"I still believe 1999 Pakistan team was the strongest to have featured in the World Cup" : Inzamam

[Hyperion66]

Without even a shadow of doubt, beastly team.

 

[WengerOut]

You take the best ever Indian team and the 99 Pak team will beat them 8 times out of 10.

 

[Ab Fan]

The best team for 1999 WC were South Africa. They had Donald, Pollock, Kallis, Klusenar, Gibbs, Kirsten, Rhodes, Cronje and Boucher.

 

[Ab Fan]

If I make a SA ODI XI, most names would walk in that time except three.

Gibbs
Kirsten
Kallis
<B>AB</B>
Rhodes
Boucher(wkt)
Klusenar
Pollock
<B>Steyn</B>
<B>Tahir</B>
Donald

 

[RamLakhan]

You take the best ever Indian team and the 99 Pak team will beat them 8 times out of 10.

They didn't beat us once in that world cup! There is a reason why Pakistan team is called unpredictable & unreliable! Even their best side can go wrong in a key game, while our average team can do well in the same game! Indian team is continuing to be professional (more so in future) so their best side need not contain the best players from the past, we prefer decent players from the modern era who can do well against any team! If we get rid of some cheap internal politics then we can reach that even more professional best team!

 

[Captain caveman]

lol the 1999 team had only one batsman in it - Saeed anwar, who carried that team to the final virtually single handily!
Inzi, apart from the greatest world cup innings in 1992 and decent semi and final innings in that wc, has been a failure in wcs!
Moyo was at the start of his career and didn't play many games, including the final!
Akram and waqar were pass their best, only akhtar was at his peak in the fast bowling department.
Saqi was at his peak, but this was a wc in england, not asia, so not much assistance for him.
A mediocre opening batsman in wasti, who makes imam look like sachin!
And of course the 3 bits and pieces players - afridi, razak and azhar!!

The best pak team in a wc, i have ever seen is the 1996 wc team!

 

[aukhan]

Overrated 1999 side lacked integrity.

Baad main darrhi rakhne se kuch nhi hota

 

[FreePalestine]

You didn't really need the confirmation FC, since you obviously googled for the results in the first place. But anyway, happy to put some meat on the bones for you.

Nicely done sir

 

[WengerOut]

They didn't beat us once in that world cup! There is a reason why Pakistan team is called unpredictable & unreliable! Even their best side can go wrong in a key game, while our average team can do well in the same game! Indian team is continuing to be professional (more so in future) so their best side need not contain the best players from the past, we prefer decent players from the modern era who can do well against any team! If we get rid of some cheap internal politics then we can reach that even more professional best team!

2 wins i gave to India is due to Pak unpredictability

 

[Markhor]

Yes the team that lost four matches, including to Bangladesh, in a World Cup was our strongest.

A team almost entirely reliant on its pace attack, with only one proven batsman at World Cups in Saeed Anwar.

90s generation players toot their own horn too much. The 87 and 96 teams were stronger than 99, which also has the spectre of matchfixing over it.

 

[Markhor]

There's probably a thread in this, but Pakistani cult worshipping of the highly inconsistent, scandalous and indisciplined mid to late 1990s team that were highly dependent on star individuals has done more harm than good to our mindset.

We were a far more professional and consistently performing side under Imran and Javed in the 1980s and early 1990s, with no weak links. We didn't lose a single home series after 1980, drew three times with the best team of the era in West Indies (whereas we capitulated to Australia time and again in the 90s and 00s), and beat India in their own backyard in 87 (whereas we just drew in 99 after a shocker in the Delhi Test), as well as England away in 87 who had just beaten Australia down under in the Ashes. We also won several one day tournaments before the 92 WC triumph.

They are better role models than this bunch who seemed more interested in partying, smoking weed on Caribbean beaches, throwing matches, and going to casinos before finals. They ought to have achieved far more than they did.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Yes the team that lost four matches, including to Bangladesh, in a World Cup was our strongest.

A team almost entirely reliant on its pace attack, with only one proven batsman at World Cups in Saeed Anwar.

90s generation players toot their own horn too much. The 87 and 96 teams were stronger than 99, which also has the spectre of matchfixing over it.

Thoughts on Inzamam hiding down the order like a scaredy cat throughout most of his career and in turn Pakistan losing many games that possibly could’ve been won? “Best player of pace bowling” couldn’t bat at 3?

 

[Markhor]

Thoughts on Inzamam hiding down the order like a scaredy cat throughout most of his career and in turn Pakistan losing many games that possibly could’ve been won? “Best player of pace bowling” couldn’t bat at 3?

I liked the Younis-Yousuf-Inzamam trio at 3, 4 and 5. The problem was finding a reliable pair of openers after Anwar and Sohail retired.

Taufiq should've been given a longer run in Tests instead of that cheat Butt who got in due to political connections.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

I liked the Younis-Yousuf-Inzamam trio at 3, 4 and 5. The problem was finding a reliable pair of openers after Anwar and Sohail retired.

Taufiq should've been given a longer run in Tests instead of that cheat Butt who got in due to political connections.

Talking only about ODIs here. Younis is the worst batsman to play more than 100 games and inzamam hiding down at 5 was inexcusable. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was his own decision. There’s no reason he shouldn’t have been batting at 3 after 1996. Only in Pakistan.

 

[Markhor]

Talking only about ODIs here. Younis is the worst batsman to play more than 100 games and inzamam hiding down at 5 was inexcusable. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was his own decision. There’s no reason he shouldn’t have been batting at 3 after 1996. Only in Pakistan.

Younis had a decent ODI run between 2005-09 at 3. After that he became a liability. Even Malik performed for a while at 3 under Woolmer so there were options there.

Who would've come in at 5 instead - a young Misbah ? Hafeez ?

 

[goran]

We must have fixed every final against Australia because that wasn't the first or last time they rolled us over in a final.

We lost because of Wasim Akram's captaincy. His whole strategy was based on the flick of the coin and batting first at all costs regardless of pitch conditions.

He was well aware of how mentally fragile his batsmen were while chasing anything above 200, hence the decision to bat first in almost every game. And mind you , it was a successful strategy throughout the 90s as they almost always out-batted their opponents after batting first. We had a bad day in the final and that's why we lost.

 

[happydavy]

The 1999 Pakistan team had a great bowler in Saqlain, and a great hitter in Moin Khan. Rest all were playable and more gas than substance, and in close situations used to lose more than win. Yet for some reasons, Pakistan fans seem to be in love with that team, may be because they reached the finals. But most teams in that world cup were extremely ordinary - India, NZ, Eng, Bdesh, Lanka so getting to top 4 wasn't really that challenging for Pakistan.

 

[Deewana]

My mom told me a year ago that 87 was Pakistan's strongest team and we were hot favourites alongside India..We Lost a Semi at Lahore against Ozs and entire nation went sad as if someone had died.. India Played England at Bombay Next day and they lost.. All Sadness of Pak losing somehow faded away and everyone celebrated

 

[big_gamer007]

You take the best ever Indian team and the 99 Pak team will beat them 8 times out of 10.

Lol no 99 Pakistani team bowling and AR were great but batting wasn't as good as it's made out to be.

The best indian team will win most times. People just over hype past

 

[Hasan123]

Talking only about ODIs here. Younis is the worst batsman to play more than 100 games and inzamam hiding down at 5 was inexcusable. Wouldn’t be surprised if it was his own decision. There’s no reason he shouldn’t have been batting at 3 after 1996. Only in Pakistan.

Moyo should have opened the innings in ODIs. He had the ability to pierce the gaps and bat through the innings. Inzi should have batted at 3, I’m sure if Imran was around a few years longer after retirement Inzi would have batted at 3 in all formats.


Only in Pakistan is it a disease for your best players to bat up the order. I think if Mickey wasn’t coach Babar would have been batting at 5/6. I can remember he was batting at 6 in some of his early games.

 

[barah_admi]

On paper it was one of the greats but they didn't win that tournament, lost a couple of matches along the way and generally seemed more show than substance.

 

[barah_admi]

Moyo should have opened the innings in ODIs. He had the ability to pierce the gaps and bat through the innings. Inzi should have batted at 3, I’m sure if Imran was around a few years longer after retirement Inzi would have batted at 3 in all formats.


Only in Pakistan is it a disease for your best players to bat up the order. I think if Mickey wasn’t coach Babar would have been batting at 5/6. I can remember he was batting at 6 in some of his early games.

Not just Pakistan though. Kp for years avoided batting at 3 like the plague. Root currently avoids it in tests as much as he can.

Smith hides out at 5 in most cases, kohli isn't at 3 in tests and so on.

I think the idea behind some of this is to shield the best bat from the new ball which I dislike. The best should be batting as high up as they can like Williamson, ponting, bradman, viv, abbas et al

 

[umerz]

Agree it was but we lost 4 games in that WC

 

[Justcrazy]

Pakistan was strongest in 1987 .

They won The Nehru Cup next year chasing 280 plus in the finals .

 

[Hasan123]

Not just Pakistan though. Kp for years avoided batting at 3 like the plague. Root currently avoids it in tests as much as he can.

Smith hides out at 5 in most cases, kohli isn't at 3 in tests and so on.

I think the idea behind some of this is to shield the best bat from the new ball which I dislike. The best should be batting as high up as they can like Williamson, ponting, bradman, viv, abbas et al

Root bat at 4 . Trevor Bayliss wants him to bat at 3 though. Smith doesn't hide at 5 . He bats at 4 and is happy to bat wherever but Australia choose to bat him at 4.

 

[Kianig89]

Anwar Afridi Ojaz Inzi MoyO Razzaq Moin Wasim Azhar Saqi Akhtsr

Batting till no. 9 and bench had legends like Waqar Salim Mushtaq enough said

 

[Chokli]

Our greatest team assembled under achieved.