How Pakistan almost reached the Super 8 Stage of the 2007 World Cup!

[msb314]

Yes you read that correctly.

The 2007 WC unfortunately will forever by synonymous and associated with our first round exit, Bob Woolmer's death, Asif/Akhtar's exclusion and Inzy's retirement.

However, a major talking point that has often flown under the radar is how we almost reached the Super 6 stage anyway with just 1 win and 2 losses. We were literally just one run away from qualifying.

Yes just ONE run!

The match I am referring to know is this.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/wc2007/engine/match/247461.html

The group stage game between Ireland and Zimbabwe ended being a tie. It is even more remarkable since Zimbabwe were 203-5 after 43.4 overs chasing an easy target of 222. Unfortunately - Brendan Taylor got run out the next ball and the rest of the tail collapsed aftwards. It went down to the last ball when Matsikenyeri needed one run to win the match but missed the ball and Rainsford was run out attempting to steal the bye

Had Zimbabwe won and the rest of the games resulted the same - the final table would have looked like.

1) WI P 3 W 3 L 0 NRR 0.764
2) Pakistan P 3 W 1 L 2 NRR 0.089
3) Ireland P 3 W 1 L 2 NRR -0.094
4) Zimbabwe P 3 W 1 L 2 NRR -0.884

So we would effectively have squeezed through on NRR.

I understand many of you feel we didn't "deserve" to progress after losing to Ireland but it would have been great in honor of Woolmer and Inzy for all the work they did for Pakistan cricket.

Sadly - it was just not meant to happen...

 

[Syed1]

Sir I appreciate the effort but that World Cup was freaking ten years ago..

 

[msb314]

Sir I appreciate the effort but that World Cup was freaking ten years ago..

Yes it was a long time but our 10 year anniversary of that defeat to Ireland prompted me to write this post.

Forgettable WC that was but we almost got away with it.

 

[czar]

1992 WC win was so long ago that it's not uncommon among Pakistani fans to think about what if scenarios

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Overrated choker team wouldn't have done anything in the super 8s either

 

[ExplicitAI]

Probably the worst world cup ever. Most people I know don't really care about 2007, we played so poorly here.

 

[Square Drive]

It was all meant to happen. Woolmer's death was written to occur in such a manner.

 

[Varun]

Sir I appreciate the effort but that World Cup was freaking ten years ago..

1992 is over a generation further into the past, and yet gets talked about on a weekly basis - win or not.

 

[Faisalsq092]

Yes you read that correctly.

The 2007 WC unfortunately will forever by synonymous and associated with our first round exit, Bob Woolmer's death, Asif/Akhtar's exclusion and Inzy's retirement.

However, a major talking point that has often flown under the radar is how we almost reached the Super 6 stage anyway with just 1 win and 2 losses. We were literally just one run away from qualifying.

Yes just ONE run!

The match I am referring to know is this.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/wc2007/engine/match/247461.html

The group stage game between Ireland and Zimbabwe ended being a tie. It is even more remarkable since Zimbabwe were 203-5 after 43.4 overs chasing an easy target of 222. Unfortunately - Brendan Taylor got run out the next ball and the rest of the tail collapsed aftwards. It went down to the last ball when Matsikenyeri needed one run to win the match but missed the ball and Rainsford was run out attempting to steal the bye

Had Zimbabwe won and the rest of the games resulted the same - the final table would have looked like.

1) WI P 3 W 3 L 0 NRR 0.764
2) Pakistan P 3 W 1 L 2 NRR 0.089
3) Ireland P 3 W 1 L 2 NRR -0.094
4) Zimbabwe P 3 W 1 L 2 NRR -0.884

So we would effectively have squeezed through on NRR.

I understand many of you feel we didn't "deserve" to progress after losing to Ireland but it would have been great in honor of Woolmer and Inzy for all the work they did for Pakistan cricket.

Sadly - it was just not meant to happen...

Its already a known fact. Why bring up something irrelevant after a decade. Its not like we were 1 run away from winning the cup.

 

[Arsalan Pro]

Agreed it was close,still i don't believe we deserved to advance after losing to a team like Ireland.

 

[msb314]

Overrated choker team wouldn't have done anything in the super 8s either

We have a habit of starting slow i.e. lost 3 out of our first 4 games during the 1992 WC and lost to England and SL during the 2009 World T20.

Who knows? Maybe we could have picked up our form during the Super 8's.

 

[roshanrocks]

What he means that Pakistan could have won the 2007 world cup as well.

In 1992, Pakistan had been shot out for 74 against England during the league stages and survived due to rain. That one point you got in that match helped you guys to qualify for the knockouts. Pakistan then played really really well to lift the cup.

Since that day, English players get fits and nightmares whenever they see water dropping from the sky..

If the same thing had happened in 2007, you guys would have won as well, I guess that's what he means?

 

[Syed1]

1992 is over a generation further into the past, and yet gets talked about on a weekly basis - win or not.

It was being discussed this past week because it was the 25 year anniversary of the win.


Most days it is not even brought up.

 

[Hasan123]

Interesting, but I don't think we deserved to go through.

 

[Markhor]

We shouldn't have been relying on other teams to progress though.

If we'd played it smart vs Ireland, we'd have crawled to 180-190 which I'm sure we'd have a chance of defending. Instead the likes of Kamran Akmal and Azhar Mahmood slogged their wickets away.

And vs West Indies - Dwayne Smith of all people ran through our batting lineup.