We love to covince ourselves with reasons on why Pakistan will go on to lift the trophy. Many have written on the same subject, and a couple of the reasons listed below might also be identical to the ones you have read earlier. There might be more (definitely), but these are the similarities between the 1992 campaign and the the one underwary right now. Some of these repeated themselves in our victory in the T20 World cup in 2009 as well, and back home when a particular series of events recur and give us what we want to see.. we stamp them as pre-requisites for times to come. Let's have a look and feel good till we can :

1) Intikhab Alam

Ask a newborn in Pakistan who do you want as the National cricket teams coach and he'l say Intikhab Alam. He wouldn't even know how Intikhab uncle looks like but he'l know that this was the same coach who was with us when we won the World cup in 1992 and even when we won the T20 World cup in 2009. Even though he isn't coach, his mere presence has charged the team up, or maybe it's just the effect of a rare sane person in the squad.

2) Aqib Javed

One more personality in the same category as above is the man who was spotted by Imran khan when he was 17 years old. He bowled in the 1992 World Cup with the intelligence that can be branded as gifted (who can forget his slower delivery which got Mark Greatbatch).
Give him extra points as he was the bowling coach in the T20 campaign in 2009 as well. Imran Khan always said he was more intelligent than Wasim and Waqar, it's time to show the world how true this is.

3) Led by a Khan

The only times we have won World Titles was when our leader had a Khan tag.
Imran Khan did it 1992
Younus Khan did it in 2009
and Shahid Khan will do it in 2011

4) Beating the unbeaten

New Zealand was an unbeaten side in the 1992 WC, the only side to beat them was Pakistan. The cornered tigers actually humbled them twice. The most memorable was the one that came in later in the Semi finals

South Africa romped over all their opponents in the 2009 T20 WC, until the men in green put the breaks on in a nail biting finish

Our men have already given an indication on what is to come by beating the unbeaten Aussies and putting to halt what has been an amazing winning streak of 34 games on the trott spanning 3 World cup tournaments.

5) Dethrone Australia

Whom did we dethrone when we won the cup in 1992 ?
Australia

Whom do we have dethrone when we do it again on the 2nd of April 2011 ?
Oops ! Australia again


The only two times we won the title, the captain quit (atleast that particular form of the game). Imran khan called it quits after 1992 and Younus khan announced his retirement from the T20 version. Only if Afridi can make a similar announcement, this should be the final nail in the coffin.

Here's to Pakistan's Third ICC World Title !

I was wronged by Pakistan and never before have I been so pleased at being wronged!

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka.

I know one particular blogger who would love this.

Q's Call: The team that bats first will win. I don't think either team has the batting to chase down a total, while both have the bowling to defend any kind of score.

And that is exactly what happened!

Forget the 15-20 runs they didn't get at the end, forget Shoaib Malik who could not up the tempo, forget the Umar Gul fall on the head and dropped chance, forget the Kamran Akmal blunders behind the stumps, forget the Younis Khan blunder to not bowl Umar Gul his full quota.

What mattered at the end, is that Pakistan did it!

With 23 runs required off 6 deliveries, it was still anybody's game in my view.

Especially since 1 of the 3 Pakistan strike bowlers were not bowling.

But a 17 year old held his nerve.

When I was 17, I was struggling to pass through high school and still pursuing my first love.

Mohammad Aamir was bowling Pakistan to victory in a World Twenty20 semi final!

The man of the day though, was Shahid Afridi.

In hindsight, it was a mastermind to send him up the order in the previous two games, which allowed him to get into some sort of batting groove.

And today Afridi answered all those wishes and prayers of his fans who have not been able to witness a smashing knock for quite some time.

He took the game away from the South Africans in the first 12 overs itself.

Sure Pakistan should have got more, but 149 was always going to be tough on the Trent Bridge wicket.

Afridi, Ajmal, and Gul certainly proved that.

At the end,

South Africa remain the chokers.

Pakistan remain the volatile team that have strangely shown consistency in the 20-20 game to reach their 2nd final in as many World Twenty20 tournaments.

Flair and individual brilliance trumped consistency tonight.

On Sunday, come who may, Pakistan will be waiting!

To witness the experience that I went through along with 2 bored members and a contingent of some 30 Pakistan fans cheering at the top of their lungs in an adrenaline pumping game, read the LIVE updates, right here.

Last week I highlighted some strange, or rather the more intriguing, performances we witnessed during the round stages of the ICC World Twenty20.

"Fatigue was definitely a factor, as were many other things"

Gary Kirsten, the India coach, has come out and blamed India's hectic international schedule and the IPL for India's early exit from the ICC World Twenty20.

As I type, I am listening to a Star News report on how India has been on the road for so long, and how the players have played so much cricket that it was bound to lead to fatigue and losses.

Anyhow, the less said about these TV channels the better, they hardly ever make sense.

Regarding Gary Kirsten's claim; I did some digging and this is what I found.

Australia has by far played more international games than any other country, but I don't hear them complaining about fatigue.

India has played plenty of matches in a year, but not that many more than Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa, and England.

Plus, two of those teams are unbeaten thus far in the World T20.

Sure India's World T20 squad had more players in the IPL starting XIs, but that was supposed to be an advantage for the 20-20 world cup, was it not?

In fact, even South Africa has 11 players who played in almost all the games for their IPL teams; likewise for Sri Lanka with 7.

So what is Gary Kirsten on about? Just trying to save his behind is he?

There were many reasons for India's loss; fatigue was not one of them.

After Pakistan's victory tonight, almost everyone who congratulated me via phone call, sms, facebook, email, etc also asked, "So how do we avoid South Africa in the semi finals?"

...when Pakistan was humiliated at Lord's in a World Cup final; can they make amends on the same ground and earn a title?

I know I'm getting ahead of myself here. Pakistan has a semi-final date first. A tough one, regardless of the opposition. But if (and it's a big if) they do make the final, they can at least attempt to erase the pain and shame that was forced on the country 10 years ago.

South Africa will also be looking to avoid repeating the heartbreak of a World Cup semi-final in England, once again almost exactly 10 years to day of their legendary loss to Australia.

New Zealand will also want to turn around their decade-old semi-final result and make it to the final. They have a lot of work to do before that though.

And England would like to be more than the spectators that they were 10 years ago when they hosted a World Championship.

West Indies and Sri Lanka have no time for the "10-years-ago" romantic musings of the other teams. They have no recollection of their performance a decade ago, and they are ready to create their own history. In one case to open their account at Lord's. And in the other case, to cement their dominance at Lord's.

10 years. Unfulfilled dreams. Six teams. One winner.

A week ago, no one really gave them a chance.