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On this day in 1999 WC: Pakistan very surprisingly lost to Bangladesh

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>On this day in 1999 Pakistan very surprisingly lost to Bangladesh by 62 runs in a World Cup match at Northampton <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Cricket&src=hash">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/statuses/472456621072056322">May 30, 2014</a></blockquote>
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Horrible match to watch this and one of Pakistan's worst ever performances.
 
Some might call it surprising, and others might call it something else.
 
Nothing good came out of this.

Especially the token test status that followed.
 
Surprising or a match which is universally known to have been fixed

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
 
and then from this day onwards, Bangladesh lost every game they faced against Pakistan.
 
Would you guys prefer that it was fixed since there is no real evidence? I would much rather support a team that loses to BD than a team full of fixers
 
A very suspicious match. You could tell by the attitude of the batsmen.
 
I'm the last person to indulge in conspiracies, but I would put me neck on the line and agree that this match was definitely fixed to grant Bangladesh Test status.

They did pay a price for it though, because we pledged to torture and humiliate them on the pitch forever.
 
vandokkum said:
Would you guys prefer that it was fixed since there is no real evidence? I would much rather support a team that loses to BD than a team full of fixers
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This.

It was pretty dodgy though so most people on here are just being realists.
 
"Fixing" carries the connotations of corruption in exchange for financial rewards. Whether the match was fixed is debatable for sure.

But, I believe the loss was intentional for sure.

A mistake from the Pak side, imo.
 
Before Pakitan's batting started there were rumors everywhere i just sat down to watch how the unthinkable happen :facepalm:
 
No one cried fix when South Africa and India lost to BD in 2007 WC or when BD and the Irish beat England in WC 2011. It's only fixed when Pakistan loses.
 
I don't understand why Pakistan fans think it was due to them getting test status when that is nonsense. Pakistan don't have power and money to make a team gain test status. Bangladesh gaining test status was solely due to India not Pakistan. It was India who played the first test against Bangladesh. Prior to that 99 game, Bangladesh surprisingly won that ICC trophy in 97 hence first bid of test status began.
 
Energetic said:
I don't understand why Pakistan fans think it was due to them getting test status when that is nonsense. Pakistan don't have power and money to make a team gain test status. Bangladesh gaining test status was solely due to India not Pakistan. It was India who played the first test against Bangladesh. Prior to that 99 game, Bangladesh surprisingly won that ICC trophy in 97 hence first bid of test status began.
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It clearly was the instigating factor that propelled them to test status.
 
Was Pakistan's loss against Ireland also fixed in 2007? Are wasim, Afridi, Anwar, Inzamam, Moin, etc all fixers?
 
Apparently a Bradford restaraunt owner Mumtaz bet millions on the black market that Bangladesh would win

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leatherface58 said:
No one cried fix when South Africa and India lost to BD in 2007 WC or when BD and the Irish beat England in WC 2011. It's only fixed when Pakistan loses.
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Bangladesh team is now a quite decent n got the ability 2 surprise any team on their day but their team was too weak during 1999 worst than a club level team that's why every one believed that it was fixed because it was one of our strongest team of all time
 
I still remembered how bangalis celebrated this victory I read in a news paper that they even announced a national holiday but sadly I saw their true face that day. We congratz them whole heartedly but they publicly hurled comments and slogan full of hatrwas their like its our revenge from Pakistan. Its revenge of 1971 war and massacre and revenge of blah blah bla. I was surprised to see their hatred n outrage how can someone mix politics with this gentleman game?

I guess it was their comments which infuriated our team so much that they had given Bangladeshi a beating of life time they humiliated Bangladeshi ruthlessly for one n a half decade longest losing shameful streak in every format of this game
 
I know this losing streak will break one day .they might get a victory on one of our bad days. We have been defeating them continuously from last 15 years we won't be able to do this for the rest of our life because it sounds too unnatural but mark my words the day they sneak a single victory they will be yelling again that look this is revenge if 71 n stuff like that
 
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Ahmad Shah said:
Bangladesh team is now a quite decent n got the ability 2 surprise any team on their day but their team was too weak during 1999 worst than a club level team that's why every one believed that it was fixed because it was one of our strongest team of all time
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It has happened a lot. Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson, Senegal beat then defending champions France in FIFA WC 2002, Kenya beat a whole slew of teams in WC 2003. The folks playing for Pakistan out there are allowed a really horrible day sometimes. Doesn't mean you gotta cry fix. Besides, if they are gonna fix, they won't be this obvious. They are smarter than you or me in hiding their fix.

Who knows some of the matches which go under the radar as JAMODIs may actually have been fixed?
 
Pakistan's former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar came out in defence of his former captain Wasim Akram and took to his Youtube page to quell rumours regarding Wasim approaching him with an offer to fix matches.

"I don't know how it becomes breaking news even though I never such things. Wasim Akram, the greatest fast bowler, never approached me to fix matches," he said.

Bangladesh beat Pakistan in their first-ever World Cup campaign with the Pakistan team being captained by Wasim and the team brimming with confidence and lots of talent. Shoaib said that while it was a shock to lose, the biggest shock was the accusations that followed.

'When we lost to Bangladesh [in 1999 World Cup], there were a lot of growing voices saying that we lost the match consciously. I was bowling so fast in that World Cup. I don't know how we lost but how can people say that we lost knowingly? I don't understand that," Shoaib said.

"I don't know how such allegations can surface [regarding Wasim].

"I played with him for so many years and I can quote many instances where he gave me cover by taking the responsibility of picking up the top-order wickets while leaving the tail-enders for me," said the 44-year-old.

"He even let me bowl from my preferred bowling end though he had a lot more wickets than I did," he added.

"The youngsters in the team all used to hangout together all the time and talk about things. Never have anyone ever even thought that Wasim bhai would approach with something like that. I am not ready to believe such a thing as I have never seen it with my eyes or heard anything of that kind.

"I think some truths need to be told. I have never seen a more honest, hardworking person captain since Imran Khan. He would go through so many pain for the sake of the team.

'There have been so many matches I've played in where Wasim Akram changed the game's complexion with his bowling just like that. He would single-handedly make us win. Now there is newspaper reports suggesting something but there has never been any approach to begin with. I would not have left him alone if he did approach me with offer to fix. I am an outspoken person and I would not just leave things be."

https://www.thedailystar.net/sports...-people-say-we-lost-bangladesh-choice-1895311
 
I remember Wassim Akram saying something in the lines that after this victory Bangladesh deserves test status.

The only player who probably was playing a real match was Waqar Younis who got 2 wickets on consecutive deliveries( 2nd one was a good one). I think that was his only WC 99 match.
 
This match still doesn't sit well with me.

Something just wasn't quite right that day.

Overconfidence or something fishy, only the players know.
 
This is a tainted match without a doubt. How can that Bangladesh team which is a true reflection of their real actual law of averages Cricket beat any major cricketing side let alone Pakistan?
 
Saj said:
This match still doesn't sit well with me.

Something just wasn't quite right that day.

Overconfidence or something fishy, only the players know.
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In Bengali, there is term “mainka chipa” - in loose English, meaning is “catch 22”, though not in a polished way. That game is one such mainka chipa for PP - either they have to accept that BD beat PAK fair & squire, or have to accept that their whole team was part of a match fixing.

Personally, I think that game wasn’t taken seriously by PAK team - it had absolutely no impact on their progress forward for the flawed system used in that WC (for same reason, AUS tried to keep WIN as long as possible and one win against SAF took ZIM almost to the blink of SF); so players were going through the motions while almost everything clicked for BD that day. Also, that wicket was tailor made to suit BD attack - slow, low bouncy seemers, where likes of Mahmood (Sujon) will always trouble any line up, particularly if there is cloud covering and a decent score on board. And, above all - PAK is probably the most vulnerable team for any such upset, because team has always been at worst on their bad day. I don’t think it was a bigger upset than the Harare Test against Bobby Mughabe’s ZIM; therefore I don’t think that game was fixed, but PAK team hardly bothered, that I can say. That was a truly wonderful PAK team, not the “talented” bunch of recent days - but still they had their odd days.
 
There was definitely something very fishy about that performance that day

First the innocuos bowling from the pacers exc waqar Half hearted efforts And then the absolute soft gift of dismissals including 3 suicidal run outs

That game doesnt sit right with me
 
Given it is common knowledge that fixing took place in this era then i doubt that this game is miraculously going to be the exception. Bangladesh had everything to gain and Pakistan nothing to lose, they could throw the match in good conscience for their sub-continental brothers and pocket a few rupees in the process.

Practically the whole team might have been in on it. Waqar actually stood out as the only one who was trying which makes perfect sense given he was fighting for his place.

Were a word of this to get out then the entire fixing culture which prevailed in the 90's might unravel. We'd probably realise that a bunch of games which we cried over and celebrated were pre-destined by a bookmaker sitting in a smoky cafe in Bombay.
 
Mamoon said:
I'm the last person to indulge in conspiracies, but I would put me neck on the line and agree that this match was definitely fixed to grant Bangladesh Test status.

They did pay a price for it though, because we pledged to torture and humiliate them on the pitch forever.
Click to expand...

Wow
 
I personally think Pakistan didn't fix it but they took it extremely lightly.

Bangladesh set a tricky target of around 220. It was a challenging total in those days (more so under overcast sky).

Condition suited Bangladeshi medium pacers and they took advantage of it. Pakistan also probably panicked a bit.
 
I do find it strange that so many commentators and the like call Pakistan team inconsistent and mercurial...

It’s not rocket science, if you have a talented team that pulls of amazing victories then consistency should be no problem... one set of people harp on about it and the other use it as a smoke screen.....
 
Ijaz Ahmed going for a six when one wicket went down early. No need for that shot although Ijaz liked playing his shots.

Inzy lbw, Wasim chipping it to the fielder.

3 run out's which were not a run.

It does make me wonder.

I don't think Pakistan took it seriously.
 
Yeah I think the match was fixed, Pakistani players were morally corrupt. Wasim and rest of the fixers should have been punished but instead they are hailed as heroes, no wonder why the fixing culture still continued. I also think the match against Australia in 2015 world cup was fixed, so many dropped catches.
 
A brief look at the team sheet and match highlights should allow you to make your own mind up. The rumours of restaurant owners making millions from that World Cup always disappoints me to this day, that was a trophy we should have definitely won.
 
Pak had a fantastic line up, they used gave their wickets away in the final, inzy was incorrectly given out moin khan decision was debatable.

-Anwar (lack of concentration)
-Razzaq (chiped it)
-Ijaz A (went back to Warne)
-Moin Khan (out or not not)
-Inzy (was not out)
-Afridi (fair enough tried to sweep)
-Azhar Mahmood (very soft dismissal check shot back to bowler)
-Wasim (tried to go over)
 
They had batting power until number 9 just like the South African team. Let's say even at 110-6 at 31 overs they had what it took to get them to 230.
 
Pakpak said:
We were on a very good run in the WC winning every game easily and beating Australia in a great game till BD handed us our first defeat. I don't know about being fixed but 100% the team couldn't be bothered whatsoever.
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Probably but I just feel that batting lineup was saved by some strong lower order hitting by the all-rounders and sone high quality bowling and apart from Anwar none of the batsmen really turned up in those conditions throughout the tournament.
 
Rana said:
Wow
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Haha the good old days... We demolished BD in every game up till the 2014 Asia cup. (When we chased 329) . One of my favourite matches.

Too bad we lost some games to them since then. Hopefully we can go back to winning ways soon though and return to the old ways... (Of always beating BD)
 
Wasim Akram gave 8 wides and 4 No Balls in that final WC group stage match. All top 5 batsmen out for single figures, with the lower order bringing them to 160. Inzamam running Saeed Anwar out. Azhar Mahmood running himself out.

I haven't even talked about Ijaz, Afridi, Salim Malik, and Inzamam getting out to questionable shots. Let's say they were well deserved to the Bangladesh attack.

It is incorrect to say that Pakistan lost simply because Bangladesh's bowling attack clicked that day. There was far too much more going on in that match as mentioned above.
 
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Pakistan were playing the Bangladesh medium-pacers that day as if they were Brett Lee.
 
Exactly how this happened still is a mystery to me.

A Pakistan side on top of its form and eventual finalists losing to Bangladesh?
 
Pakistan cricket doing its bit for Bangladesh cricket back in the day and helping its case for Test cricket.
 
Two games seemed fishy in that tournament.

This game and the final.
 
MenInG said:
Pakistan's former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar came out in defence of his former captain Wasim Akram [/url]
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I recall Shoaib Akhtar was bowling slowly than usual in that match against Bangladesh and was not putting much effort into it.
 
According to a report in The Friday Times, at the time, the result of the match was choreographed at the highest levels of government, with the ultimate aim being getting Bangladesh test status.

In hindsight, a terrible decision. Bangladesh are not much better as a test team than they were at the start of the millennium. Despite playing test cricket for 19 years they got beaten (at home) by a team playing its second test match ever. Away from home I'd say they are essentially the exact same team. And it doesn't seem like the players care much about the format either, as evidenced by the recent statements of their head-coach Russell Domingo. He said in an interview that he can't even get players to "appreciate" test cricket, let alone take it seriously.

At any rate, the blame for Bangladesh being a test team lies on Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. But most of all Pakistan.
 
IMMY69 said:
Two games seemed fishy in that tournament.

This game and the final.
Click to expand...

No need to stir conspiracy theories just for the sake of it. The Bangladesh match may have been fixed, but there was nothing fishy about Pakistan getting blown away by a top-class bowling attack on an overcast morning at Lords. That match was sealed the moment Wasim made the asinine decision to bat first.
 
Another massive accomplishment by the so called Golden Generation of Pakistan cricket.
 
IMMY69 said:
Two games seemed fishy in that tournament.

This game and the final.
Click to expand...

Pakistan seemed disinterested in the match versus Bangladesh, almost as if they didn't care. It was a bizarre performance, a performance that showed the worst of Pakistan cricket and I felt sorry for the fans who had paid money to watch that rubbish performance.
 
IMMY69 said:
Two games seemed fishy in that tournament.

This game and the final.
Click to expand...

The game against India looks more fishy than the final which was against a very strong lineup. The way Akhtar and wasim was bowling against azhar and dravid, looks like they wanted them to complete their half centuries. And then the typical Pakistani batting collapse while chasing a not so big total against a not so good bowling lineup and on a not so difficult batting conditions.
 
Saj said:
Pakistan seemed disinterested in the match versus Bangladesh, almost as if they didn't care. It was a bizarre performance, a performance that showed the worst of Pakistan cricket and I felt sorry for the fans who had paid money to watch that rubbish performance.
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Absolutely, that game looked 200% fixed. The way they were batting even a non regular watcher of the game will also say that they don't want to win that day.
 
Jazx said:
Absolutely, that game looked 200% fixed. The way they were batting even a non regular watcher of the game will also say that they don't want to win that day.
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They were making Khaled Mahmud, a bowler who was probably around the 70mph mark look like he was Malcolm Marshall.
 
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In the morning of the final it was hailing and then unseasonal wintry showers just a couple of hours before the start.
We all thought there was no way the game would be on that day. Then the sun came out and it turned out to be a nice day.

The wicket was absolutely flat. Anwar smashed four or five boundaries and then changed his grip on the bat and then played on. Inzy padded up to a straight delivery and Afridi did what Afridi does.

We got out to some horrendous shots in that final when 240 without bowling lineup may have been more than enough
 
Saj said:
They were making Khaled Mahmud, a bowler who was probably around the 70mph mark look like he was Malcolm Marshall.
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I think Khaled Mahmud was a very good tryer. Liked him for some reason.
 
I have no sympathy for Pakistan losing the 99 final given this match.
 
gazza619 said:
I think Khaled Mahmud was a very good tryer. Liked him for some reason.
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To be honest, English conditions suit slow medium bowlers. It was overcast too. England is probably the best place for someone like Khaled Mahmud.

Having said that, Pakistan should've won this. They were in red hot form.
 
Very interesting read this thread...apparently the game against India, the final and the game against Bangladesh are the ones being questioned, surprisingly the ones where Pakistan lost.

I remember Mohali being questioned too because of the drops and the dubious drs decision.

I shudder to just wonder how many trophies Pakistan would've won if not for such shady matches in ICC tournaments.
 
This result should have been no surprise to anyone that had followed Pakistan’s ODI series / tri-series tournaments over the previous 7-8 months.

They were notorious for losing (allegedly fixing) in dead rubbers. Just look at the Sharjah tri series that preceded this tournament.

This wasn’t exactly a dead rubber as Pakistan weren’t 100% through to the semis yet, but I guess for the team it was worth the risk. Especially as they’re backup option was a final match vs Zimbabwe.

Wasim Akram’s squinting expression straight after the unexpected loss to Klusener / South Africa the match before was a dead giveaway of what was to come. a victory in that match would have sent us straight to the semis. It was as if “oh no, we’ll have to risk it now”.

I’m pretty sure the loss to bangladesh and india was already agreed.
 
That match was fixed. No doubt about that. Pakistan should be disqualified for the final had ICC investigated its players.
 
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