Javed Miandad major inspiration behind 1992 World Cup win, Imran Khan had given up at one point: Aamer Sohail
Former Pakistan batsman Aamer Sohail has termed Javed Miandad as the ‘major inspiration’ behind the team’s famous 1992 World Cup triumph.
Pakistan, who were led by Imran Khan in the tournament, looked set to get knocked out after a poor first half. However, a stunning turnaround in fortunes saw them lifting their maiden and only 50-over World Cup title till date.
While Imran is often credited as being the man behind engineering the roaring fightback, according to Aamer Sohail, the captain had actually given up at one point, and it was Miandad who kept the morale of the team high.
In a YouTube interaction on Cricket Life Stories, Aamer Sohail reflected on Pakistan’s memorable 1992 World Cup triumph and opined:
“The major contribution came from Javed Miandad. He was the inspiration. At one time, Imran (Khan) had given up. He was not 100 percent fit and was thinking of going back to Pakistan. But it was Javed Miandad, who kept on urging him that 'you are the captain, you have to lead from the front'. He asked Imran not to worry about injuries because every international athlete takes ground with some kind of injury. It was Miandad who actually influenced everybody. He was guiding Imran through with everything and it really worked for Pakistan.”
Pakistan went down to the West Indies, India and South Africa in the league stage of the 1992 World Cup before a 48-run triumph over hosts Australia at the WACA swung around their fortunes.
Aamer Sohail top-scored with 76 in this match. Pakistan eventually won the title, defeating England by 22 runs in the final at the MCG.
Even if you score 10 ducks, you will play the final: Imran Khan told Aamer Sohail
Describing Imran as a great inspiration, Aamer Sohail said that he had the knack of getting the best out of the youngsters. Praising his 1992 World Cup captain, Sohail stated:
“Imran was great at giving confidence to youngsters. I was not in the final squad for the World Cup, I was on trial. So, I scored a few runs in practice games. I got a 70-odd in a practice match against South Africa in Canberra. After the game, he took me aside at the hotel reception and said, ‘you played really well. I am assuring you that you would be playing the entire World Cup. Even if you score 10 ducks in a row, I will still play you in the final'. That was the confidence given to a youngster by Imran Khan, and it did work most of the times. These little things combined in that famous 1992 victory.”
Aamer Sohail played 47 Tests and 156 ODIs for Pakistan, scoring 2823 and 4780 runs respectively. He formed a famous opening partnership with Saeed Anwar in the 90s.