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Unpredictability has torn the veins of Pakistani cricket since the dawn of time.
At the 1992 World Cup, Imran Khan’s ‘cornered tigers’ were poised to take off with just one win from their first five matches – before somehow taking the trophy against England in the final.
Thirty years later, a Babar Azam-led team in their T20 World Cup campaign today found themselves firmly in charge against a vibrant Zimbabwe; may repeat a similar fate of doom after a rather painful implosion against rivals India on Sunday.
Zimbabwe beat Pakistan to sharpen their World Cup hopes in Perth
They are predictably unpredictable; an embraced force that has often done this nation far more good than bad.
If they don’t know what they’re going to do next, how on earth will the opposition do?
That pattern reared its head in the run between balls 83 and 88. Zimbabwe had motorized impressively to 87 for three against 13th over.
Enter Shadab Khan in battle. His fifth ball googly sidestepped a terrible switch-hit attempt by Sean Williams to get him bowled clean.
His sixth ball elicited Regis Chakabva’s lead; Azam did a superman-esque dive at slip to catch it and become a contender for the tournament’s catch.
Two dot balls from Mohammad Wasim followed, then Wasim stepped in with a slower ball and a middle stump to take two of his own.
Four wickets in six balls – and the match was almost over too.
The underdogs put their rivals on a 131-run goal after a strong knock from Sean Williams
Mohammad Nawaz was tied up after a battle fracture and looked close to saving a win
Although Pakistan is Pakistan, it was never good until the end when the man who was pilloried on that fateful Sunday, Mohammad Nawaz, succumbed to a ball left. A famous victory for Zimbabwe.
The matches’ openings demonstrated the status of associated countries like Zimbabwe in tournaments like this one.
So-called ‘minnows’ are no longer so squeamish about fast bowling or clubbing power of the larger, established full-fledged nations; they demand respect.
Wesley Madhevere, who turned 22 last month, typified this when he came to prominence alongside veteran Craig Irvine, 37, to skin drives three directions off the ground against a swinging ball to reach 38 after four overs.
A pretty strong start; indeed, the Falcons extrapolated from the field, but bowled far too full to the delight of the opposing batters.
Madhevere’s boundary through the cover point was particularly noticeable before a bumper from Haris Rauf hit Irvine’s top edge against Mohammad Wasim, and Wasim then punched himself, firing Madhevere LBW with a sharp inswinger after checking the referee’s call.
However, the Zimbabweans kept their spirits up and won dramatically by a late run
Bradley Evans tries to catch a catch from his own bowling during the second innings
It helped stem the flow, until Iftikhar Ahmed spilled the ball halfway through the wicket on a Shaheen Afridi in the ninth over.
Afridi was already indifferent in terms of bowling and came back cautiously from a long injury; this wouldn’t have helped.
Williams stuck to reach the 31 with a mix of drives and pulls – including a top edge over keeper Mohammad Rizwan’s head – and added a wave of solidity in the middle overs.
This was before the four-wicket collapse, ending the innings at 130. Simple enough to hunt?
No, the chase got off to a terrible start. Blessing Muzarabani and Brad Evans’ needleline, knife-accuracy on the stumps, combined with movement off the field upset the openers.
Captain Azam became conflicted when a delivery from Evans was held up on the field; the subsequent attempt to hit the leg side caused a leading edge that flew at Ryan Burl on a backward point.
Spin bowler Sikandar Raza celebrates after taking wicket from danger man Shan Masood
Zimbabwe’s win keeps them alive at the World Cup and casts serious doubt on Pakistan
Muzarabani then threw Rizwan, with the batter looking for the third man to chop only on his own stumps.
It was a cricket disaster laced with excellent bowling. Would thoughts of that Sunday probably creep into the minds of the Pakistani team? Probably.
When Iftikhar Ahmed succumbed to Luke Jongwe, there was real concern.
The trusty Shan Masood hit a flurry of boundaries and provided the impetus for one side.
But after a break of five left, the wickets began to tumble again as Sikander Raza opened his box of tricks.
Raza tricked Shadab with a volatile delivery that was long overdue, trapping Haider Ali LBW, and then, crucially, Masood punching his leg while at 44.
An underdog win appeared on the cards as Nawaz stepped up with a crucial six to leave the equation with three needed from two.
Then Nawaz got caught going for glory and it was done. Zimbabwe had done it.
What a sport, huh?