The Pakistan Cricket Board manages the Shaheens (lit. “Falcons”), Green Shirts, Men in Green, and Cornered Tigers, the Pakistan national cricket team (PCB). As a Full Member of the International Cricket Council, the squad plays Test, ODI, and T20 matches. Pakistan has played 449 Tests, winning 146, losing 139, and drawing 164. Pakistan was granted Test status on 28 July 1952 and made its Test debut against India at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi, in October 1952, losing by an innings and 70 runs. 498 wins, 418 losses, 9 ties, and 20 no-results in 945 ODIs. Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup and finished second in 1999. Pakistan, together with other South Asian nations, hosted the 1987 and 1996 World Cups, with the 1996 final at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
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215 Twenty20 Internationals, 131 wins, 76 losses, and 3 ties. Pakistan won the 2009 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Pakistan became the fourth side to win the ICC Test Championship in 2016 after winning the ICC Cricket World Cup (1992), ICC T20 World Cup (2009), and ICC Champions Trophy (2017). Foreign teams touring Pakistan slowed due to terrorism from the war on terror. Sri Lanka did not play Test cricket again until 2019. Between 2009 and 2016, their home games were largely in the UAE. Since 2015, numerous teams have toured Pakistan due to decreased terrorism and increased security. Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh, South Africa, Australia, England, and an ICC World XI team. Pakistan hosts Pakistan Super League games.
History:
Pakistani cricket predates 1947. Sindh and Australia played the first international cricket match at Karachi on 22 November 1935. 5,000 Karachiites watched the match. Sind’s captain was Ghulam Mohammad while Tarrant’s was Frank Tarrant. Pakistan was granted Test match status at the Imperial Cricket Conference at Lord’s in England on 28 July 1952 after India, the successor state of the British Raj, recommended it. Kardar was Pakistan’s first cricket captain. India won Pakistan’s first Test match in Delhi in October 1952. Pakistan’s first tour of England in 1954 ended in a 1–1 draw following Fazal Mahmood’s 12 wickets at The Oval. Pakistan’s first home Test match was against India in January 1955 at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dacca, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), followed by four more in Bahawalpur, Lahore, Peshawar, and Karachi (all five matches in the series were drawn, the first such occurrence in Test history).
A strong but unpredictable team. Pakistani cricket has traditionally had talented players but poor discipline, causing erratic performance. The India-Pakistan cricket rivalry is particularly intense, as talented teams and players from both countries strive to improve. Pakistan-India Cricket World Cup matches have full venues and intense atmospheres. British Pakistanis have organised the “Stani Army” to support the squad, especially in the UK. Club members cheer loudly at matches nationwide. The Stani Army also takes part in charity initiatives for underprivileged Pakistanis, including annual friendly cricket matches against British Indian members of the similar “Bharat Army”.
The 1986 Austral-Asian Cup (Champions):
In the 1986 Austral-Asia Cup, which was held in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan beat their biggest rival, India, with the last ball of the game. Javed Miandad became a national hero for this feat. India batted first and set a target of 245 runs. This meant that Pakistan had to score 4.92 runs per over to reach the goal. Miandad came in at number three, and Pakistan kept losing wickets. When he thought back on the match later, he said that his main goal was to lose with honor. Miandad hit a string of fours while batting with his team’s lower order when they needed 31 runs in the last three overs and only four runs were needed from the last delivery of the game. Miandad hit a six over the midwicket boundary with a full toss from Chetan Sharma that was hit to him on the leg side.
Cricket World Cup of 1992 (Champions):
After winning the toss in the World Cup semi-final in 1992, New Zealand chose to bat first and ended up with 262 runs. Pakistan played carefully, but they lost wickets frequently. After Imran Khan and Saleem Malik left soon after, Pakistan still needed 115 runs at a rate of 7.67 runs per over. The only known batsman left at the crease was the veteran Javed Miandad. Inzamam-ul-Haq, who had just turned 22 and wasn’t a well-known player at the time, made his international debut with a match-winning 60 off 37 balls. After Inzamam was out, Pakistan needed 36 runs in 30 balls. Wicket-keeper Moin Khan hit a huge six over long off and then a winning boundary to midwicket, giving Pakistan the win. People see the match as Inzamam’s first big step onto the international stage.
Pakistan won its first World Cup in 1992, when it was held in Australia and New Zealand. People remember how Pakistan came back after losing key players like Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar and having their captain, Imran Khan, get hurt. Pakistan lost 3 of their first 5 games, and they were almost out of the tournament in the first round when they were bowled out by England for 74 runs and the game was called a “no result” because of rain. Imran Khan told the team to play like “cornered tigers.” After that, Pakistan won five straight games, including the semi-final against hosts New Zealand and the final against England.
2007 Cricket World Cup:
Pakistan was eliminated from the 2007 Cricket World Cup by debutants Ireland, one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. Ireland batted Pakistan, who needed to win to advance after losing to the West Indies in their opener. Only four batters reached double figures as they lost wickets frequently. The Irish bowled them out for 132. Niall O’Brien’s 72 runs helped Ireland win. Pakistan lost in the first round for the second straight World Cup. On March 18, 2007, coach Bob Woolmer died at a Kingston, Jamaica hospital. “Mr Woolmer’s death was caused to asphyxiation as a result of manual strangling,” said Jamaican police spokesman Karl Angell on 23 March 2007.
Mushtaq Ahmed coached the team’s last group game. After his team’s loss and Woolmer’s death, Inzamam-ul-Haq resigned as captain and retired from one-day cricket, but he would continue to play Test cricket. Shoaib Malik became his successor. Salman Butt was vice-captain till December 2007 after his return.
ICC World T20 2009 (Champions):
Sri Lanka won the toss and batted in the final at Lord’s. Mohammad Amir bowled first. Dilshan mistimed his scoop after failing to score off four short balls and was caught at short fine-leg. After this, Jehan Mubarak top-edged an Abdul Razzaq delivery that flew high and was collected by Shahzaib Hasan, leaving Sri Lanka at 2 for 2. Sanath Jayasuriya stabilised Sri Lanka’s innings with 17 runs off 10 balls, but he perished after he drew a good length ball back onto the stumps. After edging Misbah-ul-Haq, Mahela Jayawardene left Sri Lanka on 32/4.
Sangakkara and Chamara Silva scored further runs until the latter was caught by Saeed Ajmal playing a pull shot off Umar Gul. Shahid Afridi then bowled a googly that knocked Isuru Udana’s off-stump. Angelo Mathews and Sangakkara pushed the score from 70/6 to 138/6, scoring 17 runs off Mohammad Amir’s penultimate over. Sri Lanka scored 138/6 in 20 overs.
ICC World T20 2010, (Semi-finalists):
Pakistan reached the 2010 World T20 semi-finals at West Indies. Group A had Pakistan, Australia, and Bangladesh. Pakistan beat Bangladesh 21–10. Salman Butt’s 46-ball 73 runs won the contest. Australia won the toss and batted in Pakistan’s second match. Shane Watson scored 49-ball 81 runs for 191/10. Mohammad Amir bowled Australia’s final over. He took a triple-wicket maiden, two run-outs, and five wickets in Australia’s penultimate over.
Pakistan defeated to England in Super 8s, and New Zealand only beat South Africa. They reached the semi-finals in Super 8s Group E, finishing second to England. Pakistan scored 191/6 against Australia in the semi-finals with Umar Akmal’s 56 not out. Michael Hussey scored a match-winning 64 runs in 24 balls to start Australia. Australia won with 197/7 in 19.5 overs. Pakistan lost their World T20 title in this match.
2017 ICC Champions Trophy (Champions):
Pakistan lost to archrival India by 124 runs to start the tournament. Pakistan’s bowling improved in the group rounds, winning games against South Africa by 19 runs and Sri Lanka by 3 wickets. This set up a semi-final against hosts and favorites England, when Hasan Ali grabbed 3 wickets to take Pakistan to their first ICC Champions Trophy Final, a highly awaited rematch with India.
India chose to bowl first in the final at The Oval. Pakistan’s batting lineup made India doubt their decision, with opening batsman Fakhar Zaman recording his maiden One Day International century (114 off 106 deliveries) and Azhar Ali (59) and Mohammad Hafeez (57*) helping Pakistan reach 338. Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli fell fast to Mohammad Amir. Hardik Pandya responded with a quick 76. Hasan Ali, Pakistan’s tournament standout, claimed the final wicket with figures of 3–19, leaving India 180 runs short and giving Pakistan their first Champions Trophy.
ICC tournament finals had the highest margin of victory. Tournament MVP Hasan Ali. After the opener against India, Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed said “I told the boys the competition continues. Positive cricket, we’ll win “. Pakistan’s ICC ODI ranking rose from 8th to 6th after their win. Sarfaraz Ahmed led Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman, Junaid Khan, and Hasan Ali in the ICC Team of the Tournament.
Test cricket:
Pakistan played its maiden Five-Test series in Delhi in October 1952. Test 1 was lost by 70 runs. Pakistan scored 302 and India 372. Seven days transformed Pakistan. Pakistan bowled India out for 106 and scored 331 with Hanif Mohammad’s 124 to grab a 225-run advantage in the second Test. Pakistan defeated India by 43 runs. 12/94 for Fazal Mahmood. India won the next match by 10 wickets before drawing the final two tests, winning the series 2–1. Fazal Mahmood’s 12 wickets at The Oval drew Pakistan’s 1954 tour of England. Pakistan’s first home Test match was against India in January 1955 at Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dacca, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Four more followed in Bahawalpur, Lahore, Peshawar, and Karachi (all five matches in the series were drawn, the first such occurrence in Test history). Pakistan hosted New Zealand’s debut series.
New Zealand lost the first test by an innings and 1 run and the second by 4 wickets. Pakistan tied the last test 2-0 to win its first Test series. Australia lost the 1956 Pakistan test. Their first innings defeated Australia for 80. Pakistan lead 119 runs when eliminated at 199. Pakistan bowled Australia out for 187 in the second innings, setting the hosts a 68-run target. 9-0. Fazal Mahmood took 13/114 again.
2010 spot-fixing scandal:
Pakistan cricket toured England from 29 July to 22 September 2010. Four Tests, two T20Is, and five ODIs were played. Pakistan lost both Tests by 354 runs and 9 wickets. They won by four wickets. The fourth Test saw spot-fixing. On the third day of the 4th Test, British newspaper News of the World reported that Mazhar Majeed, an agent loosely affiliated with some Pakistani players, had accepted a £150,000 (US$232,665) bribe from undercover reporters for information that two Pakistani bowlers, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, would deliberately bowl no balls at certain points in the match. Third player caught. Pakistan’s Test captain Salman Butt masterminded this crime. Amir played well after Asif, Amir, and Butt were convicted of spot-fixing on November 1, 2011, and sentenced to six to 30 months in prison.
Gain the top spot in tests:
Pakistan became No.1 Test team in 2016 after drawing 2-2 in England (4). Since 1988, they were ranked No.1. Another Test milestone for Pakistan. They received test mace in Lahore. They fell from No. 1 quickly. Pakistan travelled New Zealand and Australia for two- and three-match Test series after beating the West Indies in UAE. They lost five matches and one against West Indies. They ranked fifth. After the Australia trip, Misbah considered retiring, but he returned for the West Indies tour.
Pakistan won the 2017 West Indies trip despite big upsets in the southern continent, winning the T20 series 3–1, the ODI series 2–1, and the 3rd test in a thriller. Pakistan’s first Caribbean test series triumph. Sarfaraz Ahmed captained after Misbah-ul-Haq and Younus Khan retired.
Current squad:
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released new central contracts for the 2022–2023 season on June 30, 2022. 26 players in four different categories (red ball and/or white ball) were given central contracts, and 7 players were named in the “emerging” category.
This is a list of active players who are centrally contracted with PCB, have played for Pakistan in the last 12 months, or have been named to the most recent Test, ODI, or T20I squad. Mohammad Hafeez played Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket for Pakistan over the past year, but he has now said he will no longer play International cricket. Last changed on August 3, 2022.
| Name | Age | Batting style | Bowling style | Domestic team | C/G | Format | S/N | Notes | |
| Red Ball | White Ball | ||||||||
| Batsmen | |||||||||
| Babar Azam | 28 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | Central Punjab | A | Test, ODI, T20I | 56 | Captain | |
| Imam-ul-Haq | 27 | Left-handed | Right-arm leg spin | Balochistan | C | B | Test, ODI | 26 | |
| Fakhar Zaman | 32 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | – | A | ODI, T20I | 39 | |
| Azhar Ali | 37 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | Central Punjab | A | – | Test | 79 | |
| Fawad Alam | 37 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Sindh | B | – | Test | 25 | |
| Abid Ali | 35 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | Central Punjab | D | – | Test | 60 | |
| Abdullah Shafique | 23 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | Balochistan | C | – | Test, ODI | 57 | |
| Asif Ali | 31 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | Northern | – | D | T20I | 45 | |
| Saud Shakeel | 27 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Sindh | D | – | Test | 59 | |
| Haider Ali | 22 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Northern | – | D | T20I | 46 | |
| Shan Masood | 33 | Left-handed | Right-arm medium | Balochistan | D | – | Test | 94 | |
| All-rounders | |||||||||
| Mohammad Nawaz | 28 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Northern | – | C | Test, ODI, T20I | 21 | |
| Khushdil Shah | 27 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Southern Punjab | – | D | ODI, T20I | 72 | |
| Iftikhar Ahmed | 32 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | – | T20I | 95 | ||
| Agha Salman | 32 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | Southern Punjab | Emerging | Test, ODI | |||
| Wicket-keepers | |||||||||
| Mohammad Rizwan | 30 | Right-handed | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | A | Test, ODI, T20I | 16 | Test Vice-captain | ||
| Mohammad Haris | 21 | Right-handed | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Emerging | ODI | ||||
| Sarfaraz Ahmed | 35 | Right-handed | Sindh | D | – | Test | 54 | ||
| Spin bowlers | |||||||||
| Nauman Ali | 36 | Left-handed | Slow left-arm orthodox | Northern | C | – | Test | 61 | |
| Shadab Khan | 24 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | Northern | – | A | ODI, T20I | 7 | ODI and T20I Vice-captain |
| Sajid Khan | 29 | Right-handed | Right-arm off spin | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | – | Test | 68 | ||
| Yasir Shah | 36 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | Balochistan | D | – | Test | 86 | |
| Usman Qadir | 29 | Left-handed | Right-arm leg spin | Central Punjab | – | D | T20I | 91 | |
| Zahid Mahmood | 24 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg spin | Sindh | – | D | ODI | 85 | |
| Pace bowlers | |||||||||
| Shaheen Shah Afridi | 22 | Left-handed | Left-arm fast | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | A | Test, ODI, T20I | 10 | ||
| Hasan Ali | 28 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Central Punjab | B | C | Test, ODI, T20I | 32 | |
| Faheem Ashraf | 28 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Central Punjab | – | Test, ODI | 41 | ||
| Haris Rauf | 29 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | Northern | – | B | Test, ODI, T20I | 97 | |
| Mohammad Wasim Jr | 21 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | – | D | ODI, T20I | 74 | |
| Naseem Shah | 19 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | Southern Punjab | C | – | Test, ODI, T20I | 71 | |
| Shahnawaz Dahani | 24 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Sindh | – | D | ODI, T20I | 28 |
Managing and coaching employees:
| Position | Name |
| Head Coach | Saqlain Mushtaq |
| Mentor | Matthew Hayden |
| Batting Coach | Mohammad Yousuf |
| Bowling Coach | Shaun Tait |
| Fielding Coach | Abdul Majeed |
| Assistant Coach | Shahid Aslam |
| Team Physio | Cliff Deacon |
| Team Analyst | Talha Ejaz |
| Team Masseur | Malang Ali |
| Team Strength and Conditioning Coach | Drikus Saaiman |
Records:
Test results against other countries
| Opponent | Matches | Won | Lost | Draw | Tied | % Won | First | Last |
| Australia | 69 | 15 | 34 | 20 | 0 | 21.73 | 1956 | 2022 |
| Bangladesh | 13 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 92.30 | 2001 | 2022 |
| England | 86 | 21 | 26 | 39 | 0 | 24.41 | 1954 | 2020 |
| India | 59 | 12 | 9 | 38 | 0 | 20.33 | 1952 | 2007 |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2018 | 2018 |
| New Zealand | 60 | 25 | 14 | 21 | 0 | 41.66 | 1955 | 2021 |
| South Africa | 28 | 6 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 21.42 | 1995 | 2021 |
| Sri Lanka | 57 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 0 | 36.84 | 1982 | 2022 |
| West Indies | 54 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 0 | 38.88 | 1958 | 2021 |
| Zimbabwe | 19 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 63.15 | 1993 | 2021 |
| Total | 446 | 146 | 136 | 164 | 0 | 32.73 | 1952 | 2022 |
ODI record against other countries:
| Opponent | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | % Won | First | Last | |
| Full Members | |||||||||
| Afghanistan | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2012 | 2019 | |
| Australia | 107 | 34 | 69 | 1 | 3 | 33.17 | 1975 | 2022 | |
| Bangladesh | 37 | 32 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 86.48 | 1986 | 2019 | |
| England | 91 | 32 | 56 | 0 | 3 | 36.36 | 1974 | 2021 | |
| India | 132 | 73 | 55 | 0 | 4 | 57.03 | 1978 | 2019 | |
| Ireland | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 78.57 | 2007 | 2016 | |
| New Zealand | 107 | 55 | 48 | 1 | 3 | 53.36 | 1973 | 2019 | |
| South Africa | 82 | 30 | 51 | 0 | 1 | 37.03 | 1992 | 2021 | |
| Sri Lanka | 155 | 92 | 58 | 1 | 4 | 61.25 | 1975 | 2019 | |
| West Indies | 137 | 63 | 71 | 3 | 0 | 47.08 | 1975 | 2022 | |
| Zimbabwe | 62 | 54 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 91.66 | 1992 | 2020 | |
| Associate Members | |||||||||
| Canada | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 1979 | 2011 | |
| Hong Kong | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2004 | 2018 | |
| Kenya | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 1996 | 2011 | |
| Namibia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2003 | 2003 | |
| Netherlands | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 1996 | 2022 | |
| Scotland | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 1999 | 2013 | |
| United Arab Emirates | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 1994 | 2015 | |
| Total | 939 | 493 | 417 | 9 | 20 | 54.15 | 1973 | 2022 |
T20I record vs other countries:
| Opponent | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied | No Result | % Won | First | Last | |
| Full Members | |||||||||
| Afghanistan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2013 | 2022 | |
| Australia | 25 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 52.08 | 2007 | 2022 | |
| Bangladesh | 17 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 88.23 | 2007 | 2022 | |
| England | 28 | 9 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 35.18 | 2006 | 2022 | |
| India | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 29.16 | 2007 | 2022 | |
| Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2009 | 2009 | |
| New Zealand | 28 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 60.71 | 2007 | 2022 | |
| South Africa | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 54.54 | 2007 | 2022 | |
| Sri Lanka | 23 | 13 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 58.90 | 2007 | 2022 | |
| West Indies | 21 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 83.33 | 2011 | 2021 | |
| Zimbabwe | 18 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 88.8 | 2008 | 2022 | |
| Associate Members | |||||||||
| Canada | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2008 | 2008 | |
| ICC World | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 66.67 | 2017 | 2017 | |
| Hong Kong | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2022 | 2022 | |
| Kenya | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2007 | 2007 | |
| Netherlands | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2009 | 2022 | |
| Namibia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2021 | 2021 | |
| Scotland | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2007 | 2021 | |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 | 2016 | 2016 | |
| Total | 209 | 127 | 74 | 3 | 5 | 62.99 | 2006 | 2022 |
