By Ahsan Ali
People are very much excited today around the world to enjoy the most thrilling and striking clash between Pakistan and Australia in Bengaluru, India. These cricket powerhouses have a rich rivalry spanning across all formats including One Day International, T20 and Test matches. The cricket lovers have witnessed astonishing stroke plays, aggressive fielding and unbelievable skills by the players.
The cricket-fans would love to know how many times these cricket giants left an indelible impact in cricket history. Let’s start our journey from present to past so that we can enjoy their historical moments prior to relishing today’s fixture.
A Classic Encounter of 1999 World Cup Final
Believe it or not but it is true that the 1999 World Cup Final is the most unforgettable fight between these two cricketing titans. In this ICC World Cup final held in Lords on June 20, the Pakistani pacer and renowned player Waseem Akram was leading the Men in Green and Australia was being led by fascinating Steve Waugh.
The Green Shirts could post only 132 runs in this final and Australia trounced the rival by 8 wickets. This was a match where players exhibited their excellent skills, tactics, and strong nerves which ultimately gave a good game to the fans and wrote an undeniable cricket history.
Second memorable clash in Sharjah in 1999
The Green Shirts were finding a way to settle their score with the Kangaroos following ICC World Cup 1999 final’s heartbreak. And finally, the time came when the Men in Green fulfilled their thirst for revenge when they had taken on Kangaroos in the Coca-Cola Cup in Sharjah. Australia had posted a mammoth target of 315 runs and cricket-lovers were of the opinion that Pakistan would lose their nerves. However, the Shaheens turned up otherwise and they had successfully pursued the given target scripting an amazing change in the cricket arena. Although the magnetic Pakistani pacer, Shoaib Akhtar, used his magic on the ball with scorching deliveries, he failed to confine the Australian batters.
Warne vs. Inzamam, Hobart Thriller of 1999
To play a test series, Pakistan landed in Australia in 1999 and cricket-lovers watched enthralling moments of fight between Inzamam-ul-Haq and the spinning magician Shane Warne (late). It was the second test being played at Hobart where Haq knocked an unbeaten century peppered with fine strokes helping Pakistan to clinch victory in this bout. Pakistan had pulled off an incredible win and again satiated its will to settle the score of their 1999 world cup overthrow.
Akhtar’s Fiery Spell in 2002 Sharjah Cup Final
Again cricket-fans were ready to enjoy great shots of these two teams’ players and this was 2002 Sharjah Cup Final and the venue was again Sharjah. Apparently, the morale of the Kangaroos was very high and they were in a strong position and the 198 runs to win was nothing for them. But the situation remained altogether different in the match as Shoaib Akhtar’s captivating spell of 6/16 confined Australia to 143 runs all out.
It was a marvelous victory for Pakistan.
Pakistan Vs Australia ODIs
Pakistan and Australia lock horns in 107 thrilling One Day International encounters and Kangaroos clinched success in 69 and Pakistan remained victorious in 34 fixtures, three matches did not produce any results and one was declared tied.
The ICC World Cup provided ten opportunities to these teams to test their influences and it was Australia which proved mighty with 6 wins and Pakistan could show its mettle in four matches.
In today’s match people are expecting that again two teams’ exciting cricket style would leave fans on the edge of their enclosure seats.
The cricket-lovers are yearning for more strokes and activities to make the event unforgettable which would surely well-defined the spirit of cricket. As both sides are struggling to make their way to the semifinals in the ICC World Cup 2023 and today’s match will decide their fate. But the cricket fans are eager to look forward to more heroic encounters in the days to come.