But for Pakistan, it ended even before that. Dealing a tough situation to stay in the tournament, Pakistan's Net Run Rate (NRR) was never going to take them above New Zealand in this competition. They presented a good fight in the last 4 matches of the tournament but those were not enough to rectify the damage that has been done when they got bowled out poorly by West Indies in their 1st match for 105. They also lost cheaply to India and fell short vs Australia which didn't help their cause.
As a result, they had to leave the tournament fairly early and the dream of repeating a 1992 performance was shattered way earlier. But there were some defining individual and team performances which can't be neglected. So, let us take a look at some of the best performances put by Pakistan players in World Cup 2019.
#1 - Babar Azam vs New Zealand
Pakistan had to win 4 consecutive games after losing from India to have a go at the semi-finals' berth. Bowling first against New Zealand, they were set a target of 238. After dismantling their top order, Pakistan faced the problem in the shape of two of their all-rounders, Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme. Both took the game to a respectable total and we all know how good they can be their bowling.
On a pitch that offered some sharp turn, Pakistan batsmen had to contain themselves to have some runs upfront from the opening partnership of Fakhar and Imam. Both failed to put a good show with the bat. The onus was on Babar to help his team get to a win by scoring some runs. He was being criticised for not playing match-winning innings with the bat. So, he proved his worth by scoring a match-winning century on a pitch where their prime spinner, Mitchel Santner, was turning the ball square. With an equally important contribution from his teammate, Harris Sohail, Babar Azam helped Pakistan win a crucial match.
#2 Harris Sohail vs South Africa
After winning the toss against South Africa, Pakistan opted to bat to put on a good target to defend in a must win game. Fakhar Zaman and Imam ul Haq scored 44 runs each but Hafeez couldn't get going. It was Harris' first game of the world cup who was playing in place of Shoaib Malik. He had to prove his worth, so he did. Coming in after 30 overs were bowled, and scorecard saying 143 runs, Harris Sohail put up effective partnerships with Babar and then Imad to drag his team above the 300 mark.
He middled the ball like a dream and was having no problem with any of the bowlers. He took on South African pacers with both hands and played a gem of a knock to propel Pakistan over 300 which once looked hard. His stunning innings of 89 runs included 9 fours and three sixes.
#3 Muhammad Hafeez vs England
Facing a heavy defeat from Windies, Pakistan had to beat the favourites, England, to be back in the tournament. It was hard to expect that a team that has beaten all ends up by Windies can perform well against the tournament's favourites. But here lies the beauty of it. Pakistan team turned out nothing like the team they were in previous match. They put up good opening partnerships and Hafeez did a very good job to lead the team to a very good total of 348 runs. With top order getting good runs, it was on Hafeez and Sarfraz to end well and high.
Hafeez did a great job with the bat handling their bowlers with ease and producing a match winning knock. He scored 84 runs including 8 fours and 2 sixes with a healthy strike rate of 135. Apart from batting well, he also picked up the important wicket of England captain, Eoin Morgan, to help Pakistan in their amazing victory over Engalnd.
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