Babar Azam-led Pakistan will take on England in the final of the T20 World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Heading into the summit clash, all the talk is how there is an uncanny resemblance between the ongoing tournament and the 1992 50-over World Cup, which Pakistan won under the leadership of Imran Khan. In that tournament as well, Pakistan's backs were against the wall but the side staged a remarkable turnaround to take the title home.
Co-incidentally, in the 1992 World Cup, Pakistan had faced off against England in the summit clash and it was Wasim Akram who had produced a match-winning performance. Ahead of the T20 World Cup final against England, captain Babar Azam was asked about the resemblance to the 1992 tournament.
"Ofcourse, the similarities are there. We will try to win the trophy, it is a big honour for me to lead this team and especially at this big ground. We will try to give our 100 per cent and win. We did not start well, but the way team came back, they fought like tigers. We will look to continue from here and we will look to give our best," said Babar during a pre-match press conference.
In both the 1992 and 2022 World Cups, Pakistan began their campaign with a loss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In both tournaments, Pakistan suffered a defeat at the hands of India as well.
The resemblance goes further -- in both tournaments, Pakistan snuck into the semi-finals by a single point on the last day
"We lost the first two matches but the way the team came back in the last four matches, they performed really well. We are playing good cricket, we will try to continue that momentum in the final," said Babar.