The T20 World Cup 2009 winners Pakistan have for the longest time been one of the best teams going around in world cricket. Led by Babar Azam, one of the best batters produced by Pakistan in the longest time, they have forever been a force to reckon with.
Pakistan first played international cricket back in 1952 in a Test match against India. Their first ODI came in 1973 while they first played T20Is in 2006. Pakistan is known as the land of fast bowlers. They have produced the likes of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar and many others. The Pakistan team of the 1990s and early 2000s was one of the best ever produced in the history of the sport.
Imran Khan led Pakistan to their first ODI World Cup glory in 1992. After that, in 2009 the Younis Khan-led Pakistan won the T20 World Cup trophy while Sarfaraz Khan led them to Champions Trophy glory in 2017. They could not do much in the T20 World Cup 2024 failing to go past the group stage after defeats to USA and India. Despite that, Pakistan have some up and coming stars in their unit and with the Champions Trophy at home next year, could prove to be a threat to most countries.
Captains: Shan Masood (Test), Babar Azam (ODI, T20I)
Coaches: Jason Gillespie (Test head coach), Gary Kisten (ODI and T20 head coach), Azhar Mahmood (assistant coach)
First Test: 1952
First ODI: 1973
First T20I: 2006
Cricket board: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
ICC titles: 3
Pakistan in T20 International cricket
| Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R | Winning% |
| 245 | 142 | 92 | 4 | 7 | 58% |
Pakistan have a more than decent record when it comes to T20 International cricket. They played their first T20I in 2006 against England and came out winners by five wickets in Bristol. They then made their way to the T20 World Cup 2007 where they had a successful run beating New Zealand in the semi-final and almost getting over the line in the final. But they fell short by just five runs with MS Dhoni’s India taking the title home.
But Pakistan made a grand comeback in the next tournament to shake off the hurt of 2007. The 2009 T20 World Cup was held in England. In the semi-final, Pakistan defeated South Africa by seven runs and then in the final, they beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets to be crowned champions of the world. To date, this remains Pakistan’s only triumph in the T20 World Cup. In all, they have played 245 T20Is, out of which they have won 142 games, lost 92 and four of them have ended in a tie, which was later decided by Super Over/Bowl out. Seven of these games were abandoned.
For a minimum of ten games against an opponent, Pakistan have the best T20I record against Zimbabwe against whom they have won 16 out of 18 matches and lost just two, a win percentage of 88.88. They have the worst record against India, against whom they have played 13 games and lost 10 T20Is which is a win percentage of just 23.
Pakistan’s record against other countries (minimum 10 T20Is)
| Opponent | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | N/R |
| New Zealand | 44 | 23 | 19 | 0 | 2 |
| England | 31 | 9 | 20 | 1 | 1 |
| Australia | 25 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 23 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| South Africa | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| West Indies | 21 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Bangladesh | 19 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Zimbabwe | 18 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| India | 13 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
Pakistan in T20 World Cups
Most runs: Shoaib Malik (646 runs)
Most wickets: Shahid Afridi (39)
Highest score: Ahmed Shehzad (111*)
Captains: Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Babar Azam
Pakistan have been a consistent team at the T20 World Cups over the years. They started off as runners-up in the 2007 edition and then won the T20 World Cup in 2010. Since then, they have never won the trophy but have been there and there about. Their best effort since 2010 was in 2022 when they finished as the runner-up losing to England in the final. In 2024, they bowed out in the group stage after defeats to USA and India. They were led by Babar Azam at the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Pakistan record in T20 World Cups (2007 to 2024)
| Year | Position | Highest scorer | Most wickets |
| 2007 | Runner-up | Misbah-ul-Haq | Umar Gul |
| 2009 | Winners | Kamran Akmal | Umar Gul |
| 2010 | Semi-finalists | Salman Butt | Saeed Ajmal |
| 2012 | Semi-finalists | Mohammad Hafeez | Saeed Ajmal |
| 2014 | Group stage exit | Ahmed Shehzad | Umar Gul |
| 2016 | Group stage exit | Sharjeel Khan | Mohammad Sami |
| 2021 | Semi-finalists | Babar Azam | Shadab Khan |
| 2022 | Runner-up | Shan Masood | Shaheen Shah Afridi |
| 2024 | Group stage exit | Babar Azam | Mohammad Amir |
T20 World Cup 2007 – Runner-up
Pakistan came into the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup with minimum expectations having not played a lot of T20 cricket prior. But they quickly became the side to beat. They started off with a win against Scotland and then lost to India via a Bowl Out (yes, it was not a Super Over back then). They then beat Sri Lanka, Australia, Bangladesh and New Zealand in succession to qualify for the final. Pakistan were on course to beat India in the final too but a masterstroke from captain MS Dhoni prevented them from doing so. Pakistan lost that final by just five runs in the last over.
T20 World Cup 2009 – Winners
Pakistan made sure to get their revenge in the next edition of the T20 World Cup that was held in England. They started off the edition with a loss to England at the Oval. They then beat Netherlands but lost to Sri Lanka as their World Cup hopes hung by a thread. But, Pakistan being Pakistan brought about a number of fantastic wins against Sri Lanka, New Zealand and
Ireland to qualify for the semi-final where they beat South Africa. In the final then, a Shahid Afridi masterclass with both and ball saw them beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
T20 World Cup 2010 – Semi-finalists
The 2010 T20 World Cup ended in heartbreak for Pakistan. They had an inconsistent run throughout the tournament held in the West Indies. They started with a win against Bangladesh in Gros Islet. They then lost three back to back games against Australia, England and New Zealand before winning a close game against South Africa. That was enough to help them qualify for the semi-final against Australia where they smashed 191 for 6 in their 20 overs. For the longest time, it felt Pakistan would cruise home but Michael Hussey thumped Saeed Ajmal for 22 runs in the final over to break Pakistan’s hearts.
T20 World Cup 2012 – Semi-finalists
Pakistan once again made it to the final four of the T20 World Cup which was held in Sri Lanka. Led by Mohammad Hafeez, they first beat New Zealand and Bangladesh by comfortable margins in Pallekele before going on and beating South Africa in Colombo. Pakistan then lost to India, but bounced back to beat Australia two days later. That meant they qualified for the semi-finals but more heartbreak was in store for Pakistan. Chasing only 140 in Colombo, Pakistan batters collapsed and could only manage 123 for 7 and fell short by 16 runs.
T20 World Cup 2014 – Group stage exit
The event was held in Bangladesh and was the first time in four editions that Pakistan could not even make it to the semi-finals of the tournament. They started with a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of India but quickly bounced back and defeated Australia by 16 runs in Dhaka. They then beat hosts Bangladesh by 50 runs but a heavy defeat against West Indies crashed their hopes of making it to the final four. Chasing 167 in Dhaka, the Pakistan batters failed to show up and were bundled out for a mere 82 to lose by 86 runs. That signaled the end of Pakistan’s tournament in 2014.
T20 World Cup 2016 – Group stage exit
Shahid Afridi led Pakistan in the 2016 T20 World Cup and they once again performed poorly, failing to qualify for the semi-final. They started with a win against Bangladesh in Kolkata but lost to India by a heavy margin three days later. Back to back defeats against New Zealand and Australia in Mohali meant Pakistan’s campaign fizzled out even before properly getting started. West Indies eventually became the champions for the second time that year.
T20 World Cup 2021 – Semi-finalists
The T20 World Cup was happening after a period of five years, postponed because of the pandemic. And Pakistan also came well prepared. The event was held in UAE that year and in conditions known to them, Pakistan put their best foot forward. They began by beating India for the very first time in an ICC event, a ten-wicket win in Dubai. Pakistan then forged superb wins against New Zealand, Afghanistan, Namibia and Scotland to qualify for the semi-final unbeaten. There they posted a strong 176 for 4 in their 20 overs. For the longest time, it felt Pakistan would make it to the final, too but Matthew Wade struck Shaheen Shah Afridi for three sixes in the penultimate over as Pakistan lost a close game again.
T20 World Cup 2022 – Finalists
Pakistan went a step ahead in the T20 World Cup 2022, by qualifying for the final in the event which was held in Australia. They started with a crushing defeat at the hands of India in Melbourne. They lost to Zimbabwe as well but stormed back with wins against Netherlands, South Africa, and Bangladesh to make it to the semi-finals by the barest of margins. There they beat New Zealand comfortably but fell short in the final against eventual winners England.
T20 World Cup 2024 – Group stage exit
This was one of the poorest shows by a Pakistan team at the T20 World Cup. The tournament made its way to the USA and West Indies and Pakistan just couldn’t cope. They started off with a defeat in the Super Over against USA. They then lost to Pakistan and a washed out game against Ireland ended their hopes of qualifying for the next round. Pakistan’s only win in the 2024 T20 World Cup came against Canada. With only one win in four games, there was widespread criticism of Pakistan everywhere.
What to expect from Pakistan
Pakistan have for the longest time punched above their weight when it comes to T20 cricket. They have made it to at least the top four in six of the nine editions, crossed over to the final twice and won the trophy once. They did not have the best of times at the 2024 edition of the T20 World Cup but there is little denying that Pakistan are likely to come back stronger come the next edition in 2026.
