Pakistan's 1992 World Cup win is still remembered as one of the unexpected results in cricket history. Pakistan's 1992 squad under former captain Imran Khan had some of the best names in the business -- Salim Malik, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Javed Miandad, Saleem Malik, Mushtaq Ahmed, Wasim Akram, Ramiz Raja - to name a few.
And yet, when Pakistan made it to the final to take on England, many expected the latter to be the favourites to win. But in the end, Imran Khan's team showed great determination and tenacity to pull off a massive win in the summit clash to win their first (and to date, only) ODI World Cup trophy.
Former Pakistan opener Aamer Sohail, in a recent conversation, recalled the historic win and said that it was Javed Miandad who made a major contribution to Pakistan's cause in the 1992 World Cu.
Speaking on the Cricket Life Stories Youtube channel, Sohail, who was a new talent in the Pakistan line-up during the 1992 World Cup, said: “The major contribution came from Javed Miandad. He was the inspiration. At one time, Imran (Khan) had given up. He was not 100 percent fit and was thinking of going back to Pakistan. But it was Javed Miandad, who kept on urging him that 'you are the captain, you have to lead from the front.
{{/usCountry}}Speaking on the Cricket Life Stories Youtube channel, Sohail, who was a new talent in the Pakistan line-up during the 1992 World Cup, said: “The major contribution came from Javed Miandad. He was the inspiration. At one time, Imran (Khan) had given up. He was not 100 percent fit and was thinking of going back to Pakistan. But it was Javed Miandad, who kept on urging him that 'you are the captain, you have to lead from the front.
{{/usCountry}}"He asked Imran not to worry about injuries because every international athlete takes ground with some kind of injury. So muster your strength, and you have to represent Pakistan. It was Miandad who actually influenced everybody. He was guiding Imran through with everything and it really worked for Pakistan," Sohail further added.
The former left-handed batsman further went on to add that Imran was great at inspiring youngsters and further recalled how the former captain helped him out during the practice games.
“Imran was great inspiration as well. He was great at giving confidence to youngsters. I was not in the final squad for the World Cup, I was on trial. So, I scored a few runs in practice games. I got a 70-odd in a practice match against South Africa in Canberra. After the game, he took me aside at the hotel reception and said, ‘you played really well. I am assuring you that you would be playing the entire World Cup. Even if you score 10 ducks in a row, I will still play you in the final'," Sohail recalled.
"That was the confidence given to a youngster by Imran Khan, and it did work most of the times. These little things combined in that famous 1992 victory,” he signed off.