that's the way it goes
forward. But you know, at that time, at
that moment it was still like, yeah, we're going to keep the
same ODI squad, maybe we'll find it a little bit, but not really
have particular T20 set bowlers or batsmen and I think that's
interesting this. Was also the first World Cup for
Pakistan was without Umar Gul. Umar Gul who is the highest
wicket taker of the last two World Cups and played an
instrumental role in being a death over bowler for Pakistan.
I think Umar Gul is up there with the likes of Malinga and
Bumrah with being some of the one of the best T20 death over
Ballers like the way he could have gotten to reverse swing the
ball. And I I personally believe that
Umar Gul he reinvented the Yoga for Pakistan since Wakar Yunus
Shoei Bakhtar Wasim Akram retired, he was the one that
sort of brought it back and made it a more popular thing in in
Pakistan. Yeah man, his reverse swing
yorkers were just unplayable and honestly a sight to see.
I missed them and Pakistan would would do good for someone like
that. I think Vasim Junior sort of has
that Umar goal variety where his yorkers are lethal as well when
he gets them right. But again, so yeah, 2010 World
Cup. Who won that?
Australia face England in the final again, a treat for the ICC
two, one of two of the biggest rivals going into the finals.
And it's so sad because Australia beat us only to lose
against England in the final. Like bro, you should have let us
gone through and we could have given a better shot at the
world. Cup and it didn't even like
challenge England properly. 147 runs in the final.
They chased it in 17. Craig Keeswetter, remember him?
Yeah, Good keeper, 63. He scored off 49 and he'd play
the match as well. It was one of those things where
I was like, if you're going to go and do that then less, you
know, Parkson probably would have steamrolled that England
team. But you know.
Kevin Peterson was a player of the series and that that was
sort of the first tournament we saw him and the world recognized
that this guy is a good T20 impactful batsman.
And ever since then he was like a favorites of all the leagues
in the world. That happened since.
Yeah, and his attitude in the game of cricket is also
commended by. I love the way he thinks about
the game. It's just that aggression
mindset that's actually a really fun viral clip.
I urge everybody to check it out.
He was on the Graham Norton Show and on the couch with him next
to him was Taylor Swift. And they were talking about some
scandal about some Test match and you could clearly see
theater. So it's like checked out And
Graham Norton asks Sarah, say, you know, are you following?
And she's like, yeah, something about a chess match.
And I'm like, wow, this is like pure cricket, like it'll go into
the museums of. Cricket this moment right here.
So you know Kevin Peterson, KP. Like the guy who's explaining
cricket to somebody who doesn't know anything about cricket and
you explain to them what Test cricket is.
Yeah, it's insane. Like.
We we did a reel for the Blue Jays recently and this one guy
was trying to explain it and he and his explanation got lost.
Three day thing. It's an over ball, under ball.
Yeah, it's just insane. Fun times, man.
Fun times. 2012 we go to Sri Lanka and same format as the
last three editions and it was the first World Cup where we saw
spin play a huge role and it was the first World Cup where Ajanta
Mendes, the famous finger spinner from Sri Lanka made a
mark. He was the he had the most
wickets and Shane Watson was the player of the tournament for
having the second most wickets and the most runs.
So Shane Watson was at peak, Shane Watson taking wickets,
scoring runs and just having that beast mentality that he
has. One thing about Shane Watson, Is
he the greatest Australian all rounder of all time or one of?
That's a good question. That's a good question.
Pace bowling on her, Likely. I can't think of anybody else
who bats as good as him, Who bowled as good as him.
He opened for Australia at one point as well he did.
He also like towards the later half of his career, also played
as middle or batsman on. Going on with him and I, I'd
never been able to pinpoint exactly where he fits in like
the the lexicon or the arsenal of the Australian attack.
But yeah, interesting player. 2012 World Cup.
Not really my highlight, honestly.
It becomes a little bit of a blur for me.
You take this one, You take this one away.
I think one of my highlights from a Pakistan point of view
was our game against South Africa where Pakistan was I
think around like 74, seven and Omar Gold walks in and just
plays the like one of the most blinder of innings that you will
ever, ever see in cricket. He is smashing the likes of
Albie Morkel more, De Morkel's Dale Stain.
He scores an impact for like 33 and just brings Pakistan back
into that match towards the end. After he gets out then he's 9
off 6. Omar Ghul hits a six, Omar Akmal
hits a six. Sorry I got lost in the in the
Omers and then in the end Pakistan needs like 2 off 3
balls and Ajmal Ed is it towards thirds man and Pakistan wins
that match. It was also the first World Cup
since O 7 where Pakistan faced India and we got to see the the
brilliance of Virat Kohli. I knew and improved Virat Kohli
and Virat Kohli who would go on to play much more match winning
innings for India against Pakistan.
He loves playing against Pakistan.
In that match particularly, he scored 78 off 61 balls.
And if you forgot, he also took a wicket off 21 balls.
I want to see who got out. He got Mohammed.
If he's bold, brilliant. Who would have thought?
Part timer, Mohammed, if he's that doesn't add up at all.
Virat Kohli, ball 3. Overs 1 wicket for 21 runs.
I think this was the World Cup where Virat Kohli sort of, well,
he hadn't already announced himself international cricket,
but he was starting to get this accolades now.
Like he had the most runs this, this World Cup.
He's 319. Runs through 19 and an average
of 106. Striker of almost 130.
Like he was just on freaking fireman.
And this is where the legacy of the World Cups start cementing
themselves, especially against against Pakistan, against Virat
Kohli. Pakistan has always been like,
you know, here you go, Sir, the king, here's your crown.
He dropped it. And this is the first of many
defeats of that nature. The one thing that I will say
that after this World Cup, I mean the 2011 World Cup wasn't
really tight, but after the 2007 final that Pakistan, India
played, every single Pakistan, India encounter at a World Cup
has been one sided and it's been usually the side of India.
And it's just it's not been fun. If I'm being honest, you can't
look back and be like, oh, that moment was insane.
Until again, sort of pushing myself to the edge here and and
forward-looking until the 2022 T 20 World Cup, which you know,
arguably has one of the best T20 matches of all time ever played.
But yeah, like again, nothing to say about here. 130 off 20
overs. I hate the Box 9 team so much
because even at that moment I was like, we might be able to
defend this, but it wasn't happening.
Pakistan barely made it to the semis.
They were just above India in terms of net run rate.
And there was a moment I remember, I think India was
facing South Africa. India beat South Africa but they
had to beat South Africa by a big margin for them to qualify
ahead of Pakistan for the semis. You keep saying South Africa,
South Africa was not in our group.
I was you. I think you're looking at a
different World Cup then. I think I'm looking at 20.
What am I looking at 2012? Barack Kohli was not the highest
one scorer. It was Jake.
Watson. My bad, man.
I think you're getting again a bit. 2014 Yeah, I was looking at
the wrong stats, but same similar similar vibes.
There was a moment in the match where I think India was bowling
and there's Barack Kohli and behind him it says India win the
match but Pakistan qualify for the same final.
And I remember that picture went viral on all the Pakistan
Facebook meme pages at the time. Pakistan ghost is that means
they were unable to chase 139 against Sri Lanka.
They were sixteen runs short. And I've I just watched the the
highlights of that match yesterday and I could not
believe how Pakistan bottled that chase.
Pretty straightforward. Less than 7 and over and
Pakistan was having a pretty huge batting lineup.
Imran Nazir's there. Nazism shade was playing.
Mohammad Afiz was captain Kamar Akmal.
Shui Malek, Umar Akmal Shahidi. So it's a mirror and we were not
able to chase down 140. Another try there for the Golden
Duck in a very important match. Like, what do you say about
that? Like, again, love the man.
Give yourself some time on the crease.
Like, what do you just decide that he's a bowling hole under
that was that moment. You're right.
So that was that moment where he was like, you know what, I'm not
really much of A batsman. I'm more of a bowler.
So. But why would you still Golden
Ball? Like, I don't even know.
Like this is like my frustration with him and this is the push
and pull love story, the toxic love story that Shahid Afridi
fans have with him is like, we know you could do it.
We know you can. We've seen you done it.
Do it before to take your time man.
And and. Somehow, since this 110 World
Cup, Mohammed Lafiz became captain of this World Cup and
just again from an Indian point of view, this was the third
World Cup in a row since they won.
Since the IPL happened where India was knocked out in the
first round, they couldn't even make top 4.
But I think the kind of boxing kind of blew up the entire
system after 2011 semi final loss in the ODI World Cup, where
Shia Dafni get stripped of not only the captaincy of the ODI
World Cup but which goes to Mizbah.
The T20 goes to 2012's sorry, two T 22,012's captaincy goes to
mom with the fees. And that was just like Shia Daf
really not being able to retain it.
And now I was too young to truly understand what the politics was
of the captaincy and how it gets transferred from one person to
the other. But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't
be surprised if something of that nature happened.
Also, wasn't Chad RFID at complete odds with the PCB?
Chairman at the time, Jazz Bud, I believe.
And so you know, when you look back in history, it's a no
brainer that RFID wasn't captaining it.
That whole five year period between 2010 to 15.
Afridi and Misbah were just playing like musical Chariots
for the captaincy for white block cricket at least.
So yeah, just typical box on cricket.
Instability, uncertainty. But my highlight from that World
Cup is when W Indies beat Sri Lanka.
Now Sri Lanka again was not able to chase 138 in the final.
Would have been fitting for Mahila and Sangha to finally win
their first ICC trophy in Sri Lanka at their home turf.
But W Indies came through the first World Cup they won.
Is that the World Cup of the Darren?
The Gangnam Style, was that the Gangnam Style?
Yeah, it was when the the Gangnam Style was the most
viewed video on YouTube and that dance was going viral all over
the Internet. I remember now and this is the
game where you know, W Indies won the match and they did.
The whole team did the Gangnam Style and it just became it
further made that whole thing go even more vital.
Look this did looking at this W Indies team All Stars through
and through. Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels,
Dwayne Bravo, Karen Pollard, peak of his powers, Andre
Russell, peak of his powers, Jane, Sammy, Dinesh Ramdan,
Sunil, Narayan Ravi, Ram, Paul with Samuel.
But like all Time Team, all time West Indies C20 team.
A lot of these players I can go into that and no brainer that
they want. But you know it's always fun to
see W Indies win this stuff just because they're such a like an
island country and we always rate them out.
There's so much behind the scenes politics that goes on in
their system as well. The fact that they produce this
win and then another one in the future, I'm happy for them. 2014
we go to Bangladesh and the four match changes here a bit.
There's sixteen teams and then the the top 10.
Go for a Super 10 and ICC, being smart, put India and Boggs on
the same stage. This is the World Cup where how
much is odd. Scored a century against
Bangladesh and he became the first Pakistani matchman to
score 100 in all three formats. Now yes, throw up.
It was a decent role to try because we we beat Bangladesh.
We also beat an informed Australian side and I remember I
think Omar Uppal scored 90 odd in that match.
So our Pakistan team was looking in good hands up until we faced
India and then that horrible, horrible match against West
Indies. Pakistan had the game under
control for the first half of for the 1st 15 overs of the
first innings against W Indies. And then Dwayne Bravo and Darren
Sammy cumulatively scored 88 of four to six balls and that just
took the game away from us. And then there was a pretty
decent opening spell from some this guy called Santoki Krishmar
Santoki I. Feel like he's implanting
memories in my head that I don't even remember I have.
But please continue. And then Samuel Buzzi had a good
spell. Pakistan was like 44, four,
maybe even less than that. And we were never we were.
We weren't able to chase that score.
Pakistan gets blown out, loose to India, loose to West Indies,
out of the World Cup. They come back.
Mama Zafiz resigns. Because this man actually has
some. Sort of sorry.
Integrity, integrity, and he says, you know, I take
responsibility. We lost because of me and I am
going to step down from the captaincy and then it goes to
Shah Alfidi back. A criminal 19.
Ball 32. A third 32.
Ball 19 from home of the fees in that game against W Indies where
Pakistan was not able to chase under 67.
It's absolute carnage. Santoki where you at bro?
Come on the pod, let's talk about it.
Yeah, like again no reason for this team to lose all time.
Pakistan team was playing as well then we tried that for
these there. Umar Akmal.
This is the time where Cameron Akmal had become the Pakistan
national team opener. Tough days for us, but you know
he had a moment where he was actually striking the ball
really well, especially against Australia, and just dark days
were beginning to happen. You could see the clouds coming
in for boxing cricket. Omar Gold was back from his
injury and just like to be transparent.
I just don't think he was the same baller since he came back
from his. I think he had ankle issues or
knee issues. He went.
For 29 runs in those two overs that he bowled in that match.
Yeah, so exactly like he was never the same bowler again.
And Pakistan just they tried to give him multiple opportunities.
But again, he was just never the same bowler since his injuries.
So Pakistan lost, but this was the World Cup where Virat Kohli
actually came in. This was the World Cup where I
was actually announced himself. Sorry.
So again, I feel. The people are offended from the
previous 10 minutes. I apologize.
They're looking at the wrong stat board.
But yes, this is the World Cup where Virat Kohli comes in and
says this is my game and and his rise starts from what, 2014 to
20/19/20 that that's five to 60. Period, I mean.
Till today, I mean the peak. Peak.
I'm talking about where the naysayers.
There were no critics, there were only fans.
Peak only was 16171819. Yes, that was like this is where
the ascent starts. This is where the curve.
Goes Jordan 9697. Yeah, 98.
Yep. I would agree with that,
definitely. And yeah, even though he goes on
and he's still like, he was their highest C20, Yeah, he was
the highest run scorer of this World Cup, the 2023 one that
just passed. Man, this, this Koli was
different. You know, he was probably single
at the time. Aggression, this pure fire
needed the place to get it out. And the crease, the pop
increase, was where Bernard Koli cemented his place as the king,
and nobody can take that away from him.
Hello cricket and baseball fans. The Toronto Blue Jays are
hosting Cricket Night at the Park presented by TD this
Friday, May 10th. You get to experience cricket
with the Blue Jays at the Daughter Center and get a chance
to win a White Blue Jays cricket hat T20 World Cup Champion
Carlos Brathwaite. Remember the name is going to be
there alongside the Canadian Cricket team and many more
exciting guests. And yes, the 20 World Cup trophy
itself will be unveiled at the event.
There's going to be many cricket related activities such as
batting cages, photo OPS, so make sure you bring out your
friends and family. Don't miss out on this wonderful
night. Tickets can be found at
bluejays.com/cricket. We hope to see you guys there.
And it seemed like India finally got the combination right.
They had Rohit Sharma playing Ajinkya Rahane, who was sort of
the anchor up up top in Virat Kohli.
Irrad Singh was back from his cancer treatment.
Ms. Dhoni was there. Suresh Rana the finisher, Ravi
Ashwin Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Bhuvneshwar Kumar playing his
first World Cup. Mohit Sharma And they were just
up against Malinga towards the end.
And one of the things that stand out about that final is Javad
Singh's 21 ball 11, which made him one of the most hated man in
all of India because of that innings.
I felt bad for him, just he it seemed like he was trying his
best to hit out of the park. But he was ultimately he was
missing full tosses. Even the ball he got out was was
a full toss. So he struggled.
Plus Ms. Dhoni struggled like Ms. Sword 4 off 7.
So if you combine your rods and Dhoni's numbers, they scored 15
off 28 balls together in the final of the World Cup.
Criminal. Totally criminal.
And I remember I was watching a podcast with UV what I think it
was on the Ren Reesing show. Ren reesing.
Is that anything his? Yeah, his show.
Beer biceps. Beer biceps.
There we go. He follows us.
Try not to beer biceps. Love you guys.
And he was like, I I don't understand the hate like I I was
at one moment the most loved cricketer especially 2009 World
Cup man. That was all him.
And from him from going there to like in a couple of years just
to being that guy. I mean that must have taken a
toll in India. Like you think you get you think
we get hate. But when the Indians come in
their, their vitriol is at like a next level and and I feel it
for him. I think that was tough.
That was that was a tough beat for India.
And you will see this narrative being repeated multiple Times
Now because 2013 was the last time that India won an ICC
Trophy and after this this narrative of India making it to
the finals, making it to the play offs will come back again
and again and again. And I'm just happy for my boys
Sangakkara. I think Kumar Sangakkara is one
of the most stylish players that the game has ever seen.
And I I feel bad for that era of the Sri Lankan team with the
Malingas, the Murli's, the Sangas, the, the Jaivar Dines,
Dilshan. Like that team is just like one
of the greatest teams that Sri Lanka had ever produced.
And they were just, they came so close so many times, 2011 World
Cup, 2000, the final 2007 World Cup, 2012 World Cup and then
this one. And I think I'm just happy that
they got their flowers because they deserved it especially I
remember I was a little bit of a tangent but when Sangha and JA
Rudden retired it was the same Test match.
It was very similar to the the the miss miss you.
Yeah but they retired together as well and I was just like
choked up man. And honestly since their
retirement they really haven't really found a footing properly
and and they were holding this team on the backbones for a long
time because I'm pretty sure their back hurt and it was time
to let them go. I think I still watch Kumar
Sankara's innings from time to time and he's one of my favorite
keepers of all time, one of my favorite left-handed batsmen of
all time and his cover drive. People keep calling out Babar
Azam and people keep calling out Birat Goli and Joe Root for
having some of the best cover drives of all time.
Nothing beats Simulacarra's cover drive.
It was. It felt like it was a mirrored
emotion of what you were feeling and as soon as the ball hit the
middle of the bat you knew it was racing to the boundaries.
And I think my personal opinion is watching cricket in England
is probably the best way to watch it.
And watching any Test match that Sri Lanka was playing against
England at home and you would just see that cover drive come
in and it just man, it just gives me goosebumps still.
And Sunja, I love you. Come on the pod if you ever want
to. But this was the tournament that
I think they deserve to win, and I'm glad that it did.
Well said, going to 2016, the World Cup goes to India and the
format is again the Super 10, Pakistan, India.
At this point, ICC just knows at this.
Point This is also the first time that India is hosting this
this World Cup. Yes, the first time the 20 World
Cup is being hosted by India, Pakistan is put in the same
group as India. They face off.
They're smart now, right? Marketing Team finalists clicked
in. They face off in Kolkata.
They make the whole match a celebration.
They call in Imran Khan as a special guest.
There's sunny Galaskar, There's Sachin there.
I I remember Vasimakram was there for commentary regarding
Unis was Pakistan's coach. So arguably 3 of Pakistan's
greatest fast bowlers of all time, one of our greatest
captains was in that ground. So wonderful celebration of the
game connected in the two countries together, but just a
horrible game for Pakistan. We completely misread the pitch.
We played one less spinner Iman Lassim was on the bench whereas
Ms. Dhoni was getting wicked overs out of Suresh Raina and
they had Jadeja playing as well. So again, another exhibition by
Virat Kohli and showing why he is the best of the best.
Showing up in one of the most pressure matches in world
cricket, scoring A50 while Sachin is in the crowd.
And then you know, tapping and showing his bat when he once he
gets to A50 to Sachin. But one of the craziest moments
of that match was when Mohammad Sami, not Mohammad Shami.
Mohammad Sami of all players gets 2 wickets and two balls.
Me and you were watching that match at Ryerson University with
Indians and Pakistani students and just the silence of the
crowd when India had lost Chikkadhawan.
And Suresh Rayna back-to-back deliveries, it felt like we
might have some chance. I just think that was such a
missed opportunity for that Pakistan team.
Again, that was a Pakistan team that was in the middle of a
rebuild, like it was the end of Shahid Alfredi.
It was the end of a lot of these big players that would like, you
know, see the sunset over their careers after that tournament.
I just think a few more runs, man, and you could have probably
come back with a win. Ramallah Khan is in the stadium.
Everybody like you have legacy players like legends out there,
royalty, cricket, royalty sitting in the stands watching
you and you. You bottled it so bad.
And again, this becomes the, this becomes the sort of thesis
of the box on cricket team for the next few years after that.
Like this is the inception of just a horrible, horrible run.
That box on goes on and this I guess it starts from here.
One thing that we haven't mentioned yet is this is the
tournament that put Afghanistan on the map.
Afghanistan came in for the qualifiers.
They won all three games and then they that was the team that
people were very excited about. They won one game and the Group
One stages where where they played, but this is where
didn't. They be West Indies.
I think they beat the West Indies, yes.
And this is where, like, you got the likes of Nabi coming in, you
get the likes of Rashid Khan coming in, you get those people
start becoming household names. They're getting picked at these
big, big leagues. They're playing with the PSL,
they're playing for the IPL now. And you're like, OK, so maybe
the Afghanistan team maybe a bit premature for Test cricket,
maybe a bit premature for ODI cricket, but this format suits
them so well that on their day they can beat anybody.
The the highlight of this World Cup, I think this this might be
my favorite World Cup of all the World Cups was the song that DJ
Bravo made. It was the Champion Happened
Champion song. It went viral before the World
Cup happened and just to top it all off W Indies goes through
and against all odds, even against their own cricket board,
they go on to win the World Cup. And like when World Cups happen
back in those days the West Indies team was like Darren
Sammy was the Samuel L Jackson and he just brings in all the
vendors together. Chris Gill comes back.
They had Andre, Russell, Johnson, Charles, they had
Samuel Buttery playing just an all round great Dwayne Bravo W
Indies team. I think the greatest playoff run
in my opinion was this W Indies team in the 2016 World Cup and
the way they beat India, the way they beat England, I mean
iconic. And I think that also sort of
put my boy who was the commentator in the final again,
Ian Bishop, Ian Bishop on the map.
Ian Bishop became in my opinion, the greatest commentator after
that. Ian Smith is still a close
second after the 2019 World Cup. Nasir Hussain.
Nasir Hussain is just like Nasir Hussain.
Bumble, bumble. Those guys are just like just
great, like, you know, like solid commentators.
Whenever you go to these people, they're like great.
But man, you when you, when you talk about a League of Their
own, Ian Bishop is there, Ian Smith is there, and I think this
is where put him on the map with the whole remember the name
thing. Carlos Brathwaite, the pinnacle
of his career. I don't think he'll ever, I
don't think he has ever gone back to that, to the heights of
that moment. But just looking at what Weston
was able to do with the odds that they were presented,
beating an inform India in India insane and then going on and
beating England who, you know, Ben Stokes.
We look at him in a very different light now because we
have the axis of history with us.
But there was two ways that Ben Stokes could have flipped his
Curry. Either he would have been one of
those people that got hit for four sixes in the final over, or
he would have been Ben freaking Stokes that he is now, and this
shows the character of who that person was that he didn't let a
moment like that go down. But when it comes down to just
the pure energy and joy that the West Indian team brings, this is
the pinnacle of that. We all said.
I think what what? What can I do, man?
All I do is talk. I think that World Cup was
important for West Indies cricket because that was their
third ICC Trophy that year. They had won the Under 19 World
Cup, the women's team had won a World Cup and then W Indies
men's team, they go on to win a World Cup.
So I think it was after a very long time.
We saw W Indies Cricket peak and we acknowledged that the West
Indies team could be a dangerous team.
They're almost like a Pakistan team, where you never really
know which W Indies team can show up with their mercurial
side. The semi final, Virat Kohli
plays one of the most outstanding innings, I think, I
think his second best T20 innings.
I would disagree. The second best 220 innings is
the game he played is the innings he played against
Australia in that same World Cup where he scored 82 and single
handedly chased the match for India 82 off 51 balls against a
balding attack that had Josh Hazelwood, Nathan Coulter, Nile
Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa and he is Viraz
Kohli, the Chase Master. That's where he got the name.
And then he topped that innings with the innings against Bogasan
in the last 200. World Cups again we're rushing
to the to the recent matches but fine the third best innings I
think because because he comes in he he wants to make sure that
India has a score that is that's totally this demoralizes the
opponents and he did that with 89 out of 47190 strike rate.
This 11 fours 1/6 completely takes the game to the one side
and then you have to realize that W Indies were 19 for two in
three overs. The game, the the point where
India lost the match was the two no balls.
It was one from Ashwin. It was I think Lendell Simmons
was caught and then it was it became a no ball, so it was a
free hit which goes for six and then even just with Bumrah or
some other baller balls in a ball.
And those two no balls were one of the game changing moments of
that World Cup. Then Simmons hits 82 off 51160.
Strike rate. Andre Russell, the greatest hits
43 off 20, but 4444 sixes and three fours.
We actually, we met Andre Russell in the GT20 last year
and we asked him a question in the presser which was are you
looking forward to playing for West Indies?
And he was so open to it and he actually single handedly turned
the game around for the Montreal Tigers last year at the GT20 as
well. So we've seen Andre Russell do
this IRL. This was just, you know, his
history talking to himself. Yeah, and then go to the World
Cup in the UA, The COVID world. Cup Oh man, so wait 2000. 16 was
the last time we had the T20 World Cup and then no World Cup
at the 18? No, no 2018 World Cup. 17 was
the Champions Trophy, so 18. There was no ICC event, 19 was
the 19 was the ODI World Cup. And then 2020 was supposed to be
the T20 World Cup in Australia. In Australia.
But. Because of COVID it got pushed
back to the next year and also got removed to the UAE because
just because of the COVID bubbles and all the restrictions
it was a lot easier to manage The World Cup happening in the
UAE 3 ground three grounds Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and the way
ground. So for the ICT became a bit
easier to manage it a. Lot of that happened in in
between though Exactly 2016 or 2021 we saw in terms of Pakistan
cricket team, we saw the rise of Surfraz and then the fall of
Surfraz between that time. The rises of Frost comes in 2017
when he wins the Champions Trophy, beating India again.
People say there's not a single podcast.
We do, but they're talking about that.
And you know what? We won't.
We will keep talking about that because why not the Champions
Trophy 2017 Riser, Surfraz and then Surfraz sort of on a high
from 817-1819, One of the most successful T20 captains for
Pakistan of all time, right before the 2020 World Cup.
COVID happens. Box on is not able to go.
We see the downfall of Surf Raz and by the time the next T20
World Cup comes in Perf Raz is no longer in the team.
He's in the reserves. He's in the reserves, he's he's,
he's bringing out water bottles. And I think we've hinted on this
topic a little bit and maybe again, this is not the place to
completely go deep dive into this.
But it is the most unfortunate thing for Box On cricket that
Surf Raz and him was never able to lead Box on into a T20 World
Cup. A lot of that goes to just
timing. Some of that goes to serve as
his own performance. None of that goes to his ability
to lead the Pakistan team ever. I think he was one of the great
Pakistan captains that history will look fondly upon.
This goes to show that you know, one day you might be the top,
next day you might not be. But when it comes down to the
2021 World Cup, probably the best World Cup Pakistan has ever
had. Ever undefeated World Cup for
Pakistan cricket team? Break a lot of shackles, Like
break a lot of stereotypes, break a lot of norms.
Defeat India in one of the greatest T20 matches for a
Pakistan team ever? Man, I don't know.
Like, it seemed like yesterday I was streaming that game like on
this channel. We have the game streamed live,
and it's on our Patreon if you want to experience us and watch
our raw emotions. We were quite we're debating
whether to do it or not, but ultimately glad it happened.
And finally, finally, Pakistan breaks the streak of beating
Indiana World Cup. And what a way to do it.
They won by 10 wickets. We cannot forget that spell by
Shaheen Alfredi. That was peak Shaheen Alfredi,
that deliveries to Rohit Sharma plus that delivery to Akhil
Rahul, No ball and the whole IPL that happened in the UAE had
swung or seemed that much so truly a special performance.
And then topped it off with Rizwan Bobber chasing 1:00 to
2:00. That's sort of a score that
suits them to to to score. And it was almost like India was
never ever in the match. Maybe the only point they were
in the match was when there was an overthrow.
Goes for a boundary camera, turns to Akshay Kumar.
He's he's smiling, he's rejoicing.
And then we never see him again. And that moment of Akshay Kumar
just being like, I don't, I don't even want to notice.
But there's a lot of baggage with Akshay Kumar.
His political leanings, I don't agree with his movies.
I'm not really in in tandem with.
And then just him being there and and his reaction.
And then Pakistan was like Pakistan had the last laugh in
that World Cup and just being. I think honestly, if I'm being
honest, India underestimated Pakistan so badly in both times
that Pakistan have come back, come out with a victory.
This World Cup, the one that we're talking about and the 2017
Champions Trophy final, both India underestimated Pakistan so
badly. Pakistan came up with
spectacular win on both sides. Both of these games are
completely 1 sided and that's what I say that a lot of these
box indie games were still 1 sided.
They're not fun to rewatch for, maybe for the Indian fans when
India wins and maybe with the Pakistani fans when Pakistan
wins. But in general if you look back
they're just like 1 sided affairs and it's not that fun to
to absorb that. But again as a boxing cricket
fan this is one of the highlights of my life.
Like the 15240, this is the World Cup that cemented Bob
Rossum as he's a guy that maybe sort of kind of little bit
challenged Virat Kohli's crown a little bit if you want you know
I'm not home I'm not being blasphemous or anything but he
had he scored the highest runs he scored 300 and three runs in
this World Cup in six innings was an average of 60 record of
127. Like it was just one of those
things where he was just on fire and this was the World Cup that
put even him and Rizvan as the Rizvan partnership up up there.
And you know, we talk about the struggles of Rizvan now, but in
a moment in 2021, they pulled Pakistan out of the darkness
when Pakistan needed them and you have to commend that.
Also now World Cup. The game against New Zealand was
amazing because we had Harris Rove who was a table player,
came out of nowhere, comes in, takes wickets, becomes a man out
of the match, gives a shout out to the hawk lenders and we then
also have somebody like an Asif Ali who scores those magnificent
sixes against Afghanistan, just makes it so much iconic and
another World Cup where India fails to go through for semis.
It's the last World Cup where Virat Kohli captains India.
I think he meant to step down as the white ball captain, but
eventually all three format captains.
He was taken from Virat Goldie. Pakistan goes to the semis and
we have a Pakistan team who has underscored against Australia.
One of the things I dislike about the World Cup that
happened in the UAE was that it became a bit one-dimensional in
the sense where if you're chasing it becomes so much
easier because there's a two factor and I think 90% of the
teams just win while you're chasing.
So Pakistan batting first they had underscored.
It was thanks to Farhasaman's billions in the bat towards the
back end of the innings where he scored a 50.
Boxing gets to 176, I believe. I still sometimes go back and
watch the highlights of I can't just, I can't.
No, just fucker just demolishing Stark.
Oh yeah, that I still watch and I'm like, he made the Dubai
Stadium seem like it was Gully cricket, man.
Like it was insane that I want that fucker back.
And then we had one of the most iconic first overs by Shahana
Freidi. He gets Aaron Finch out.
He balls some unplayable deliveries. 155 He clocked in no
154. He was clocking in the high one
40s. No, he clocked 11511, I think
152 I'm very sure. I'll Fact Check you right now I
think. The game, the ball he got out,
Aaron Finch was 148, but he the only ball he balled, or 150, was
against Elvanis. On it was a 151 case.
Was it one? I don't know.
Maybe I'm forgetting it then. But.
Shyne doesn't clock 152 too often.
He was always on again. That World Cup was different.
That was the different Shaheen then.
He had the snap. He had the snap man, his action.
When we talk about that, he had the snap in his action where it
would just like we're just like a like it was so free flowing.
It was like it was in a routine. It was like it was almost
synonymous, like Homanavar who who like, we've totally forgot.
Homanavar thought he did something with his retirement.
Then Shaheen came and was like not really.
And then Shahan also. It was his first year on the
World Cup and he was sort of AAT 20 globetrotter since then and
he had a great impact. Took four wickets in the final
and. Wickets On our podcast with him,
he said that he's kind of sad about that performance because
people forget that he took four wickets look.
Who he got out, he got Warner out, he got Mitch Marsh out, he
got Steve Smith out, he got Glenn Maxwell out.
So huge wickets, but I think was in the game up until that over
happened from mom and the fees. The pressure sort of went back
to Pakistan. Have these balls won over
against 13? And I think before that he's
never bowled to no ball and this time he balls a no ball and it's
not even like a front foot no ball.
It's a it's a ball that goes off the pitch.
So ever since he remodeled his action, he was never able to
ball as consistently as he'd as he did before remodeling his
action. Matthew Wade, 41 off 17 that
match. Micah C2, point O four never
kids that missed the 2010 World Cup.
This was for you guys to experience.
But for those who experience both, I truly empathize and feel
for your emotions. It felt like a World Cup was
being handed to Pakistan in a platter.
Here you go, Bobber. Win it, Take it home, have fun,
enjoy. But Matthew Wade had other
plans. How does this impact Bobber's
legacy? If you think Pakistan had won
this World Cup, we would have been talking about a different
Barbarazzam. I think that World Cup, we saw a
leader in Barbarazzam. We saw a lot of behind the
scenes chats from the dressing room and Barber was really
backing all the boys, giving them confidence.
And the one thing I loved about Barber's captaincy in that whole
era was that it seemed like Barkistan team was playing as a
unit. There was a lot of teamwork,
didn't seem like there was a lot of politics or grouping in the
Pakistan team which is typically associated in the Pakistan
dressing room set up. So kudos to Barber for leading
the team through that. And it was also an end of an era
with respect to the last games that Mahmoud the Fees and Shoaib
Malik had played for Pakistan. Pakistan then brought in like so
Khwis Al Shah and Iftar Ahmad and other players had early we
had Azam Khan playing in the middle order.
So a different change in mindset.
Imam Wasseem was dropped, Mahmoud Nawaz came in.
But that World Cup Australia go on to beat New Zealand in the
final, which is the beginning of Pat Cummins's supremacy, was
like, he's like that guy who's out there to get you and he's
just ticking off the boxes. He goes to win that World Cup.
Then the next year in 2023, he wins the World Test Championship
and then the big prize ODI World Cup.
So actually was, was Pat Cummins the captain or was he?
Or was it Aaron Finch? Aaron Finch was the captain,
Aaron Finch. But Pat Cummins was on the team.
Yeah, for sure. And I think that was the
according to every single player that we've interviewed for the
Islamabad set up. And and otherwise they say that
that 2021 loss in the semi final was the toughest for them and
yeah, for us as well. I think since that 2007 final
where I first time felt the pangs of defeat within myself, I
haven't felt that bad. I mean, the 2010 Semi final
loss, I felt it. I felt really bad.
But that 2021 World Cup, man, people thought people talk about
it so fondly still to this day. That, yeah.
I heard players cried. Yeah, like they they bawled
their eyes out in the dressing room and I I can only.
Imagine that was the best T20 team that Pakistan has produced.
Talking about start from 1:00 to 11:00 complete T20.
Plus, there was our conditions. Our like, yeah, Pakistan plays
in in the UA all the time. It was just like a handmade,
TaylorMade system for Bob Rosam to secure that.
And you know, there's, you cannot even fault Babra for that
like that. There was no fault of his at
all. There was just Matthew Wade,
man, he just came out and and did that.
We're forgetting Hassano, he's dropped cash.
We haven't mentioned it yet, but that was also a big factor of
why I'd never watched that Hassano.
Had a horrible tournament. Yeah, like he was giving out
runs. He bowled lots of no balls.
It just seemed like he was never there.
And Bobber was very adamant of continuing to back Hassan Ali.
And I just think a combination of all of those things had
resulted in that drop catch. In the podcast, the famous
podcast where he said Bobby's the king, he mentioned that I
think he was sweating or the lights were in his eyes.
He just, he he missed it. The the ball came blurry to him.
I just think he didn't have the eyes on the ball because if you
look at the at the freeze frame of him this moment, he's
dropping the ball, his head still.
Looking at the sky and. He was.
He was in movement. In movement.
He was a running catch. Yeah, tough one.
Australia goes on and win that one.
And then there's that supremacy starts, which I just, I'm I'm
not even going to go on about because that just hurts my soul.
Moving on to the most recent T20 World Cup where we've sort of
been leading up to this anyways. We've talked a few about a few
different games. It was a this World Cup was held
in Australia. Which I think is the second most
beautiful place to play cricket. If you want, if you want to like
that, that experience, it's number one is England and the
number two is Australia. I love when whenever anybody
plays cricket there, I just love watching that, especially the
Ashes. That's why it's one of those
things that I love to tune into the whole cricket World Cup
under lights in Australia. Give it to me.
Inject it in my soul. There were two groups of 6 and
again Box on India were put in the same group.
Smart when they announced the fixture in MCGI was.
I could not wait for it to happen.
There was a lot of build up towards that match.
The weather seemed like it was kind of going is going to get
into the way but luckily we got a match.
The Pakistan team goes there, We score 160 Golden Duck from
Barbraazum. In hindsight, do you think
Pakistan underscored? I think Pakistan thought this
was a 180 sort of a pitch both in that match and the final.
I think Pakistan thought it was a much more high scoring ground
and all of our players sort of got out you know hitting mid
wicket you know deep square and just not really understanding
the the dimensions of that ground like it was an 80 meter
boundary all throughout the ground.
So yeah just not able to use the conditions properly or reassess
the the conditions of the pitch and seeing what a par score
might be. But I think for Pakistan to get
to 160 new credits just to hard hammers and Sean Masood and a
late cameo by shine a free, the Pakistan got to 1:59 which made
the score 160 for India. This is the World Cup where
Shaheen Afridi was injured back in July of that same year, came
back, rushed his comeback and we saw him sort of hop his way
through jog his way through his run up and eventually find his
mojo towards as the tournament progressed.
But we saw Naseem shots for US World Cup, got Kiel Rahul out in
the first over that he bowled and you know, Harris Rove came
in, gets in, Rohit Sharma gets Surya Kumari Yadav.
But that match, that World Cup, it goes back to the brilliance
of Virat Kohli, the partnership he had with Hardik Pandya.
Once Akshaya Patel got run out, him and Pandya just used their
brains. They just kicked in the scores,
singles, double s, taking the game as deep as possible to the
extent where India required 48 and three overs.
At that point I had imagined Pakistan has this game in the
back, even though Virat Kohli is there.
It's just that the asks seem so high.
Like, how does he pull it off? You're playing at the MCG.
The Pakistan bowlers are bowling really good.
We're having a good day and like in in no situation I could
simulate in my head could I have imagined for Virat Kohli to
snatch that game out of our mounts.
That's I think one of the games I wish that we got streamed
because this I just want. I wanted people to see our
reaction, how confident we were. About the the just incredible
win that Pakistan was going to go on after this cause Pakistan
had again just come off a great 2021 World Cup where they beat
demolished completely One sided India in that chase and it
seemed like Pakistan was going to do it again and maybe put
Barbara Ozma as the best captain to captain against the Indian
side. Maybe, maybe not.
You know, time would have told us, but yeah, like, you cannot
fall to any single person in that game that was such an
important game for Virat Kohli, such an important game for Team
India. They've made at least like a
dozen documentaries on that game.
Every single T Tony promo that I've seen has used that shot
against hottest roof. Honestly, one of the greatest
shots that I've seen anyone play.
That moment that that, you know, the moment, the memory, the
importance of it. People are doubting Virat Kohli.
Maybe he's just a shadow of what he used to be.
People are talking about how he hasn't scored a century in
however long time. And there's this Virat Kohli
just tuned all that, all of that out.
And it seemed like during this chase that he seemed like he had
lost his nerve a little bit and that the chase master had maybe
gone asleep and it was over for him.
There was a lot of critics talking about how slow he was
playing in the beginning. And he was just, you know, he
was, if you were one step ahead, he was three steps ahead.
And this goes to show why Virat Kohli is the greatest cricketer
of all time. Like, there's no doubt about it.
People will bring in eras, people will talk about Sachin,
people will talk about Ponting, people will talk about Brian
Lara and Viv. But just the impact that this
one game had on the psyche of Pakistan, on what the rest of
the tournament became. This goes to show that it does
only just take one man to sometimes dismantle a dynasty
like what Pakistan was trying to create.
And man, I just look at I, I. This is one game that I do look
at often as the inflection point of of what Pakistan and Barbra
Oz's legacy turned out to be, that first run of captaincy.
This is where it started going bad and we started sniffing the
paint and started feeling a little anxious about where a
Barber was leading the team. Because after that Barber made a
few bad mistakes and then you know his his glaring mistakes
started coming up and we could read between the lines.
Nothing away from this match. It didn't really didn't make
much of the tournament after this match but they got smoked
by England in the semi finals by 1010 wickets.
Yeah like didn't really again. They should have met Pakistan in
the final. I think it would have been a
good competition then maybe Pakistan would have secured the
deal. But Virat Kohli, man, this is
it. This is his ultimate innings
and. Pakistan.
So on top of this, the mom and the waz was sort of on the the
the, the, the sticky end of the stick where he got smacked for
those sixteen runs in the final match, final over.
And then the next match, Bakasan loses to Zimbabwe, which just
makes things from bad to worse. And again, Nawaz was the one
playing the last over against Zimbabwe.
He gets out Bakasani 3 off the last ball and they somehow lose
the match. But I thought like Pakistan's
journey from that point to making the finals, like bringing
in malmutarious him playing that blinder of an innings.
If the hard hammer chewing up Chadalkan showing up as a as a
bats then bowler, he was one of the contenders of the player of
the tournament that World Cup. The Dutch showing up.
The Dutch showed up for Pakistan.
Man, they beat South Africa I. Remember that match?
And you were like, bro, we have a think, think the Dutch could
upset. And I was like, there's no way,
there's no way because you have to talk about that game.
South Africa had beaten India and I was like, there's no way
that they're going to lose to Netherlands.
And as the game progressed, I wasn't even watching it to be
honest. I was just like, I was maybe
like refreshing Cricinfo to see the score.
But I know you are very invested in that match.
And ultimately, once the Dutch started taking those catches, it
just seemed like there was a 12th man, and that was the
Pakistani nation's prayers. This was the Kotlik Kanizam
tournament and let me just give you a little stats on what
happened with the Dutch game because it's very important to
the legacy of that box on run. Netherlands scores 158 over with
four wickets down, Colin Ackerman comes in 41 off 26 and
Tom Cooper does 35 off 19. Two fours and two sixes. 184
strike rate for him. So respectable total that they
put up and you think that, hey, you know what, South Africa can
chase us down. They have the likes of Quinton
Decock and Rod Rousseau and Markram David Miller.
They got this and Hendrik Classen was also on the team.
I totally forgot about that. No man, no.
They start losing wickets at regular intervals and they just,
you know, South Africa bottle it as they do the name.
They are the ultimate chokers of all international cricket events
and this is this is it, You know, this goes to show what
they do wrong. And you know, I think Brendan,
Brendan Glover took three wickets, 2 overs, nine runs.
He was the highest wicket taker. I remember Baz.
Baz Delita also became one of the stars for the for the
Netherland teams and they just, they came in, they secured the
back. We had a bunch of players on the
podcast from that 2022 Pakistan team because they were playing
on the same ground I believe and I they told us that the new the
the weight of the Netherlands team was walking out.
They talked to the boxing and played.
They told them hey we did what we did.
I'll go beat Bangladesh, make it to the semis and that's what
they did. Boxing comes out a different
team. They can smell that semi final
spot now and they completely demolish the Mongali team and.
I remember we had a watch party for that match and we had some.
Sorry, the Bangladeshi team. Sorry.
We got some pizza, we got some wings and we really enjoyed that
match box time again, they beat Bangladesh.
But that World Cup, the similarities to the 1992 World
Cup were they're sort of in your face.
You couldn't ignore them. It was like something is
happening as a World Cup, happening in Australia after 30
years. And the similarities from that
World Cup to that to this World Cup are uncanny about Pakistan
losing to India, Pakistan losing to Zimbabwe and then Pakistan
going on to beat some of the top teams like South Africa.
And then beating Netherlands and Bangladesh just barely
qualifying. The semi final against New
Zealand, the final against England.
Yeah, at the MCG, At the MCG. Just like.
I mean you can't script the stuff.
Yeah, yeah, totally. And until the very last match, I
think Pakistan was like on a high.
They were like, this is it, guys.
We're repeating 92 because if you follow boxing cricket even
remotely the whiff of the 92 World Cup is so strong on this
on this team. And there is not a moment that
the box 95 will not bring up 92 World Cup and how we did it and
Oh my God, Imran Khan was the greatest and and look what he
did in his Emmys And you know, even the 2009 World Cup, that
box on one, they keep bringing up their similarities between
oh, Chad Alfredi was like Imran Khan.
He came one down. He started to fight that base
and Japanese trophy. Again, you you find the
similarities people, people put, you know, the archetype of Imran
Khan. They tried to find that in every
single captain ever since Imran retired.
And you know this was the most insane turn of events when this
was going on, The way it was going on.
I just think if Pakistan was a little bit more brave in the
final, they would have been able to score 20 odd runs, 25 odd
runs, and it's a it's Pakistan's game.
It seemed like they were out there trying to score 240 on a
pitch where 160, like the game against India, would have been
more competitive. And people often say, oh, what
if Shaheen didn't get injured? But I say what if we had 25 more
runs? Like what if Rizwan and Bobber
had scored better? What if if the car had not
choked? I know sometimes he forgot to
talk about Sean Masood in the World Cup, US Black Sun's
highest run scorer, a player who sort of came out of nowhere.
There's a lot of media pressure between him being put into the
team and he was. He scored tons of runs and now
he's been sidelined. I I'm sure he's he must must
think what happened to his batting for what happened to his
place in the team. But I think at that time we
needed a technically sound player who could come in and
play #3 #4, sort of hold the innings together for Pakistan.
And I think he did a great job. The spell from Naseem Shine that
final is something that I keep going back and watching.
And I think the theme on our podcast mentioned.
Like, it seemed like somebody was prayed through Sharif, like
Ben Stokes and Joss Butler, Like because the ball was not hitting
their edges, they were just going past the bat and straight
to him with his bond. But it was a treat to watch that
spell. And you know, like, who knows
what if Shaheen didn't get injured?
Yeah, honestly. And I just looking at the
scorecard, Mohammed Harris had sort of solidified his spot at
#3 in that World Cup after he replaced Fucker.
And you know, the final was just too big for him.
He scored eight runs off 12 balls.
Just could not pick up Rashid if Sokara comes in abysmal, abysmal
performance from him. Zero runs off 6 balls in a
world. Cup.
He made an over. He's a complete maiden over
Charla comes in and steers their boat a little bit forward and
Pakistan struggle their way up to 137, no finish from the
bottom at all. Nomad Wasseem plays 8,
deliveries scores 4. Nawaz plays seven delivery
scores 5, Shaheen hits a four, you see and that's it.
Like any of these bottom guys come in and contribute, you
know, maybe a 15 off 7 or even A10 off 8.
And the scores lives in the high one 50s box on win this I
believe because boxes England won this in the last over.
These last four guys played 19 balls.
If they had scored 3035 forty, maybe it would have been a much
more competitive, much more close match.
Because you you come out and you see that England was 3 for 45 in
under 6 overs. He already had the top three
boys down. Naseem Shah was bowling
brilliantly, Shaheen Afridi came back with his like first over
wicket and high stroke was dropping rockets on the pitch.
It just felt like if there were more runs on the board, the
pressure would have been on Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali.
And I think, look, Ben Stokes comes out, scores 52 off 49,
right? That's that's not a spectacular
innings. It's just held as a nerve, That
same innings with a run with a total of 150, a 155 different
ball game altogether. I'm just talking on the impact
that Josh Butler had on that match.
I remember Naseem. Shaw, you were terrified of Josh
Butler. Naseem Shaw was wanting and
playable deliveries and this guy comes in and just scoops him for
a six. And I'm like bro, that is
fearless cricket that is playing cricket to what you believe in.
And that's exactly what the England team since 2015 or the
World Cup believe in. They believe in going out
putting the batting putting the other team under pressure,
whether it be through taking wickets or scoring runs.
So a World Cup to Pakistan could have won.
It was I wasn't really banging on Pakistan winning the World
Cup but the the turn of events were such that I was like OK,
this could be a World Cup we could win.
So 2021222 World Cups where we could have gone and sometimes
they look back and think what if Bauer had won in Asia Cup or if
it? What if he won the only World
Cup? What sort of legacy or impact
could he would have had in Pakistan set up?
I don't think the Asia Cup means that much, to be honest.
It would have been nice to have one.
I mean, it's crazy that Pakistan only has two.
That's a wild team in sterling, has like 11 or something.
That's insane to me. But especially given the teams
that Pakistan has had over the years, that it's just insane.
But Dan, these 221 and 22 cricket World Cup I think have a
damning effect on a Blackstone cricket fan.
And that was when the start of this podcast really blossomed
and people really started listening to us and we we
started coming on the air. And I think the 2023 World Cup
really solidified backward point in its place for sure.
But yeah, I mean, I I look back and I sometimes go back and
listen to those pause that we did and the just the sheer pain
that we have in our voice. I just hope that it changes with
the 2024 World Cup round the corner.
We'll do a deep dive into the teams then.
But you know, the usual suspects are back.
The main characters are back, power back with captaincy.
See what happens. Bomber Ozum, Era two point O
here we go. Going into this next World Cup,
I thoroughly enjoyed looking back at these World Cups with
you because it just it made me tap into a different part of my
memory and brought back a lot of happy memories as well as some
sad ones. So I hope you guys you enjoyed
this episode. If you did, let us know what
your favorite memory of the World Cups were.
What are your highlights? What are what are your favorite,
you know, memories that you have watching with your family,
friends And hopefully we can make some better, more fun
memories coming up in this world.
Cup extremely well set. Thank you guys for tuning in for
the whole hour and 35 minutes of this podcast.
This is super podcast and appreciate you guys staying to
the end. If you guys stay to the end,
what emoji should they put out on the comments?
Rewind the. Arrows.
Let's run it back. Rewind, Rewind emoji if you guys
made it to the end. Thank you very much for watching
and we'll see you guys in the next episode.