Pakistan played this T20 World Cup like champions and were the only team that remained unbeaten in the group stages. Overall, they played 6 matches and won 5 of them - the same number as the two finalists; unfortunately the game we lost was the Semi Final.

The team looked united, played very spirited cricket, and were at the top of their game. This is surely not the end, but the beginning of something very special from this set of truly exceptional cricketers.

The cricket these boys played reminded me of the 90s. The difference; however is that this time the sum seems to be greater than the parts.

I have no doubt in my mind that this lot of players, under the leadership of Babar Azam, have a very bright future, and there is an ICC trophy waiting for them just around the corner. 

SHAHEEN AFRIDI single handedly ended India's campaign in two deliveries. India never really recovered from those two bolts. His deliveries to Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and then Aaron Finch were by far the best balls delivered in this T20 World Cup. As this team's pace spearhead, he will win Pakistan many more matches in the future.

ASIF ALI & HARIS RAUF were the two most criticized players of the squad. Their lack of performance leading up to the T20 World Cup was a worry for everyone. Credit must be given to the captain and the management team who kept their faith in them. Both Asif and Haris completely repaid this faith with some exceptional performances.

Asif could not have chosen a better time to display his firepower, which we have all seen in the PSL, than at the grandest stage of T20 cricket. He will finish many more games for Pakistan in the future, like he did against New Zealand and Afghanistan.

Haris bowled some fiery spells against India and New Zealand, and he maintained his strong form throughout the tournament. 

Similarly, FAKHAR ZAMAN and HASAN ALI, also had their fair share of critics. Both continued to fail in the group stages but Babar Azam maintained his faith in their abilities.

Fakhar was not even part of the initial squad of 15 that was announced and was included later at the insistence of Babar. Throughout the group stages, Babar kept saying that Fakhar is a big match player and he will deliver. He truly did by tearing apart Australia's pace spearhead in the semi final!

Hasan, however, failed to perform as per expectations, but one can't blame anyone for persisting with him considering his performance over the past 12 months. All sportsmen go through tough times, and Hasan will surely bounce back!

All those who believe that T20 is a young man's format need to rethink their stance. The experience brought by the presence of MOHAMMAD HAFEEZ and SHOAIB  MALIK was invaluable. Hafeez was superb in the field and with the ball when required. His positive intent with the bat was a reminder to everyone of how this game must be played.

Malik's calm presence in the middle against New Zealand helped finish the game and his ruthless attack on Scotland got him the record of the fastest 50 in T20Is for Pakistan.

I don't know what they have decided for the future, but with the next T20 World Cup just a year away, maybe they will still be around.

SHADAB KHAN was not in the best of forms leading up to the T20 World Cup, but he is a proven match winner and he showed all of us why Babar had so much faith in him. He was fabulous with the ball in all the matches, picking up wickets regularly, and keeping the runs in check as well. With Shadab back at his best, Pakistan truly has the best bowling line up in T20Is.

MOHAMMAD RIZWAN is the Superman of Pakistan cricket, a true man of steel. I am still quite shaken by the fact that Rizwan spent 30 odd hours in the ICU before being declared fit on the day of the semi final. What a champion!

Since his transformation into Pakistan's T20 opener, he has been simply sublime. During the T20 World Cup he became the first batsman to score 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year.

He also surpassed Chris Gayle's tally of 1,665 runs in all T20 cricket in a calendar year, and now has 1,743 runs in 2021. With still some T20Is left for Pakistan this year, Rizwan will take his lead at the top even further, and will likely remain there for a long time.

For the past decade we have traveled the world supporting the boys in green. From ODI World Cups in Australia and England, to T20 World Cups in Sri Lanka, to ICC Champions Trophies in the UK, we were everywhere.

This time, we were with the team from the start till the end, from Dubai to Abu Dhabi to Sharjah, from defeating India for the first time in a World Cup to coming so close to reaching the final.

It was a really memorable World Cup for all of us.

The best part was that Pakistan's campaign reignited the passion for cricket among the youth in Pakistan. All the Pakistani kids were connected to the team and cheered them on throughout the World Cup. What this will do for cricket in Pakistan is immeasurable.

The cameramen in Dubai and Sharjah ensured that we will cherish memories of this World Cup forever. These cameramen are responsible for creating the Hulk Glove Guy and the Hulk Glove Crew. Thank you for that!

Even for this crew, this is definitely not the end. The Hulk Gloves will be back again.

The road to Australia 2022 begins now. Rest assured, we will be there, in all our greens, cheering on this champion team once again!

The Beginning ...

* * *

For all of us who live in Dubai, who had traveled to different parts of the world from Bangalore to Mohali, Colombo, Birmingham, Adelaide, and Manchester over the years to watch Pakistan battle India in a World Cup game, the daddy of all cricket matches was now coming home to us.

The schedule of the T20 World Cup was announced and 24th October 2021 was marked in everyone's calendar. 

And the wait for the tickets started.

When the first batch of tickets was launched, there was some disappointment. Five of us were on a conference call, all trying to buy tickets for Pakistan vs India, and after 2 hours of waiting and clicking we were left empty handed.

When the second batch of tickets was released, we were at it again.

And we struck gold, thanks to one friend, who spent a tireless hour and a half clicking on "buy tickets", till his transactions finally went through!

We had 6 tickets for the match.

We managed 4 more tickets through another friend's contact in Pakistan. 

But all tickets were spread out in different sections of the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Excitement and anxiety for the game was increasing by the day.

And then with a day to go, all chaos hit the roof! What time will we leave. Who will go in which car. Where will we park. Who will sit on which seats. Who will find others to swap seats with. There were too many logistical challenges.

A million phone calls, conference calls, and whatsapp messages later, on the day itself, it all just fell into place.

We were all at the stadium well before the match started, with the majority of us seated together!

* * *

The night before the Pakistan vs India clash was a sleepless night.

After a long time, I had experienced the excitement of a cricket match similar to the 90s when we would be up all night and drive early morning to Sharjah for the many Pakistan vs India matches.

Come 24th October and about 25 of us gathered at a friend's place right opposite the Dubai Cricket Stadium, well before game time.

The cars were parked there, lunch was served at the friend's place (whose delicious catering you must try by the way), and excitement was at just an unreal level.

From there we made our way to the stadium by foot and within 15 minutes we were inside.

* * *

The last match all of us had watched together in a stadium was the World Cup 2019 clash between Pakistan and New Zealand in Birmingham.

That game had an epic crowd, and an unparalleled atmosphere.

Back then, Mohammad Aamir had set up the game with his first delivery by bowling out Martin Guptill.

Similarly, in Dubai, another Pakistan left arm pacer - Shaheen Afridi - set up the game by rocking India with his 4th delivery as he sent the dangerous Rohit Sharma back to the pavilion for a golden duck!

In his next over, Shaheen, knocked over KL Rahul's middle stump, and the stadium erupted.

Pakistan was on top and there was no looking back now.

Shaheen Afridi had totally validated the warning that Osman Samiuddin had given to all openers at this T20 World Cup.

While Kohli and Pant provided some resistance, Pakistan's bowling and fielding were of top quality, and India ended their innings at a below par 151.

Historically, Pakistan have been nervous chasers, however the opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have changed this in recent times; particularly in T20 internationals.

Babar and Rizwan are the best pair of opening batsmen in the world in T20Is at the moment.

This is the first time that Pakistan has won a T20I by 10 wickets. It is also the first time that India has lost a T20I by 10 wickets.

It was the second highest chase ever in T20Is without losing a wicket.

Babar and Rizwan's unbroken partnership of 152 is now the highest ever opening partnership in a T20 World Cup, and the second highest ever for any wicket.

This was Babar and Rizwan's 3rd partnership of over 150 runs. They stand over and above all other pairs that have put on 150-run partnerships in T20Is.

* * *

Even the most optimistic Pakistani fans did not expect a 10 wicket romp. 

It was a clinical chase by Pakistan's two premier batsmen, the captain and the vice captain, comprehensively dominating and schooling one of the best bowling attacks in T20 cricket.

Pakistan were home with 13 deliveries to spare - that is how convincing the chase was by Babar and Rizwan.

It is all quite surreal. Being at the stadium to witness this historical moment was magical, phenomenal, and truly quite unbelievable.

Some of us made it to the billion TV screens around the world.

Some of us made it to the official T20 World Cup instagram page and from there to several blogger insta pages.

The celebrations continued well into the early hours of the morning.

Pakistan delivered a power packed punch yesterday and they have announced their intentions for this T20 World Cup in a manner no other team has.

There is still a long way to go, with 4 more group matches, with another one tomorrow!

Rest assured, we will be there again, this time in Sharjah, cheering on the boys in green.

Come on PAKISTAAAAAN!

Having made his debut in Australia a few months ago, Naseem Shah has quickly risen to become Pakistan's spearhead. Along with Mohammad Abbas and Shaheen Afridi, he has formed a potent pace attack, which has the potential to serve Pakistan successfully over the next many years.

Pakistan has now played this triumvirate in three consecutive tests. In the 5 innings that Abbas, Shaheen, and Naseem have bowled together, they have collectively accounted for 34 out of the 50 wickets that Pakistan has taken.

The trio have a total of 30 tests among themselves; two of them are still in their teens. So young and inexperienced, yet they have given Pakistan glimpses of the hey days of Pakistani pace.

Their numbers are quite remarkable.


Look at those averages and strike rates!

While Abbas is the workhorse who bowls tirelessly at a miserly economy, Shaheen and Naseem strike with their pace. Shaheen has consistently provided the early breakthroughs, while Naseem has provided the closing touches.

NASEEM SHAH
He is only 16 years and 4 tests old and he has already played an instrumental part in Pakistan's last two test victories.

Yesterday he became the youngest bowler to take a test hatrick and only the 4th Pakistani bowler to achieve the feat following in the footsteps of Wasim Akram, Abdul Razzaq, and Mohammad Sami.

For all of Pakistan's sake let us hope that he continues to follow in the footsteps of the former.

Naseem's 4-26 in the second innings initiated Bangladesh's collapse from 124-2 to 168 all out, setting up an innings win for Pakistan.

In his previous test, the second of the series against Sri Lanka, Naseem became the youngest bowler to pick up a five wicket haul in a test innings. His 5-31 in the second innings led Pakistan to a test and series win.

What is even more impressive about Naseem is the fact that 9 of his 13 test wickets till date have come in the opposition's second innings, which is testament to his fitness, passion, and motivation level.

MOHAMMAD ABBAS
In the period since Abbas made his test debut in April 2017, he has one of the best test bowling averages in the world. He has the best economy rate in the world in that period and he is among the only 4 bowlers in the world who have picked up a 10 wicket haul in tests in this period.


SHAHEEN AFRIDI
Shaheen is the only one among the three who has excelled across formats for Pakistan. Not only is his test average of 28 impressive, his ODI and T20I averages of 21.2 and 20.8 respectively are also top notch.

In the period starting from April 2018, when Shaheen made his international debut, he is among the top 10 wicket takers in all international cricket.


In this period, he has the second best strike rate in the world, behind only Kuldeep Yadav's. There is no pace bowler in the world who has a better strike rate than Shaheen Afridi's in the past two years!

And his international bowling average of 23.5 is bettered by only Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah.

For a 19 year old this is quite remarkable.



As a trio, Abbas-Shaheen-Naseem have worked wonders for Pakistan. Let us hope that they will continue to create the same magic for many more years!

Let us hope that Abbas will continue to deceive batsmen with his seam, Shaheen will continue to dismiss opposition openers in the first few overs, and Naseem will continue to give us fiery wicket taking spells reminiscent of the two Ws and Shoaib Akhtar.

Pakistan has always had an abundance of fast bowling resources but so many of them have disappeared into the wilderness due to mismanagement of talent and general issues within the system.

Let us hope that this does not happen to this triumvirate and that they continue to excite, enthrall, and entertain Pakistan cricket fans for a long time.

Shaheen Shah Afridi ended the ODI series against New Zealand with 9 wickets, behind only Lockie Ferguson's 11 wickets, but at a better average and strike rate.

Shaheen's 9 wickets consisted of two 4-wicket hauls in each of the first two ODIs and before rain spoiled the match last night, he had already got rid of Colin Munro. Who knows how many more he would have got had the match been completed.

Deservedly so, the 18 year old left arm pacer was adjudged Man of the Series.


Shaheen has been a great find for Pakistan.

Only 6 ODIs old, his bowling stats are astonishing, more so because he has played all his ODIs in the UAE, where pitches favor either the batsmen or the spinners.

Shaheen's 13 ODI wickets in 6 games have come at an average of 17.61, an economy rate of 4.88, and a strike rate of 21.6 - that is a wicket every 4th over he bowls in ODIs!

Even in T20Is, Shaheen has been quite effective picking up 11 wickets in 7 games at an average of 18.45.

I really want to say "ek Afridi gaya, ek aur aa gaya" but this is more about the pace talent that Pakistan keeps on churning out.

Just when Pakistan is feeling that they may have lost their star left armer Mohammad Aamir, they have found Shaheen Afridi who seems to improve with every match he plays.

He has just made it to Pakistan's test squad for the series against New Zealand and the prospect of seeing him bowl with the red cherry is even more exciting.

Another exciting left armer with a bright future for Pakistan is Usman Khan Shinwari.

Why he did not play a single ODI against New Zealand is beyond me. Especially at a time when Hasan Ali was struggling for form.

Usman's ODI record is even better than Shaheen's!


In 9 ODIs, Usman has picked up 18 wickets at an average of 15.27, economy rate of 4.66, and strike rate of 19.6 - better than Shaheen in all three areas.

Which makes it really strange that he was on the bench against New Zealand.

Among all pacers that have taken at least 10 wickets in ODIs in 2018, Usman and Shaheen are right up there in terms of their averages.


Both of them are among the only 5 pacers in the world with an average under 20 this year.

Plus, Shaheen's strike rate is among the absolute best, right up there with Dale Steyn's.

Together, Usman and Shaheen can form a potent new ball attack, which can be extremely dangerous in South Africa early next year and then in England during the World Cup.

Both of them have tremendous potential and have made it much easier for Pakistan to not miss a struggling Mohammad Aamer.

Pakistan aren't playing enough international cricket, but the annual Pakistan Super League is right round the corner and this year, the league has an additional team - the Multan Sultans.

With the additional team, new and exciting players combined with the Pakistan and International stars, this year's PSL promises to be bigger and better than the two previous editions.

Here is everything you need to know about the teams participating in PSL 2018.



























QUETTA GLADIATORS
Captain: Sarfraz Ahmed
Pakistani Stars: Asad Shafiq, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Umar Amin
International Stars: Kevin Pietersen, Shane Watson, Jason Roy, Rilee, Rossouw, Mahmudullah, Albie Morkel
Player to watch our for: Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer

This 22 year old Barbados born English cricketer was recently picked up for over a million dollars by Rajasthan Royals for the IPL. He has no international experience but his domestic cricket exploits have been doing the rounds of the cricketing circles.

He consistently clocks at over 90mph, he was the highest wicket taker in division two country cricket in 2017, and he had all the batsmen jumping around in the Big Bash League where he was the second highest wicket taker with 16 wickets in 12 games.

He is a valuable pick for Quetta Gladiators and has the potential to rip through batting line ups in the upcoming PSL.

KARACHI KINGS
Captain: Imad Wasim
Pakistani Stars: Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Aamir, Usman Khan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan
International Stars: Ravi Bopara, Eoin Morgan, Lendl Simmons, David Wiese
Player to watch our for: Hasan Mohsin

Hasan Mohsin

This 20-year old allrounder from Karachi shone for Pakistan in the U19 World Cup in 2016, where he was among the leading run scorers and wicket takers in the tournament.

In U19 World Cup he scored 293 runs at an average of 98 and a strike rate of 96; and he picked up 11 wickets at an average of 15.

In domestic cricket since then, he has not flourished just as yet, but the PSL provides him the perfect stage to show the world his talent with both bat and ball.



























LAHORE QALANDARS