WHEN FLAIR MEETS FORM

Pakistan could carry a slight psychological advantage – they recently won a T20 tri-series in New Zealand hammering the hosts in the final

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Is there a sense of deja-vu to this?

The last time Pakistan won a World Cup in Australia (1992, 50 overs), they were down in the dumps after the first few matches, including a loss to India. Then there was divine intervention in the form of rain in a game where they were all out for 74, a few results going in their favour and some outstanding individual performances towards the backend. By the end of it at MCG, Imran Khan had the cup held high over his head.

What’s more interesting is that New Zealand was their opponent in the semifinal then. An in-form, consistent, well-drilled New Zealand, pretty similar to the one that Babar Azam’s boys will face on Wednesday.