The returning champions

A never-told-before account of the Pakistan cricket team at the memorable 1992

World Cup
By EMMAD HAMEED
Photos courtesy: Iqbal Munir

Twenty-three years after claiming the world champion title, the Pakistan cricket
team is all set to return to the historic grounds of Melbourne, Australia, to recreate
moments that earned them a permanent spot on the cricketing map. What
happened on the field in 1992 might be etched in the memory of every cricket fan
in the country and is refreshed every four years by the barrage of video clips and
pictures that flood social media and are repeatedly flashed on television screens.
Few know about what happened behind the scenes. And only one man, who trailed
the cricketers closely throughout the event as the teams official photographer,
capturing every move and emotion, can shed light on their state of mind and recall
intimate details that lead to the momentous victory. Today, Iqbal Munir uses the
power of his pictures and memory to take us back in time when Pakistan cricket was
all about the glory of the game.

An uneven pitch
When Munir was appointed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to cover the event,
he got straight down to the task. Equipped with his Nikon F3, he boarded the flight
to Australia to join the team that had flown out a month before. Everyone was
optimistic that Pakistan would emerge victorious this year owing to the teams
confidence. Munir was, therefore, not prepared to digest what he came across next.
While going through some of the inflight newspapers, he was shocked to read an
article in which Imran Khan, captain for the 1992 World Cup, was quoted saying,
We lost the occasion to win in the semi-final against Australia in Lahore in 87. Now
its difficult to win the World Cup in Australia. In contrast to what millions in the
country believed, Imran seemed to have little hope of winning the trophy. Munirs
hopes were further crushed when he heard Australian legend Greg Chappell rate
Pakistan as the fifth best bet to win the nine-nation tournament.

This cynicism was in stark contrast to the false sense of confidence Munir had
witnessed at the conditioning camp set up in Lahore. All the cricketers, except
Imran perhaps, were in consensus that theyll make it to the semi-finals since it was
a matter of winning only four matches. The squad, however, looked disinterested
and seemingly went through the motions, he reveals. Imran Khan was nursing his
shoulder injury, Javed Miandad was cringing in pain due to a back problem and
Waqar Younis was down with a stress fracture, he says. The camp lacked vigour
and enthusiasm and was bereft of coordination and a sense of purpose. [There was]
only overconfidence and arrogance. The players assured that would easily take
down India, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
But when the team eventually left for Australia on January 15, a lot had changed.
They were travelling without Miandad and Imran had instead picked out Zahid Fazal
and Inzamamul Haq because of the promise they had shown. He firmly believed
that if these two players clicked, they would be able to win the Cup.

The fall before the rise

According to Munir, the team went through a series of emotional highs and lows
throughout their World Cup journey. In Melbourne, on the eve of the opening clash
between Pakistan and West Indies, Munir confronted Imrans skepticism firsthand.
The captain was visibly disgruntled with the performance of the team in the warm-
up matches. Even after a month in Australia. Theres a lack of application and
whole heartedness amongst the players, he confided in Munir. Even during the
opening match, Imran was seen huffing and puffing at the teams performance that
lost to its opponent by 10 wickets.

Unlike Imran, Miandad who rejoined the team during the last warm-up match, gave
the players a much-needed boost of confidence. Not only did he practice earnestly,
but motivated others to do the same. He even guided Wasim Haider to maintain his
line and length and much of his positive influence can be seen in the numerous
practice shots captured by Munir.
Imran, on the other hand, did little to keep the teams morale high. Even while flying
to Adelaide, in South Australia, Imran was particularly quiet and aloof. He preferred
to spend his time reading a newspaper rather that interacting with the rest of the
team. During the match against England on March 1, Pakistans weak batting was
brutally exposed and this drilled a deeper hole in Imrans confidence. But a sudden
downpour midway during Englands batting brought the match to a halt and earned
both the teams a point. This one point can turn our fortunes around, Miandad told
Munir and proved to be crucial in pushing Pakistan further in the tournament.
The team, however, suffered another major blow soon after by losing to their arch
rivals, India. In Brisbane, they even lost to South Africa despite Haqs promising 48
runs from 45 balls. At this point, the team had visibly lost all hope of bringing the
cup home, including Miandad who had skipped the match due to stomach flu. And it
wasnt until he spoke to his mother over the phone that he was able to let go of the
guilt.

The forward approach

With only three matches left to play now, Pakistan could not afford to lose a single
game. The players were desperate to claim back-to-back wins but none of them
believed they could. And it wasnt until they landed Perth that their fortunes took a
turn for the better. That night they attended a welcome reception that was
organised to raise funds for Imrans charitable cancer hospital. Overwhelmed by the
gesture, the captain formally addressed his team at the event and said, Were
Muslims and Islam teaches us never to lose hope. To lose hope is a sin. Something
seemed to have instantly changed in Imran, Munir recalls sensing, and this renewed
energy transferred to the rest of the players in the coming days.
At Perths Western Australian Cricket Association the team held a meeting in the
dressing room which continued for hours. The media was quick to pick up on this
and the following day Munir recalled reading an article in a newspaper which stated,
In Perth, instead of nets the Pakistani team was locked up inside the dressing
room. But the meeting was crucial in reshaping the teams destiny, Munir shares.
It was here that Pakistan evolved the strategy to win the World Cup. They came out
of the dressing room as champions. Imran resumed the reins of the captaincy and
swayed the team with inspirational words, including senior batsmen Salim Malik and
Ramiz Raja who were particularly disgruntled with the team. And the results of this
dressing-room talk were evident in the way Pakistan emerged victorious against the
host team Australia and Sri Lanka in the following days.