Pakistan's 5 most shocking collapses in the ODI World Cup ft. 2023
Pakistan endured an embarrassing batting collapse at the grandest stage of them all by losing their last eight wickets for just 36 runs against India in the 2023 ODI World Cup encounter on Saturday.
This marked their third-worst collapse in the format, with the top two being - losing eight wickets for 32 runs in an ODI against the West Indies in 1992 and losing eight wickets for 33 runs during an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2012.
However, their most recent display against India is their worst collapse in the World Cups by a fair margin. On that note, let us take a look at Pakistan's five most shocking collapses in the ODI World Cup.
#1 Pakistan vs India (8 wickets for 36 runs; Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad; 2023 ODI World Cup)
After being put into bat by Rohit Sharma, Pakistan were cruising along well in the middle overs courtesy of a budding partnership between skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. The Men in Green were placed at 155-2 at one stage, and it was Mohammed Sirah who made the crucial breakthrough for India by dismissing Babar Azam.
From there on, it was a phase of play that Pakistan would love to forget forever. The likes of Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Mohammad Rizwan were dismissed soon after, and the tail-enders could not offer much resistance. The team eventually collapsed to 191 all out with more than seven overs to spare.
Only Hasan Ali managed to score in double figures barring the players in the top four.
#2 Pakistan vs England (7 wickets for 60 runs; Adelaide Oval; 1992 ODI World Cup)
Pakistan were bowled out for just 74 runs in the third match of their illustrious title-winning campaign in 1992. The Men in Green were reduced to 14-3 at one stage and proceeded to lose their remaining seven wickets for just 60 runs after playing out more than 40 overs.
In reply, England were cruising at 24-1, but rain came to Pakistan's rescue, and the contest was eventually abandoned and the points were split.
The two sides met once again in the final, but this time around, the Imran Khan-led side staged a famous win to claim the title.
#3 Pakistan vs West Indies (7 wickets for 60 runs; Trent Bridge, Nottingham; 2019 ODI World Cup)
Pakistan faced a surprising defeat to the West Indies in their opening match of the 2019 World Cup in England. The Men in Green were bundled out for a paltry 105 runs after just playing 21.4 overs.
Pakistan were in trouble from the word go, but they were in a relatively respectable situation at 62-3 at one stage. However, the side completely imploded after that point in time. West Indies' five-pronged pace attack made easy work of the Pakistan middle order and lower order.
Furthermore, West Indies managed to chase down the total in just 13.4 overs. The early defeat played a key role in Pakistan not making it to the top four of the points table as they were eliminated due to an inferior net run rate after finishing fifth.
#4 Pakistan vs West Indies (7 wickets for 63 runs; The Oval; 1979 World Cup)
Pakistan endured a harrowing collapse during the semifinals of the 1979 ODI World Cup. West Indies had posted 293-6 batting first and Pakistan were in a good position at 176-1 during one stage in the run chase.
The Men in Green lost two wickets in quick succession to find themselves at 187-3, and it was just downhill from there. No player barring the top-order pair of Majid Khan and Zaheer Abbas managed to cross the 17-run mark as they lost their way in the run chase.
Losing their last seven wickets for just 73 runs, Pakistan were bowled out for 250 with more than three overs to spare.
#5 Pakistan vs Australia (7 wickets for 64 runs; Lord's; 1999 World Cup)
Another one of Pakistan's infamous self-destructive collapses came potentially at the biggest stage. Playing at the home of cricket in the 1999 ODI World Cup final against Australia, the Men in Green were placed at 68-2 at one stage.
Shane Warne then ran through the side to finish with figures of 4-33 that witnessed Pakistan's collapse to 132 all out in 39 overs. The leading run-scorer for Pakistan was Ijaz Ahmed, who scored 22 runs while Australia conceded 25 extras in the innings.
The Aussies chased down the total in just 20.1 overs with eight wickets to spare.
Did Pakistan succumb to the pressure of playing against their arch-rivals in front of over 100,000 fans? Let us know what you think.