Ranking the most disappointing ICC event campaigns for Pakistan Cricket Team in order

[Savak]

1) 1987 ODI WC
2) 1996 ODI WC
3) 1999 ODI WC
4) 2003 ODI WC
5) 2004 ODI CT
6) 2006 ODI CT
7) 2007 ODI WC
8) 2007 T20 WC
9) 2009 ODI CT
10) 2010 T-20 WC
11) 2012 T-20 WC
12) 2013 ODI CT
14) 2016 T-20 WC
15) 2023 ODI WC
16) 2024 T-20 WC

1) 1987 ODI WC

- Pakistan was in red hot form under Imran Khan's leadership and Imran was in his prime leading by example and even Miandad was in his prime and they had won all their games leading to the Semi Final only to fall short. People at the time mention that people in Pakistan were in severe depression for a few days after that loss

2) 1996 ODI WC

- This was a star studded Pakistani team with all the players i.e. Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam ul Haq, Salim Malik, Rashid Latif, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Aqib Javed in their prime and they had all basis covered but they bottled it in the Quarter final in India

3) 1999 ODI WC

- Perhaps the most star studded Pakistani team you can find in our history i.e. Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam ul Haq, Mohd Yousaf, Moin Khan, Azhar Mahmood, Abdul Razzaq, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis. This team literally had everything with all basis covered and they were so good that they got to the finals just on the basis of their talent alone and then they had the absolute horror show in the final. This team should have won that WC given the squad

4) 2003 ODI WC

- The team was star studded only on paper but the sad reality is the vast majority of the players were shot, past it and given Wasim - Waqar's tussle, the squad was mentally just not up for it and they were now competing against fresher younger fitter hungrier teams. This was perhaps the first ODI WC team which came home with no real accusations of match fixing because everyone knew the players were past it and finished.

5) 2004 CT

- That Pakistani team was in good form and was among the favorites to win the CT after Australia but Inzamam made an idiotic decision to bat first on a seaming pitch and the West Indies exploited the pitch resulting in our team being all out for 130 runs

6) 2006 CT

- The team suffered badly because of the ban on Inzamam and the withdrawal of Shoaib and Asif because of doping. The team was ranked in the first two slots in the ICC ODI rankings. They lost a winnable game against New Zealand and then got an absolute shocker of a pitch against South Africa at Mohali which was reminiscent of a pacy, bouncy South African pitch and hence they had no chance against Pollock, Ntini.

7) 2007 ODI WC

- Again the withdrawal of Shoaib and Asif and Afridi's suspension hurt the team's bowling attack but Pakistan was expected to atleast reach the Super8's being placed in an easy group of West Indies, Ireland, Zimbabwe. They lost their opening game to the West Indies and then to their immense misfortune the game b/w Ireland, Zimbabwe was a tie which meant both Zimbabwe, Ireland got a bonus point. Pakistan also suffered the misfortune of losing a vital toss against Ireland on a green top and the team got skittled out cheaply. Very disappointing campaign but in hindsight not such a big disappointment because Inzamam was way past it and to be honest did not have the hunger any more.

8) 2007 T-20 WC

- Inspite of the suspension of Shoaib Akhtar, this was a star studded team with the perfect combination of T-20 players and the only misfit in the team was Younis Khan who should have been replaced by Yousaf, Abdul Razzaq was another shocking ommission and might have made a big difference to the squad. The final against India was perfectly winnable and should have been sealed by Misbah who chose to kickstart his choking legacy with this game.

9) 2009 ODI WC

- Pakistan was on a high due to winning the T-20 WC in 2009 under Younis Khan's captaincy and Pakistan had won except for a dead rubber against Australia (where they made them sweat till the final ball). Younis Khan was playing with a broken finger and he had been advised by the team doctor to sit out but Younis was determined to play on and lead by example, he dropped a vital catch of Grant Elliot at a crucial stage in the Semi Final where he was trying to protect his finger.

10) 2010 T-20 WC

- Pakistan were in horrendous form coming into this T-20 WC where the batting line up kept mis firing but we somehow managed to get to the Semi final after beating the red hot South African team. The Semi Final against Australia should have been closed out but Mike Hussey had the game of his life and Pakistan blundered by only playing Amir as their main pacer, the captain did not trust Abdul Razzaq to bowl the final over and chose to proceed with Saeed Ajmal which was a costly error.

12) 2012 T-20 WC

- Pakistan's from in this T20 WC was mixed, their bowling attack was in top form with Ajmal, Afridi, Raza Hasan providing 12 guaranteed economical overs with wickets but sadly the batting was a real flop where only Umar Akmal was the star performer. Afridi's poor form with the bat hurt the team badly and sadly the team faltered in the Semi final against Sri Lanka. Given the spin stocks Pakistan had, this team should have atleast made the final

13) 2014 T-20 WC

- Same story as the 2012 T-20 WC, a decent batting line up with Shehzad, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik, Hafeez, Afridi and a very decent bowling line up on paper with Ajmal, Hafeez, Afridi, Gul but the team went missing in the crucial match against the West Indies where Bravo and Sammy totally destroyed the Pakistani bowling attack in the last 5 overs. Ajmal was a big flop in this tournament. This was the first T-20 WC where the team had not qualified for the Quarter finals

14) 2016 T-20 WC

- Pakistan came to India with a decent side but for some strange reason they picked 5-6 pacers in the squad and no proper spinners. Afridi was past it and the team was relying on Afridi, Malik, Imad Wasim for spin bowling duties and the team by and large was extremely unfit in the field. The end result was no real surprise, we only beat Bangladesh and then lost to India, New Zealand, Australia and failed to reach the Quarter Finals

15) 2021 T-20 WC

- Pakistan's form coming into the T-20 WC was very poor where we lost to a C level England side in England. Pakistan also desperately recalled Shoaib Malik into the team because none of the marked replacements made any impact. But the team surprisingly beat India and then whitewashed all the teams in the group but sadly they bottled the Semi Final against Australia but judging by the team's form going into the tournament, the team had over achieved. This was the start of Babar Azam's legacy of bottling ICC tournaments

16) 2022 T-20 WC

- Pakistan reached this T-20 WC final via fluke after choking the game against India and then against Zimbabwe. However in the final, Babar did not attack England enough when he had them 41/3 and he should have kept additional slips to the pacers who were going prodigious movement, pace, bounce and he should have bowled Shaheen out up front knowing the only way to win the game was to take maximum wickets up front. Babar lost a golden opportunity in the final due to his poor captaincy which was going to be a permanent feature of his legacy going forward

17) 2023 ODI WC

- This tournament was a nightmare because the PCB celebrated the pakistani teams ODI number one rankings which was only achieved because Pakistan is the only team which habitually played its A team against minnows, C-D teams of England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and this reality got exposed brutally in the Asia Cup ODI tournament in 2023 and in the ODI WC Pakistan lost to India, Australia, Afghanistan, South Africa, England. The Pakistani team was distracted by the central contract negotiations, saya corporation, Zaka Ashraf had started telling the likes of Shaheen that they are the next T-20 captain and you can see videos of Shaheen pushing Babar in the Afghanistan game. Regardless the team's horrendous insipid showing in this WC clearly justified Babar's resignation

18) 2024 T20 WC

- The Pakistani team was in horrendous form coming into this tournament and the PCB did not help matters by having Babar reinstated as captain and replacing Shaheen, a move which hurt Babar's standing in the team and clearly ruffled the entire squad and was the last thing the team needed. Regardless of the team's form, they were in one of the easiest groups and were expected to atleast reach the Super 8's but losing to USA meant the team did not deserve to go through.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

This outcome in 2024 is not a surprise for us because we knew when the team was announced that they couldn't compete at the international level so not feeling bad about it to be honest.

 

[JaDed]

2007
2003
2024

Pak were most hyped in 2003 and 2013 CT, there was hype in 2023 too but it was measured.

 

[cricketmania22]

The main reason why Pakistan didn’t win anything from 1996-2007 was Inzamam. Never seen a bigger bottler than him. Except for 2-3 innings, the guy never showed up in the ICC events. He averaged 12-13 in 2003 WC!

 

[cricketmania22]

I don’t agree with vast majority of players in 2003 were past it. Wasim Akram was still the best bowler from Pakistan and bowled pretty well throughout the tournament. Waqar I agree was done. Saeed Anwar still the best opener, but yea his heart was not in anymore. Waqar was the only player who didn’t contribute much. Saeed and Wasim were still very useful. Inzamam, yousuf, Razaaq, Akhtar, Afridi were still in their prime. The team was too divided to play as a team and as usual Inzamam didn’t show up.

 

[AAli98]

2024 was not cricket, all I could see was one guy in burger joints others in shopping malls & one on honeymoon all paid for trips..

 

[MMHS]

To me, top three are

1996
1987
2000 (CT)
2004 (CT)
2010
2007 (T20)
2009 (CT)


Because, PAK had top class team/players and were genuinely top contenders.

I still can’t explain how that 1996 team didn’t win it - half of PAK’s all time squad was there and most of them at the peak age ….. and they bolted the first KO against a decent at best Indian team.

1987 - PAK had one bad day and a bit unfortunate as well (WK Yousuf got injured early, Javed kept and PAK conceded lot more extras, bowlers had to be restrained as well; then Imran got a tight call going against him).

2000 - Australia was by far the best team, but they were eliminated by India on one great day of UV Singh. PAK had a far better team, which had beaten Australia in Australia very next year. But, despite Saeed hitting a hundred, PAK batting managed to collapse against NZ (a lefti seemer, I forgot name) and missed a golden opportunity to take on India.

2004 (CT) - again a great team that had beaten India, Australia again was eliminated…… then they collapsed against a very average WI side.

2007 (CT) - Misbah pulled a lost game, then gifted back.

2009 (CT) - no way they should have lost to Kiwis in SF, but Aussies were waiting in final, so it’s down the list.

2010 - without that one Ajmal over, PAK had some of the best T20 players at peak & WI wickets were suitable for their brand of cricket…. Probably would have won it had they not bolted the SF.

One honourable mention is 1999, but they lost to an ATG team in making. 5-6 years down the line, I wasn’t surprised anymore with the one sided nature of that final. Besides, Wasim Bhai will forever owe me an answer - why he opted to bat first on a gloomy, wet Lord’s day, with a 10am start in mid June …. After playing in that country for 12+ years.

Rest are actually very much within my expectations- may be a slot up or down. By 2010 for longer version & by 2015 for shorter version PCT is left with talents & fans - in that regard they have over achieved to my book to be honest - 2011 SF, 2021 SF, 2022 Final, 2017 Champion….. only downside is probably should have made Super 8 with USA, Canada & Ireland in the mix. Otherwise, PTC was never in my book to be among top 4 since 2011 in any format.

 

[Savak]

I don’t agree with vast majority of players in 2003 were past it. Wasim Akram was still the best bowler from Pakistan and bowled pretty well throughout the tournament. Waqar I agree was done. Saeed Anwar still the best opener, but yea his heart was not in anymore. Waqar was the only player who didn’t contribute much. Saeed and Wasim were still very useful. Inzamam, yousuf, Razaaq, Akhtar, Afridi were still in their prime. The team was too divided to play as a team and as usual Inzamam didn’t show up.

Wasim was old and was struggling with diabetes. His first spells were steller but he struggled to cross 127-130 km/hr in his second and third spells. You can argue he lacked support from the others. The biggest problem for Pakistan was the batting which did not click at all.

 

[leonidas_alexandar]

1) 1987 ODI WC
2) 1996 ODI WC
3) 1999 ODI WC
4) 2003 ODI WC
5) 2004 ODI CT
6) 2006 ODI CT
7) 2007 ODI WC
8) 2007 T20 WC
9) 2009 ODI CT
10) 2010 T-20 WC
11) 2012 T-20 WC
12) 2013 ODI CT
14) 2016 T-20 WC
15) 2023 ODI WC
16) 2024 T-20 WC

1) 1987 ODI WC

- Pakistan was in red hot form under Imran Khan's leadership and Imran was in his prime leading by example and even Miandad was in his prime and they had won all their games leading to the Semi Final only to fall short. People at the time mention that people in Pakistan were in severe depression for a few days after that loss

2) 1996 ODI WC

- This was a star studded Pakistani team with all the players i.e. Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam ul Haq, Salim Malik, Rashid Latif, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Aqib Javed in their prime and they had all basis covered but they bottled it in the Quarter final in India

3) 1999 ODI WC

- Perhaps the most star studded Pakistani team you can find in our history i.e. Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam ul Haq, Mohd Yousaf, Moin Khan, Azhar Mahmood, Abdul Razzaq, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis. This team literally had everything with all basis covered and they were so good that they got to the finals just on the basis of their talent alone and then they had the absolute horror show in the final. This team should have won that WC given the squad

4) 2003 ODI WC

- The team was star studded only on paper but the sad reality is the vast majority of the players were shot, past it and given Wasim - Waqar's tussle, the squad was mentally just not up for it and they were now competing against fresher younger fitter hungrier teams. This was perhaps the first ODI WC team which came home with no real accusations of match fixing because everyone knew the players were past it and finished.

5) 2004 CT

- That Pakistani team was in good form and was among the favorites to win the CT after Australia but Inzamam made an idiotic decision to bat first on a seaming pitch and the West Indies exploited the pitch resulting in our team being all out for 130 runs

6) 2006 CT

- The team suffered badly because of the ban on Inzamam and the withdrawal of Shoaib and Asif because of doping. The team was ranked in the first two slots in the ICC ODI rankings. They lost a winnable game against New Zealand and then got an absolute shocker of a pitch against South Africa at Mohali which was reminiscent of a pacy, bouncy South African pitch and hence they had no chance against Pollock, Ntini.

7) 2007 ODI WC

- Again the withdrawal of Shoaib and Asif and Afridi's suspension hurt the team's bowling attack but Pakistan was expected to atleast reach the Super8's being placed in an easy group of West Indies, Ireland, Zimbabwe. They lost their opening game to the West Indies and then to their immense misfortune the game b/w Ireland, Zimbabwe was a tie which meant both Zimbabwe, Ireland got a bonus point. Pakistan also suffered the misfortune of losing a vital toss against Ireland on a green top and the team got skittled out cheaply. Very disappointing campaign but in hindsight not such a big disappointment because Inzamam was way past it and to be honest did not have the hunger any more.

8) 2007 T-20 WC

- Inspite of the suspension of Shoaib Akhtar, this was a star studded team with the perfect combination of T-20 players and the only misfit in the team was Younis Khan who should have been replaced by Yousaf, Abdul Razzaq was another shocking ommission and might have made a big difference to the squad. The final against India was perfectly winnable and should have been sealed by Misbah who chose to kickstart his choking legacy with this game.

9) 2009 ODI WC

- Pakistan was on a high due to winning the T-20 WC in 2009 under Younis Khan's captaincy and Pakistan had won except for a dead rubber against Australia (where they made them sweat till the final ball). Younis Khan was playing with a broken finger and he had been advised by the team doctor to sit out but Younis was determined to play on and lead by example, he dropped a vital catch of Grant Elliot at a crucial stage in the Semi Final where he was trying to protect his finger.

10) 2010 T-20 WC

- Pakistan were in horrendous form coming into this T-20 WC where the batting line up kept mis firing but we somehow managed to get to the Semi final after beating the red hot South African team. The Semi Final against Australia should have been closed out but Mike Hussey had the game of his life and Pakistan blundered by only playing Amir as their main pacer, the captain did not trust Abdul Razzaq to bowl the final over and chose to proceed with Saeed Ajmal which was a costly error.

12) 2012 T-20 WC

- Pakistan's from in this T20 WC was mixed, their bowling attack was in top form with Ajmal, Afridi, Raza Hasan providing 12 guaranteed economical overs with wickets but sadly the batting was a real flop where only Umar Akmal was the star performer. Afridi's poor form with the bat hurt the team badly and sadly the team faltered in the Semi final against Sri Lanka. Given the spin stocks Pakistan had, this team should have atleast made the final

13) 2014 T-20 WC

- Same story as the 2012 T-20 WC, a decent batting line up with Shehzad, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik, Hafeez, Afridi and a very decent bowling line up on paper with Ajmal, Hafeez, Afridi, Gul but the team went missing in the crucial match against the West Indies where Bravo and Sammy totally destroyed the Pakistani bowling attack in the last 5 overs. Ajmal was a big flop in this tournament. This was the first T-20 WC where the team had not qualified for the Quarter finals

14) 2016 T-20 WC

- Pakistan came to India with a decent side but for some strange reason they picked 5-6 pacers in the squad and no proper spinners. Afridi was past it and the team was relying on Afridi, Malik, Imad Wasim for spin bowling duties and the team by and large was extremely unfit in the field. The end result was no real surprise, we only beat Bangladesh and then lost to India, New Zealand, Australia and failed to reach the Quarter Finals

15) 2021 T-20 WC

- Pakistan's form coming into the T-20 WC was very poor where we lost to a C level England side in England. Pakistan also desperately recalled Shoaib Malik into the team because none of the marked replacements made any impact. But the team surprisingly beat India and then whitewashed all the teams in the group but sadly they bottled the Semi Final against Australia but judging by the team's form going into the tournament, the team had over achieved. This was the start of Babar Azam's legacy of bottling ICC tournaments

16) 2022 T-20 WC

- Pakistan reached this T-20 WC final via fluke after choking the game against India and then against Zimbabwe. However in the final, Babar did not attack England enough when he had them 41/3 and he should have kept additional slips to the pacers who were going prodigious movement, pace, bounce and he should have bowled Shaheen out up front knowing the only way to win the game was to take maximum wickets up front. Babar lost a golden opportunity in the final due to his poor captaincy which was going to be a permanent feature of his legacy going forward

17) 2023 ODI WC

- This tournament was a nightmare because the PCB celebrated the pakistani teams ODI number one rankings which was only achieved because Pakistan is the only team which habitually played its A team against minnows, C-D teams of England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and this reality got exposed brutally in the Asia Cup ODI tournament in 2023 and in the ODI WC Pakistan lost to India, Australia, Afghanistan, South Africa, England. The Pakistani team was distracted by the central contract negotiations, saya corporation, Zaka Ashraf had started telling the likes of Shaheen that they are the next T-20 captain and you can see videos of Shaheen pushing Babar in the Afghanistan game. Regardless the team's horrendous insipid showing in this WC clearly justified Babar's resignation

18) 2024 T20 WC

- The Pakistani team was in horrendous form coming into this tournament and the PCB did not help matters by having Babar reinstated as captain and replacing Shaheen, a move which hurt Babar's standing in the team and clearly ruffled the entire squad and was the last thing the team needed. Regardless of the team's form, they were in one of the easiest groups and were expected to atleast reach the Super 8's but losing to USA meant the team did not deserve to go through.

You mentioned 9) 2009 ODI WC??? I cannot remember a WC that year - and your list is missing 2011 WC.

 

[Local.Dada]

well compiled post . However nothing beats 2007 Wc . India lost to a still upcoming Bangladesh and showed no fight vs Srilanka. In that context Pakistan had similar situation with Ireland
+worse with the whole Bob Woolmer incident. For Pakistan’s sake and Indias sake hopefully nothing tops that again.

 

[Savak]

You mentioned 9) 2009 ODI WC??? I cannot remember a WC that year - and your list is missing 2011 WC.

2009 was a typo, I meant the 2009 CT.

The 2011 ODI WC was not a disappointment. Given the spot fixing controversy the team had to deal with and the form of our team, we had over achieved in the 2011 ODI WC by reaching the semi final though i am haunted by our failure to beat India in the Semi Finals.

 

[cricketmania22]

2009 was a typo, I meant the 2009 CT.

The 2011 ODI WC was not a disappointment. Given the spot fixing controversy the team had to deal with and the form of our team, we had over achieved in the 2011 ODI WC by reaching the semi final though i am haunted by our failure to beat India in the Semi Finals.

What about 1998 Champions Trophy and 2015 WC?

 

[Hitman]

The 87' WC was for Pakistan to win.

 

[Hitman]

The main reason why Pakistan didn’t win anything from 1996-2007 was Inzamam. Never seen a bigger bottler than him. Except for 2-3 innings, the guy never showed up in the ICC events. He averaged 12-13 in 2003 WC!

Averaged 3.16 in 6 innings in the 2003 WC.

 

[cricketmania22]

Wasim was old and was struggling with diabetes. His first spells were steller but he struggled to cross 127-130 km/hr in his second and third spells. You can argue he lacked support from the others. The biggest problem for Pakistan was the batting which did not click at all.

You forgot Shoaib Akhtar. He was the biggest disappointment of the World Cup. He couldn’t win us the India match.

 

[cricketmania22]

Averaged 3.16 in 6 innings in the 2003 WC.

wow that’s even more awful! He said it was because of the weight loss. Funny thing is after that he put on weight again and started playing better.

 

[chinaman00]

2007
2003
2024

Pak were most hyped in 2003 and 2013 CT, there was hype in 2023 too but it was measured.

2007 had to be the hardest. Pakistan literally gave their South African coach Bob Woolmer a heart attack leading to his death.

Personally, it was the 1999 World Cup. After Pakistan posted a despicably low total of 132 after being red hot throughout the tournament, I realized Pakistan was simply unprofessional and lacked the discipline to win anything.

 

[chinaman00]

The main reason why Pakistan didn’t win anything from 1996-2007 was Inzamam. Never seen a bigger bottler than him. Except for 2-3 innings, the guy never showed up in the ICC events. He averaged 12-13 in 2003 WC!

Truly agree with this.

Inzi was a major reason why Pakistan never won any World Cup. He would literally disappear when the World Cup came. Its a major reason why he would never be counted among the legends of Pakistan cricket. He was a bilateral bully though.

 

[cricketmania22]

In the 1996 World Cup, Salim Malik and Aqib Javed were past their prime. Rashid Latif should never have been selected over Moin Khan, and Basit Ali should have played instead of Javed Miandad, who was well past his best. Wasim Akram was terribly out of form and failed to make an impact throughout the tournament. As a bowling unit, Pakistan performed poorly throughout the World Cup , and their lackluster performance against India was no surprise. Despite their poor bowling, Pakistan should have been able to chase the target if Inzamam-ul-Haq had made a significant contribution, but as usual, he went missing.

 

[Vikram1989]

You forgot Shoaib Akhtar. He was the biggest disappointment of the World Cup. He couldn’t win us the India match.

Akram ridiculed akthar for that wc performance.As per akram in his book, the speed guns were newly introduced at that time and all that akthar wanted was to touch 100 miles.Akthar used to see the speed guns as soon as he delivered and never bothered about what's going on the field.

 

[Vikram1989]

I don’t agree with vast majority of players in 2003 were past it. Wasim Akram was still the best bowler from Pakistan and bowled pretty well throughout the tournament. Waqar I agree was done. Saeed Anwar still the best opener, but yea his heart was not in anymore. Waqar was the only player who didn’t contribute much. Saeed and Wasim were still very useful. Inzamam, yousuf, Razaaq, Akhtar, Afridi were still in their prime. The team was too divided to play as a team and as usual Inzamam didn’t show up.

Saqlain also way past.Problem is that all of u said are decent and useful but not a world beating side.Inzi ,Yousuf(highest score is 31 I think) were colossal failures.They lost to eng,ind,aus.Bond must have decimated them.Sa must have won too.They are rightfully at 6th or 7th place.Akram was taunting Waqar for wasting a spot in the team as per his own words.

 

[BouncerGuy]

For me:

2007 T20
2011 ODI World Cup
2023 ODI World Cup
2024 T20 World Cup

were the most disappointing campaigns.

I would have said 1999 because we reached the final and should have won it because we were a beast of a team then, but I have not watched that thing so can't say much about it.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

2006 CT is an underrated disaster. Asif and Shoaib getting banned for doping right before the start of the tournament. Inzi not being part of the team because he was serving a ban for that Oval fiasco. We had won one and lost one and had South Africa like 40-5 in our last group game. And then Kemp and Boucher just carried them to 220 or something on a pretty spicy wicket. Then when we came out to bat South African pacers just skittled us for under 100.

2004 CT semi-final loss to West Indies was very similar to the 1999 WC final loss. Just an absolutely poor assessment of the pitch and the conditions. And I think Pakistan's totals in both those matches were quite similar too.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

But I don't think anything comes close to the disaster of 2007. Not just because of the loss to Ireland. But also because of the death of Woolmer and the nature of his death.

2003 was always going to be a disaster with Waqar and Wasim both being well past their prime. And the batting not having anyone of substance besides Saeed Anwar. Inzamam famously lost a lot of weight for that tournament and had an absolute horror show averaging 3 or something in the entire tournament.

I am tempted to put 2023 WC, pretty high up. Eventhough there is probably some recency bias at play. But getting smashed by Afghanistan was a real low-point. And the defeats to Australia, South Africa and England were quite deflating as well. There was a sense of hopelessness and inevitability in this World Cup that was perhaps best demonstrated by the India match. Arguably the worst ever World Cup for Pakistan's bowling attack, which looked absolutely listless on those flat wickets.

My top 5 would be:

1. 2007 World Cup
2. 2023 World Cup
3. 2024 T20 World Cup
4. 2003 World Cup
5. 2013 Champions Trophy/2006 Champions Trophy

I'm not putting the T20 WCs between 2007 and 2014 and 2021-22. Because as disappointing and heatbreaking as these tournaments were, atleast we made it to the semi-finals, finals or Super 8s.

 

[TheSultan]

World cups where we genuinely had a chance and were disappointing:

1987 World Cup
1996 WC
1999 WC
2003 WC

Wildcard
2019 WC

World cups we had no chance and although they were disgraceful exits, it was hardly surprising
2015 WC
2023 WC
2007 WC

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

World cups where we genuinely had a chance and were disappointing:

1987 World Cup
1996 WC
1999 WC
2003 WC

Wildcard
2019 WC

World cups we had no chance and although they were disgraceful exits, it was hardly surprising
2015 WC
2023 WC
2007 WC

I don't think we have ever had a worse squad of players for a WC than we did for the 2015 WC.

 

[BouncerGuy]

I don't think we have ever had a worse squad of players for a WC than we did for the 2015 WC.

Yeah man..that was probably the worst squad.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I'm not too fussed about the T20 WC. Another one is just around the corner.

For me it will always be 1999WC. We had our golden generation of players and should have went home with that trophy.

 

[TheSultan]

But I don't think anything comes close to the disaster of 2007. Not just because of the loss to Ireland. But also because of the death of Woolmer and the nature of his death.

2003 was always going to be a disaster with Waqar and Wasim both being well past their prime. And the batting not having anyone of substance besides Saeed Anwar. Inzamam famously lost a lot of weight for that tournament and had an absolute horror show averaging 3 or something in the entire tournament.

I am tempted to put 2023 WC, pretty high up. Eventhough there is probably some recency bias at play. But getting smashed by Afghanistan was a real low-point. And the defeats to Australia, South Africa and England were quite deflating as well. There was a sense of hopelessness and inevitability in this World Cup that was perhaps best demonstrated by the India match. Arguably the worst ever World Cup for Pakistan's bowling attack, which looked absolutely listless on those flat wickets.

My top 5 would be:

1. 2007 World Cup
2. 2023 World Cup
3. 2024 T20 World Cup
4. 2003 World Cup
5. 2013 Champions Trophy/2006 Champions Trophy

I'm not putting the T20 WCs between 2007 and 2014 and 2021-22. Because as disappointing and heatbreaking as these tournaments were, atleast we made it to the semi-finals, finals or Super 8s.

2003, a lot of emphasis was put on the likes of Waqar, Wasim and Saeed Anwar being over the hill. However, the biggest disappointments were the ones that were supposed to be in their primes

Shoaib Akhtar
Inzamam
Yousuf
Younis khan
Saqlain
Afridi
And the worst of the lot - who I wanted to kill just watching his lethargic approach - Abdul Razzaq

Razzi was pathetic in that World Cup - sleepily running to the crease bowling harmless 80mph trash , not doing anything with the bat and THAT drop

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I'm not too fussed about the T20 WC. Another one is just around the corner.

For me it will always be 1999WC. We had our golden generation of players and should have went home with that trophy.

I feel like every generation of Pakistani fans has their own trauma. For our dad's generation it was 1987. Then for the next generation, it was 1999. The generation after that had 2007, 2010. And now you have 2021 and 2022.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

2003, a lot of emphasis was put on the likes of Waqar, Wasim and Saeed Anwar being over the hill. However, the biggest disappointments were the ones that were supposed to be in their primes

Shoaib Akhtar
Inzaman
Younis khan
Saqlain
Afridi
And the worst of the lot - who I wanted to kill just watching his lethargic approach - Abdul Razzaq

Razzi was pathetic in that World Cup - sleepily running to the increase bowling harmless 80mph trash , not doing anything with the bat and THAT drop

Shoaib was in his peak ego phase during this WC. The perfect case of someone becoming too big for their britches. Inzi had an absolute horror show where he scored 19-20 runs in the entire tournament at an average of 3.

You're spot-on about Razzaq who looked worlds apart from the player he in the previous WC, where he was absolutely brilliant with both bat and ball.

But I feel like alot of these players could have done better if the dressing room wasn't bereft with toxicity and was perhaps a bit more united. Because they were all involved in that silent war between Waqar and Wasim, by being in one camp or the other. In the match against India, Afridi, chose to complain to Wasim when he was not given the field of his choice and then fired his deliveries down the leg with a packed off side field.

This is why as bad as things probably are right now, I don't think anything can top our ego driven dressing rooms of the 90s and 2000s.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

2003, a lot of emphasis was put on the likes of Waqar, Wasim and Saeed Anwar being over the hill. However, the biggest disappointments were the ones that were supposed to be in their primes

Shoaib Akhtar
Inzamam
Yousuf
Younis khan
Saqlain
Afridi
And the worst of the lot - who I wanted to kill just watching his lethargic approach - Abdul Razzaq

Razzi was pathetic in that World Cup - sleepily running to the crease bowling harmless 80mph trash , not doing anything with the bat and THAT drop

And lol that drop is kinda hard to forget. Had he been on the edge of the circle like he should have been and taken that catch, I think we could have won that match. Because Waqar had already dismissed Sehwag and Ganguly in the previous over and that wicket would have put India on the backfoot because the batting after that was not as strong or experienced. Still doesn't compare to dropping Tendulkar four times in the 2011 WC semi-final, but still one of the costliest drops.

 

[Markhor]

2007 WC was the lowest I ever felt as a fan. Similar to this tournament, we had the easiest group on paper and still messed it up.

In the opener, Dwayne Smith of all people destroyed us with bat and ball adding to a long list of horrible defeats to WI at World Cups. However losing to Ireland felt world ending in an era when ICC events weren't oversaturated like now, and Bob Woolmer's death elevated a sporting tragedy into a more serious human tragedy.

The 2003 WC was forseeable given the horror run of the previous 6 months under Waqar's defensive and reactive captaincy. After beating Australia in Australia - we had three awful tournaments in Morocco, Kenya and the 2002 CT before getting hammered in South Africa in a bilateral series. The team was old and lethargic, labouring to beat even minnows Netherlands and Namibia, but unfortunately selectors weren't brave enough to wield the axe until after the event.

The 2015 WC and 2016 WT20 were also depressing experiences for how far behind we looked compared to the top teams in white ball cricket.

2024 however is up there. Losing to USA is an ATG humiliation. Even in the above campaigns you could find at least one half decent performance unlike this campaign.

I'd go: 1) 2007 WC 2) 2024 T20 WC 3) 2003 WC 4) 2013 CT 5) 2016 WT20.

 

[sweep_shot]

I think 1999 WC was their most disappointing one.

They had a team full of superstars (at their peaks). They had the momentum. But, they somehow made a mess of it in the final.

 

[mominsaigol]

For me disappointing tournaments are those that I expect Pakistan to actually have a chance to win or atleast reach semi's bare minimum.

2019 wc is one that comes to mind, Pakistan should have reached semi's, wi was a Shocker.

2011 wc was another, The whole team switched off in fielding and misbah's mohali was horrible.

2007 t20 wc is another, so close and yet so far.

1999 is another so is 1996.

2024 isn't a disappointment. It would actually have been a suprise if Pakistan made it to S8 lol

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

2007 WC was the lowest I ever felt as a fan. Similar to this tournament, we had the easiest group on paper and still messed it up.

In the opener, Dwayne Smith of all people destroyed us with bat and ball adding to a long list of horrible defeats to WI at World Cups. However losing to Ireland felt world ending in an era when ICC events weren't oversaturated like now, and Bob Woolmer's death elevated a sporting tragedy into a more serious human tragedy.

The 2003 WC was forseeable given the horror run of the previous 6 months under Waqar's defensive and reactive captaincy. After beating Australia in Australia - we had three awful tournaments in Morocco, Kenya and the 2002 CT before getting hammered in South Africa in a bilateral series. The team was old and lethargic, labouring to beat even minnows Netherlands and Namibia, but unfortunately selectors weren't brave enough to wield the axe until after the event.

The 2015 WC and 2016 WT20 were also depressing experiences for how far behind we looked compared to the top teams in white ball cricket.

2024 however is up there. Losing to USA is an ATG humiliation. Even in the above campaigns you could find at least one half decent performance unlike this campaign.

I'd go: 1) 2007 WC 2) 2024 T20 WC 3) 2003 WC 4) 2013 CT 5) 2016 WT20.

In 2007, you could just sense something bad was going to happen once you saw that West Indies match. But I don;t think anyone expected us to lose to Ireland. The ominous signs were there from the start of the tournament with Asif and Shoaib being ruled out of the tournament due to injuries. Afridi getting injured for the first few matches. Not to mention, a bowling attack that included the likes of Rao, spraygun Sami, Yasir Arafat and past his prime Azhar Mahmood.

 

[Markhor]

Truly agree with this.

Inzi was a major reason why Pakistan never won any World Cup. He would literally disappear when the World Cup came. Its a major reason why he would never be counted among the legends of Pakistan cricket. He was a bilateral bully though.

It's baffling why Inzy was so poor in World Cups. He had his moments (Auckland 92, Headingley 99) but even mediocre Pakistani batsmen outperformed him at tournaments.

I don't know if it was a pressure thing because he performed so often in tough situations in bilateral series (in an era when bilaterals were far more important than today). I vividly remember a fantastic 60* (59) in a chase of 316 vs India in front of a baying Ahmedabad crowd in 2005. If you can perform there, surely you can perform anywhere ?!

After the 2003 WC, Inzamam's career hung in the balance until his crucial hundred vs Bangladesh in Multan when we were on the verge of an ATG Test humiliation.

That sparked a second peak between 2004-07 where he produced some of the best performances of his career.

 

[Markhor]

In 2007, you could just sense something bad was going to happen once you saw that West Indies match. But I don;t think anyone expected us to lose to Ireland. The ominous signs were there from the start of the tournament with Asif and Shoaib being ruled out of the tournament due to injuries. Afridi getting injured for the first few matches. Not to mention, a bowling attack that included the likes of Rao, spraygun Sami, Yasir Arafat and past his prime Azhar Mahmood.

Yep and that's why these ex-players should look in the mirror before lecturing in TV studios.

What's infuriating even now is Ireland barely chased our total. Another 30-40 runs with some sensible batting and we would've won. In the warmups, South Africa were in a similar position vs Ireland but scraped to 192, and won by 35 runs.

Woolmer's death the next day was the last time I shed tears over Pakistan cricket. He didn't deserve that ending.

 

[RidiculousMan]

If we talk about disappointing than 2023 World Cup.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Yep and that's why these ex-players should look in the mirror before lecturing in TV studios.

What's infuriating even now is Ireland barely chased our total. Another 30-40 runs with some sensible batting and we would've won. In the warmups, South Africa were in a similar position vs Ireland but scraped to 192, and won by 35 runs.

Woolmer's death the next day was the last time I shed tears over Pakistan cricket. He didn't deserve that ending.

Yup even with that second rate bowling attack they were able to run the game very close. But that batting order failing against Ireland's medium pacers was remarkably disappointing. Especially since that combo of Younis, Yousuf, Inzi and Malik had been well-established for years and had done very well for us. Andre Botha's figures from that match are still kind of hard to believe still. 8 overs, 4 maidens, 2 wickets for 5 runs. In a spell where he bowled 44 dot balls and conceded zero boundaries.

 

[emranabbas]

I have a very bad memory can't remember any the older ones but I remember champions trophy 2013 was one of worst ones

2024 followed by 2023 and then champions trophy 2013

 

[ahmed16]

2007 ODI world cup for me: We had a strong middle order with Younus, Yousuf, Inzi and an form Malik, this batting order wasn't makeshift with openers batting in the middle order! it was an appropriate batting order and all four of them had been in those positions long term before coming into the World cup. We should have at least made the semis. Instead we lost to Ireland in the group stage and effectively shot ourselves in the foot.

2024 campaign wasn't surprising given losses to various weak teams beforehand, not surprising and on reflection, not even disappointing.

 

[Inswinging Yorker]

This outcome in 2024 is not a surprise for us because we knew when the team was announced that they couldn't compete at the international level so not feeling bad about it to be honest.

I expected Pakistan to lose to India and Ireland and not make it to the second rounds. When they lost to USA it confirmed I was correct.

 

[Inswinging Yorker]

I think 1999 WC was their most disappointing one.

They had a team full of superstars (at their peaks). They had the momentum. But, they somehow made a mess of it in the final.

It was alleged the game was sold. A real disappointment for their fans with such a horrendous , pathetic batting display.

 

[Zapages]

We so should have 99 and last two T20 and ODI world cups. The dark ages were the 2000s after that... We never clicked nor had a team that was fit at the right time.

 

[kach]

Any world cup between 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007 world cups in no particular order. I still cannot believe that they couldn't beat the India team when they encountered them, on paper they were a far superior team especially in the bowling department. I cherished every one of those encounters and it bring unbelievable joy thinking that we beat a strong Pakistan team in everyone of them. Nowadays I don't find any such joy , we are expected to beat Pakistan 9 out of 10 times on fair pitches. The champion trophy loss in 2017 still hurts like though.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

I don't think we have ever had a worse squad of players for a WC than we did for the 2015 WC.

2024 says Hi

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

2024 says Hi

Nah 2015 was far worse.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Nah 2015 was far worse.

Disagree they'd wreck these boys.

Afridi and Wahab would make them cry on their own.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

2016 T20I world cup was the worst one!

 

[mominsaigol]

2016 T20I world cup was the worst one!

2017 wc features a bamgaldesh mauling.

2024 features no such thing.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Disagree they'd wreck these boys.

Afridi and Wahab would make them cry on their own.

Wahab had a great tournament but that was a pretty awful squad. Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Ehsan Adil and Yasir Shah in the bowling attack. Nasir Jamshed, Ahmed Shahzad, Umar Akmal in the batting.. I mean these are some of the worst ever players to play ODI cricket for Pakistan. And Younis has almost always been a mediocre ODI batter.

Afridi too was finished at this point and had an awful tournament with the ball.

This time around the batting was pretty bad. But atleast we had names like Babar, Rizwan, Fakhar that have scored runs in the past. I still believe that the pace attack was one of the best in the tournament. And worlds apart from the 2015 one.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

2016 T20I world cup was the worst one!

Lol this was like an update of 2015. A few new features in an otherwise garbage app.

 

[GillEdits]

1) 1987 ODI WC
2) 1996 ODI WC
3) 1999 ODI WC
4) 2003 ODI WC
5) 2004 ODI CT
6) 2006 ODI CT
7) 2007 ODI WC
8) 2007 T20 WC
9) 2009 ODI CT
10) 2010 T-20 WC
11) 2012 T-20 WC
12) 2013 ODI CT
14) 2016 T-20 WC
15) 2023 ODI WC
16) 2024 T-20 WC

1) 1987 ODI WC

- Pakistan was in red hot form under Imran Khan's leadership and Imran was in his prime leading by example and even Miandad was in his prime and they had won all their games leading to the Semi Final only to fall short. People at the time mention that people in Pakistan were in severe depression for a few days after that loss

2) 1996 ODI WC

- This was a star studded Pakistani team with all the players i.e. Saeed Anwar, Aamir Sohail, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam ul Haq, Salim Malik, Rashid Latif, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Aqib Javed in their prime and they had all basis covered but they bottled it in the Quarter final in India

3) 1999 ODI WC

- Perhaps the most star studded Pakistani team you can find in our history i.e. Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Ijaz Ahmed, Inzamam ul Haq, Mohd Yousaf, Moin Khan, Azhar Mahmood, Abdul Razzaq, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed, Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis. This team literally had everything with all basis covered and they were so good that they got to the finals just on the basis of their talent alone and then they had the absolute horror show in the final. This team should have won that WC given the squad

4) 2003 ODI WC

- The team was star studded only on paper but the sad reality is the vast majority of the players were shot, past it and given Wasim - Waqar's tussle, the squad was mentally just not up for it and they were now competing against fresher younger fitter hungrier teams. This was perhaps the first ODI WC team which came home with no real accusations of match fixing because everyone knew the players were past it and finished.

5) 2004 CT

- That Pakistani team was in good form and was among the favorites to win the CT after Australia but Inzamam made an idiotic decision to bat first on a seaming pitch and the West Indies exploited the pitch resulting in our team being all out for 130 runs

6) 2006 CT

- The team suffered badly because of the ban on Inzamam and the withdrawal of Shoaib and Asif because of doping. The team was ranked in the first two slots in the ICC ODI rankings. They lost a winnable game against New Zealand and then got an absolute shocker of a pitch against South Africa at Mohali which was reminiscent of a pacy, bouncy South African pitch and hence they had no chance against Pollock, Ntini.

7) 2007 ODI WC

- Again the withdrawal of Shoaib and Asif and Afridi's suspension hurt the team's bowling attack but Pakistan was expected to atleast reach the Super8's being placed in an easy group of West Indies, Ireland, Zimbabwe. They lost their opening game to the West Indies and then to their immense misfortune the game b/w Ireland, Zimbabwe was a tie which meant both Zimbabwe, Ireland got a bonus point. Pakistan also suffered the misfortune of losing a vital toss against Ireland on a green top and the team got skittled out cheaply. Very disappointing campaign but in hindsight not such a big disappointment because Inzamam was way past it and to be honest did not have the hunger any more.

8) 2007 T-20 WC

- Inspite of the suspension of Shoaib Akhtar, this was a star studded team with the perfect combination of T-20 players and the only misfit in the team was Younis Khan who should have been replaced by Yousaf, Abdul Razzaq was another shocking ommission and might have made a big difference to the squad. The final against India was perfectly winnable and should have been sealed by Misbah who chose to kickstart his choking legacy with this game.

9) 2009 ODI WC

- Pakistan was on a high due to winning the T-20 WC in 2009 under Younis Khan's captaincy and Pakistan had won except for a dead rubber against Australia (where they made them sweat till the final ball). Younis Khan was playing with a broken finger and he had been advised by the team doctor to sit out but Younis was determined to play on and lead by example, he dropped a vital catch of Grant Elliot at a crucial stage in the Semi Final where he was trying to protect his finger.

10) 2010 T-20 WC

- Pakistan were in horrendous form coming into this T-20 WC where the batting line up kept mis firing but we somehow managed to get to the Semi final after beating the red hot South African team. The Semi Final against Australia should have been closed out but Mike Hussey had the game of his life and Pakistan blundered by only playing Amir as their main pacer, the captain did not trust Abdul Razzaq to bowl the final over and chose to proceed with Saeed Ajmal which was a costly error.

12) 2012 T-20 WC

- Pakistan's from in this T20 WC was mixed, their bowling attack was in top form with Ajmal, Afridi, Raza Hasan providing 12 guaranteed economical overs with wickets but sadly the batting was a real flop where only Umar Akmal was the star performer. Afridi's poor form with the bat hurt the team badly and sadly the team faltered in the Semi final against Sri Lanka. Given the spin stocks Pakistan had, this team should have atleast made the final

13) 2014 T-20 WC

- Same story as the 2012 T-20 WC, a decent batting line up with Shehzad, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik, Hafeez, Afridi and a very decent bowling line up on paper with Ajmal, Hafeez, Afridi, Gul but the team went missing in the crucial match against the West Indies where Bravo and Sammy totally destroyed the Pakistani bowling attack in the last 5 overs. Ajmal was a big flop in this tournament. This was the first T-20 WC where the team had not qualified for the Quarter finals

14) 2016 T-20 WC

- Pakistan came to India with a decent side but for some strange reason they picked 5-6 pacers in the squad and no proper spinners. Afridi was past it and the team was relying on Afridi, Malik, Imad Wasim for spin bowling duties and the team by and large was extremely unfit in the field. The end result was no real surprise, we only beat Bangladesh and then lost to India, New Zealand, Australia and failed to reach the Quarter Finals

15) 2021 T-20 WC

- Pakistan's form coming into the T-20 WC was very poor where we lost to a C level England side in England. Pakistan also desperately recalled Shoaib Malik into the team because none of the marked replacements made any impact. But the team surprisingly beat India and then whitewashed all the teams in the group but sadly they bottled the Semi Final against Australia but judging by the team's form going into the tournament, the team had over achieved. This was the start of Babar Azam's legacy of bottling ICC tournaments

16) 2022 T-20 WC

- Pakistan reached this T-20 WC final via fluke after choking the game against India and then against Zimbabwe. However in the final, Babar did not attack England enough when he had them 41/3 and he should have kept additional slips to the pacers who were going prodigious movement, pace, bounce and he should have bowled Shaheen out up front knowing the only way to win the game was to take maximum wickets up front. Babar lost a golden opportunity in the final due to his poor captaincy which was going to be a permanent feature of his legacy going forward

17) 2023 ODI WC

- This tournament was a nightmare because the PCB celebrated the pakistani teams ODI number one rankings which was only achieved because Pakistan is the only team which habitually played its A team against minnows, C-D teams of England, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and this reality got exposed brutally in the Asia Cup ODI tournament in 2023 and in the ODI WC Pakistan lost to India, Australia, Afghanistan, South Africa, England. The Pakistani team was distracted by the central contract negotiations, saya corporation, Zaka Ashraf had started telling the likes of Shaheen that they are the next T-20 captain and you can see videos of Shaheen pushing Babar in the Afghanistan game. Regardless the team's horrendous insipid showing in this WC clearly justified Babar's resignation

18) 2024 T20 WC

- The Pakistani team was in horrendous form coming into this tournament and the PCB did not help matters by having Babar reinstated as captain and replacing Shaheen, a move which hurt Babar's standing in the team and clearly ruffled the entire squad and was the last thing the team needed. Regardless of the team's form, they were in one of the easiest groups and were expected to atleast reach the Super 8's but losing to USA meant the team did not deserve to go through.

I voted for 2007 t20 WC mistakenly.
But it's actually 2007 ODI WC, the worst WC campaign by Pakistani side.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

I voted for 2007 t20 WC mistakenly.
But it's actually 2007 ODI WC, the worst WC campaign by Pakistani side.

yeah another horrible tournament for Pakistan which everyone just wants to forget.

 

[cricketmania22]

It has to be the 1996 World Cup. We didn't top the group despite having an exceptional bowling lineup with Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aaqib Javed, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Mushtaq Ahmed. South Africa chased down a 250-run target in 44 overs, England's opening wicket stand scored 150 runs against us, and India thrashed us by scoring 290 runs in the quarter-finals. Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul-Haq (as usual) went missing in this World Cup. Wasim Akram took only three wickets in the entire tournament. Pakistan promised so much coming into this tournament but delivered so little.

 

[cricketmania22]

I see that most people have voted for the 2007 ODI World Cup early exit. Even though Pakistan shouldn’t have lost to Ireland and exited early, this team wouldn’t have gone far anyway. Inzamam had lost his form (not that it would have mattered much), Asif and Akhtar were banned, and we had no fixed opening pair. We had to recall Imran Nazir to provide explosiveness at the top. Abdul Razzaq got injured, so we had to recall the overweight Azhar Mahmood, who wasn’t fit to bowl 5 overs, let alone 10. We had no spinner, so we had to include Kaneria, who wasn’t an ODI bowler and was pretty ordinary against the West Indies in the opening match.

 

[Thephenom]

Every single tournament where we fail to show up is the worst!

 

[GillEdits]

Every single tournament where we fail to show up is the worst!

2007 Odi WC was the worst WC campaign from Pakistan side.