World Cup 2019 History: Pakistan's 1992 World Cup Winning XI - Where are they now? 

The 1975 edition of ICC World Cup organised by International Cricket Council (ICC) became a huge hit in the world of cricket. Fans gathered from every nook and corner of the globe to witness the world class tournament. The success of the World Cup in 1975 led to its continuation in the later years. So much so that the 12th edition of the World Cup is all set to begin from the 30th May in England and Wales.

However, the 5th edition of the World Cup which went on air in the year 1992 was a historic one for Pakistan. That was the year when they finally lifted their first ever World Cup trophy. The victory came under the leadership of Imran Khan. Also, this was the first time that the teams wore coloured jerseys in the World Cup.

Pakistan and England were the 2 teams that reached the finals of the tournament after toppling the rest of the sides. Melbourne Cricket Ground hosted this majestic final where Pakistan elected to bat first after winning the toss.

The Men in Green won the final by a margin of 22 runs. The Pakistani playing XI featured some big names like Rameez Raja, Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad and many more. 27 years have passed since that night and today we will have a look at all the 11 Pakistani players who played the final and where are they now?

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#1 Aamer Sohail

Aamir Sohail opened the innings for Pakistan in the finals.

Pakistan decided to bat first in the final match against England. Aamir Sohail was the man who opened the innings for Pakistan in that match. He could not get Pakistan off to a good start as he lost his wicket at the score of just 4 runs after playing 19 balls. He became the victim of England’s fast bowler DR Pringle who grabbed 3 wickets in that match.

Currently, Aamir Sohail is one of the leading contenders for becoming the chief selector of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Sohail would get the seat as soon as the 3-year contract of Inzamam ends in July.

#2 Rameez Raja

Rameez Raja turned into a commentator after he retired from cricket.

Rameez Raja, a right-handed batsman opened the innings along with Aamer Sohail in the finals that took place at Melbourne in 1992. But just like Sohail, Rameez also did not have the luck by his side as he lost his wicket without contributing much to the team’s total. After playing 26 balls, Raja lost his wicket to Pringle at the score of just 8 runs.

Rameez Raja turned out to be a great English commentator after he ended his career as a cricketer. He has been a part of many World Cup editions as a professional English commentator. Being a Pakistani, he has good control over the Hindi language as well. Currently, he is the part of the commentary panel of the 12th edition of ICC CWC 2019 being hosted by England and Wales.

#3 Imran Khan

Imran Khan became the Prime Minister of Pakistan after retiring from cricket.

Imran Khan was the first Pakistani captain to win the ICC Cricket World Cup for his nation. He proved to be the cornerstone of the team in the final. His crucial knock of 72 runs in the final took Pakistan’s scoreboard to a defendable total of 249 runs.

The all-rounder also bowled 6.2 overs in the 2nd innings, where he conceded 43 runs but the skipper played a vital role in ending the English challenge. Khan remained wicketless throughout the innings but he bowled the final over of the innings and dismissed tail-ender Richard Illingworth to win the trophy for his team.

Imran Khan completely turned out to be a different personality after he retired from cricket. He stood up for the post of the Prime Minister of Pakistan and eventually won it with a clean sweep. The faith which the people had in him was his main strength. He became the first international cricketer to become the Prime Minister of his nation.

#4 Javed Miandad

Javed Miandad became famous after smashing a six off Indian pacer, Chetan Sharma's last ball.

Javed Miandad made the 5th edition of Cricket World Cup more interesting with his cheeky talks and great innings. He stood as the 2nd highest run scorer for Pakistan in that World Cup final. Javed scored a brilliant half-century which combined patience with some brilliant presence of mind.

Miandad had a cricket career spanning over 20 years as the Pakistani legend played all six World Cups from 1975 to 1996.

Javed Miandad had a very respectful name in Pakistan’s cricket history as a cricketer as well as a coach. He played the last international match of his career was on 9 March 1996 against India. After retiring from cricket, he picked up the role of a coach as his second profession. He also tried his hand in the commentary sphere after retiring from cricket. Apart from this, he has also held some important positions in the Pakistan Cricket Board.

#5 Inzamam-ul-Haq

Inzamam-ul-Haq is the chief selector of Pakistan's Cricket team.

Nicknamed Inzi, Inzamam-ul-Haq was one of the best players that Pakistan has ever produced. Since he debuted in 1991, he carried the team to a completely new level with his extra-ordinary batting as well as captaincy skills.

He was one of the most integral parts of the Pakistani squad that lifted the 1992 CWC. He clearly showcased his class by playing a quick inning of 42 runs in the most crucial final of that tournament.

He used his cricketing knowledge in his profession as he turned out to be a great coach after retiring from cricket. Currently, he is the chief selector of the Pakistani Cricket team. His term of 3 years is about to expire in July 2019 with no renewal confirmation from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The nation might get a new selector after the 2019 World Cup.

#6 Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram won the player of the match award in the CWC final of 1992.

To perform the best in the finals of the World Cup is the thing which every cricketer dreams of. Wasim Akram is one such cricketer who fulfilled this dream in 1992. Akram shook the whole world with his match-winning performance in the final of the 1992 edition.

Akram contributed to all departments on that fateful day. While batting first, he played a quick-fire inning of 33 runs from just 18 balls at a strike-rate of 183.33. He managed to take his team to a significant score of 249 runs.

He even topped the bowling list as he bagged 3 wickets at an economy rate of just 4.9 runs per over. The pacer turned the game by dismissing Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis in consecutive deliveries to swing the match in Pakistan's favour.

The fast bowler has selected commentary as his profession after retiring from cricket. Akram even had a coaching stint with IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.

#7 Saleem Malik

Saleem Malik was banned for a lifetime in the year 2000 due to his involvement in match-fixing

Saleem Malik could be considered as one of the most unlucky cricketers of the 20th century. He played more than 100 Test matches for his nation but still ended his career being labelled as a match fixer.

He was a part of the Pakistani team which played the 1992 Cricket World Cup before he played his last match in the year 1999. Later on, in the year 2000, a life ban was imposed on him for the match fixing allegation.

After this, he has been doing his personal business with a partner named Hamza Yusuf. He tried to become the batting coach of the Pakistani side in 2012 but did not succeed in doing so. At present, he is planning to form a cricket academy in Lahore to develop the future cricketers of Pakistan.

#8 Ijaz Ahmed

Ijaz Ahmed did not get the chance to bat in CWC 1992 finals.

Ijaz Ahmed established his name in the field of cricket as one of the greatest fielders of the Pakistan team. Donning the green jersey from 1986 to 2001, he played exactly 250 ODI matches which even included the mega-event of 1992, the World Cup.

As Pakistan lost only 6 wickets, Ahmed did not get a chance to bat in the final against England. With the ball, he bowled 3 overs and conceded 13 runs. However, he had played a huge role in the team’s success at the World Cup.

He tried his luck in the coaching field after wearing the green jersey for one last time in the year 2001. Firstly, he became the coach of Pakistan’s under-19 team in the year 2009. After impressing at the U-19 level, he was later appointed as the twin coach of Pakistan’s International team along with Waqar Younis.

At present, he has been providing his services to the Lahore Qalandars in the PSL as the batting coach and consultant.

#9 Moin Khan

Moin Khan was the wicket-keeper of Pakistan in 1992 World Cup final.

Moin Khan was the man who donned the wicket-keeping gloves for his nation during the 5th edition of ICC Cricket World Cup.

His position was primarily a wicket-keeper batsman, so he usually batted down the order. He didn’t get the chance to impress with the bat during the final but somehow managed to balance it with the gloves. He grabbed a total of 3 catches behind the wicket which included some big names like Ian Botham, Alec Stewart and Neil Fairbrother.

After retiring from cricket in the year 2004, he took a break from this profession for some time. Later on, in the year 2013, he became the chief selector of the Pakistani National Team and in 2014, he became the head coach. But, he was degraded from his position due to the team’s poor performance in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.

#10 Mushtaq Ahmed

Mushtaq Ahmed pursued a career in coaching after retiring from cricket.

Popularly known as Mushie, Mushtaq Ahmed was the key spinner who helped his side in lifting their 1st World Cup trophy in the year 1992. With his majestic wrist spin and googlies, he bagged a total of 3 wickets in the finals which turned the match in favour of his side. He also had a great career in the domestic arena.

Apart from being the best leg spinner of his era, he also gained a lot of success in his coaching career after quitting cricket as a player.

Firstly, he became the bowling coach of England in the year 2008. After that, he joined Surrey County Cricket Club and Pakistan Cricket team as their bowling coach. Currently, he has been helping the West Indies side as a spin consultant.

#11 Aaqib Javed

Aaqib Javed was the most economical bowler for Pakistan in the finals.

The Pakistani bowlers had to defend 249 runs in the most crucial match of their lives. The target was considered a defendable one for the Pakistani side as they had some star bowlers in their line-up. Living up to the expectations, the bowlers managed to get England out at the score of just 227 with Aaqib Javed being the most economical bowler for his side.

Aaqib managed to get the wicket of the well-settled English batsman Neil Fairbrother who was batting brilliantly on 62 runs. That was the turning point of the match.

After playing his last international match in 1998, Javed decided to use his bowling knowledge to create future cricketers for the nation. He served as the coach of the National Cricket Academy of Pakistan, Afghanistan and UAE and is currently working as the Director of Cricket Operations and bowling consultant of the Lahore Qalandars.