OTD | Pakistan moved closer to their only World Cup title as they defeated New Zealand in semi-final in 1992

Pakistan became World Cup champions for the first time in 1992. It was a phenomenal campaign as Pakistan were once on the brink of elimination but they turned it around and went on to lift the trophy. 

This glorious campaign changed the face of cricket in Pakistan and brought a massive transformation. The Cornered Tigers met the co-hosts New Zealand in the semi-final. In a tightly-contested affair, Pakistan trounced the Blackcaps to make it into their first-ever ODI World Cup final. 

First Innings

Martin Crowe won the toss for New Zealand and the home team opted to bat first in the knockout encounter. Pakistan started the penultimate match of the tournament on a strong note as they dismissed the openers Mark Greatbatch and John Wright early in the first innings. To shift the momentum back in New Zealand’s favour, skipper Martin Crowe and Andrew Jones added around 50 runs for the third wicket. 

Ken Rutherford assisted his captain after Jones’ departure. This partnership between Rutherford and Crowe put the Blackcaps in a comfortable position. By the time Rutherford was dismissed New Zealand had already accumulated 194 runs. Rutherford’s departure gave Pakistan room to make a comeback as they got a few more breakthroughs in quick succession. Eventually, captain Crowe’s 91 runs and Rutherford’s 50-run knock propelled New Zealand to 262 runs in the first innings.

Second Innings

The target was huge for Pakistan as chasing a 250-plus target was a big deal in those days and Pakistan had to do it in the semi-final. The chasing side had a decent first 20 overs as they added nearly 80 runs at the loss of one wicket. In the middle order, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad stitched a small but significant partnership. After this partnership was broken, there was a sense of panic in the run chase as Pakistan lost another wicket in no time in the form of Saleem Malik. 

Then came the hero of the semi-final for Pakistan, Inzamam-ul-Haq. The youngster counterattacked and took the Kiwi bowling attack on remand. His partnership with Miandad almost sealed the deal for Pakistan. Inzamam scored 60 runs off just 37 deliveries which changed the complexion of the game. The experienced Javed Miandad stayed unbeaten till the end to finish the match and ensure Pakistan’s place in the final.