Pakistan's cricket team earned its reputation as brilliant and unpredictable early
Just seven days after an innings defeat in their first ever Test in 1952, Pakistan crushed India by an innings, with Fazal Mahmood taking 12 wickets. That swing from collapse to triumph has defined the team ever since, from a 1992 World Cup win to scandals and years of exile from home grounds.
Cricket in the region is older than the country; Karachi hosted an international match against an Australian touring side in 1935. After independence, Pakistan received Test status at Lord's in July 1952 on India's recommendation, with Abdul Hafeez Kardar as first captain. Early results were remarkable. On their first England tour in 1954 they squared the series at The Oval, again thanks to Fazal Mahmood's 12 wickets, and in 1955 their home series against India produced five draws, the first such series in Test history. In the West Indies in 1958, Hanif Mohammad batted 970 minutes for 337, the longest innings in Test cricket, to save a match.
The team struggled in the 1970s, winning only six of 41 Tests, but grew steadily stronger. In the 1980s it won 20 Tests, and after drawing a series in the West Indies in 1988 it was rated the world's top Test side. The 1990s were better still, with 40 wins from 74 matches. The first major trophy came at the 1992 World Cup, followed later by the 2009 T20 World Cup and the 2017 Champions Trophy.
Controversy has shadowed the brilliance. At The Oval in 2006, umpires ruled Pakistan guilty of ball tampering; the team refused to return after tea and forfeited the match. In 2010, three players, including captain Salman Butt, were caught in a spot-fixing plot over deliberate no-balls, and all three later received prison sentences. Misbah-ul-Haq took over and steadied the side.
Security concerns also kept international cricket out of Pakistan after 2009, forcing home matches to the United Arab Emirates until cricket gradually returned from 2016. Support remains fervent, especially in Britain, where the Stani Army fan club brings noise to grounds and plays charity matches against India's equivalent supporters.
Source: Pakistan national cricket team
