Pakistan cricket team saw a series of lows and highs this year. While there were moments to cherish for both fans and players, there were numerous tear-jerking and heart-wrenching times too. Here we take a look at the most disappointing and disheartening defeats Pakistan had to face in 2022.
1. Losing the T20 World Cup 2022 Final
After a miraculous run to reach the finals of the T20 World Cup 2022, Pakistan had a staunch belief that they were going to recreate history by lifting yet another World Cup by beating England in the final at MCG.
However, the game slipped out of Pakistan’s hands when speedster, Shaheen Shah Afridi, aggravated his knee injury while fielding right before he had to bowl the crucial death overs. With Shaheen walking out of the ground, Pakistan was driven out of the game as England attacked the alternate bowler, Iftikhar Ahmed, and went on to win the match and the T20 World Cup 2022 by 5 wickets with an over left.
2. Missing out on Asia Cup 2022 Trophy
Playing with a fairly new pace attack in the absence of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan made it to the finals of the Asia Cup 2022 where they locked horns with Sri Lanka.
In contrast to their previous performances in the tournament, Pakistan could not step up on the big day as they were outclassed by Sri Lanka in all three departments. A below-par bowling and fielding performance led to a target of 170 which was followed by an even more disappointing batting effort as Pakistan could only manage 147 in 20 overs.
The final of the Asia Cup 2022 also saw the ace all-rounder Shadab Khan bowling with a bleeding ear and concussion which later caused him to stay off the field for the upcoming matches.
3. Losing A Thriller Against India in World Cup
In their first encounter of the T20 World Cup 2022, Pakistan faced arch-rivals India at MCG.
With a record swing in the first innings, Pakistan could not get the start they needed with the bat. But half-centuries from Shan Masood and Iftikhar Ahmad helped Pakistan reach a decent total of 159 on a tricky track. Indian top order too was ripped apart by Pakistani pacers but the Indian hero Virat Kohli stood his ground seeing off the tough time only to retaliate in the end.
A fumble in the bowling lineup due to a lack of pacers forced Mohammad Nawaz to bowl the crucial final over, an over which turned into a nightmare for him and everyone else. Defending 15 runs in the last, Mohammad Nawaz bowled the most dramatic over of his life. A no-ball, a six off a no-ball, and a controversial umpiring decision, all came down in India’s favor in the end as they won on the last ball by 4 wickets leaving Pakistan baffled and baited.
4. Humiliating Defeat Against Zimbabwe
Just after losing to India, Pakistan hoped to gain the much-needed points against Zimbabwe.
The first innings felt usual and controlled with Zimbabwe wrapped up for 130 at the loss of 8 wickets, but the trouble started as soon as Pakistan came in to bat. Collapsing under the pressure of their own high-profile top order, Pakistani batters panicked as soon as the openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan got out.
With run rate creeping up and wickets falling down, star all-rounder Shadab Khan helped lift the pressure with a handy knock partnering with Shan Masood. But right after his dismissal at 88 for 4, the batting collapsed badly from needing a run a ball in the last six overs with 6 wickets in hand to Shaheen Shah Afridi struggling to take that one last run off the last ball as Zimbabwe won by 1 run.
This defeat not only slimmed Pakistan’s chances of making it to the next round but also engraved an excruciating memory to last a long time in their minds.
5. Defeat Against India in Asia Cup
Losing their main pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to an injury, Pakistan’s pace attack was led by a debutant Naseem Shah as they started their Asia Cup campaign by facing archrivals India.
With a barely reasonable target of 147, Pakistan’s bowlers were outstanding in terms of skill as they tried to defend a low total. However, the intense conditions deteriorated Pakistan’s bowling effort with Naseem Shah down with cramps and the other bowlers also struggling.
This helped Hardik Pandya charge the bowlers to at the death overs with India winning by 5 wickets in the final over. This match of Asia Cup 2022 added another episode to the never-ending tale of Pakistan’s batting betraying their quality bowling.
Although Pakistan saw many heartbreaks in 2022 on the field of cricket, both the fans and players will be looking forward to witnessing a different story in 2023.
What do you think? What was the most heartbreaking moment for Pakistan cricket in 2022? Share your thoughts below!
