Pakistan put up a fine show in the ICC World T20 as they defeated Sri Lanka in the final and it came three months after a terror attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore.
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March 1, 2009. It was a dark day in the history of cricket and the world. In Lahore, there was a terror attack on the Sri Lanka cricket team which left many players injured. There were some police officers who were killed in the attack. The incident sent shockwaves all over the world. For the first time, a sporting team was caught in the deadly grasp of terror elements in the country. The repercussions stung Pakistan. International teams refused to tour the country. The local team, on the other hand, had to play their matches in a neutral venue which was the UAE.
Three months later, like a phoenix from the ashes, Pakistan staged one of the best recoveries in modern cricket. From the verge of being knocked out, the Younis Khan-led side produced one of the best performances to win their second ICC trophy after 17 years. Having won the 1992 World Cup in Australia, Pakistan put up a brilliant performance to win the 2009 ICC World T20.
Pakistan were in a group that included England and the Netherlands. However, this group would be the ‘Group of Death’. Netherlands started proceedings when they beat England off the last ball at Lord’s. England bounced back by defeating Pakistan by 48 runs at The Oval. Kevin Pietersen top-scored with 58 and he got good support from Owais Shah and Luke Wright. However, Stuart Broad’s three wickets resulted in a heavy loss.
In their last league game against Netherlands, Pakistan managed to notch 175/5 with Kamran Akmal the top-scorer. However, Shahid Afridi’s 4/11 gave them a massive 82-run win which boosted their Net Run Rate.
In the Super Eight stage, the top two teams that would finish in each group would enter the semi-final. Their campaign started on a poor note as they lost by 19 runs to Sri Lanka at Lord’s. Lasith Malinga’s 3/17 proved to be the undoing for Pakistan. But, in the later games, Pakistan’s brilliance shone through.
Umar Gul produced a masterclass in reverse swing yorker bowling as he picked up 5/6. These were, at one point in time, the best figures in a Twenty20 International. New Zealand were bowled out for 99. Apart from Umar Gul’s spell, the highlight for Pakistan was a brilliant catch running back by Shahid Afridi. Pakistan’s six-wicket win kept them in contention. After beating Ireland by 39 runs thanks to Saeed Ajmal’s 4/19, Pakistan entered the semi-final.
In a high-voltage clash at Trent Bridge, Pakistani fans saw the brilliance of Shahid Afridi. Promoted to number three, Afridi took the attack to the Proteas pacers. In one over of spinner Johan Botha, he hit four consecutive boundaries as he notched up a fifty off just 33 balls. Some good contributions from Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik got Pakistan to 149/4. In response, Afridi showed his brilliance with the ball.
In two consecutive overs, Afridi dismissed Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers cheaply. Jacques Kallis kept the game alive with an aggressive 64 but South Africa kept losing wickets. In the end, it was Afridi’s all-round skills that helped them reach the final.
Pakistan had a fantastic start at Lord’s as Tillakaratne Dilshan, one of the leading run-getters in the 2009 World T20, mistimed his famous Dilscoop of Amir to be caught for 0. Sri Lanka was reeling at 32/4, with Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jaywardene all falling cheaply. At 70/6 in the 13th over, it looked to be game over. But, Sri Lanka put up a fight with Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews stitching an unbeaten 68-run stand. Sangakkara ended on 64 as Sri Lanka finished on 138/7.
Pakistan started steadily with Shazaib Hasan and Kamran Akmal starting positively. The duo stitched a 48-run stand but both Shazaib and Kamran fell to Muttiah Muralitharan and Jayasuriya. But, Afridi stepped up to the big stage unlike anybody. Employing a mixture of caution and aggression, Afridi and Shoaib Malik got Pakistan closer. Afridi reached his fifty and when he squeezed a Malinga yorker out, Pakistan had secured history.
After the heartbreak of the loss against India in 2007, combined with the terror attacks in 2009, Younis Khan made it a point to dedicate the win to the nation. “It was fantastic, we were underdogs, all credit goes to the team and the nation. A team like us needs a good start and suddenly we got that. I knew if we restricted them to 140-150 it would be chaseable. This is a gift from us to our nation,” Younis said.
The win gave the country something to celebrate after a decade that was marred by terrorism. But, it would need another six years for international cricket to come to Pakistan. However, in 2017, Pakistan became the fourth nation to win all ICC trophies when they beat India in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy at The Oval.
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