8 min read
Pakistan will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, marking the start of the highly anticipated tournament in India and Sri Lanka.
Under the leadership of Salman Agha, the squad will also face the United States and Namibia, while the team has withdrawn from the scheduled match against India following government restrictions.
The Men in Green enter the tournament on the back of impressive recent T20I performances, including a dominant series victory over Australia at home, boosting confidence ahead of the group stage.
The national team has a strong T20 World Cup record, reaching the finals in the 2007, 2009, and 2022 editions, while also making the semi-finals in 2010, 2012, and 2021 tournaments.
However, in the 2014, 2016, and 2024 T20 World Cups, Pakistan failed to progress beyond the group stage, marking these editions as the only tournaments with early exits for the team.
T20 world Cup 2007 (Runners Up)
The journey of Pakistan team in the inaugural T20 World Cup 2007 in South Africa was remarkable, as the national team reached the final in style, losing only one match in a bowl-out against India.
The Shoaib Malik-led side defeated strong teams Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka in the Super 8 stage, while also securing a victory against Scotland at the group stage in the tournament.
The Men in Green secured their place in the final by defeating New Zealand by six wickets in the semi-final, setting up a highly anticipated clash with arch-rivals India in the first-ever tournament finale.
The final in Johannesburg was intensely competitive, with Pakistan narrowly missing out on victory, losing to India by just five runs in a match that kept fans on the edge of their seats.
Squad
| Shoaib Malik (c) | Kamran Akmal | Mohammad Hafeez | Salman Butt | Younis Khan |
| Fawad Alam | Misbah-ul-Haq | Shahid Afridi | Sohail Tanvir | Umar Gul |
| Yasir Arafat | Mohammad Asif | Iftikhar Anjum | Abdur Rehman |
2009 T20 World Cup (Champions)
Pakistan bounced back from their previous T20 World Cup final loss to claim their first title in England in 2009 under the leadership of Younis Khan, delivering dominant performances throughout the tournament.
The Men in Green impressed with consistent displays, overpowering opponents in both the semi-final and final, showcasing a balanced team effort and remarkable skill across all departments of the game.
Shahid Afridi emerged as the star performer, earning player-of-the-match awards in the semi-final against South Africa and the final against Sri Lanka, guiding Pakistan with aggressive batting and sharp all-round contributions.
In the final, Pakistan comfortably defeated Sri Lanka by eight wickets, with Afridi scoring a crucial half-century as the team chased 139 runs efficiently, finishing the match with eight balls to spare.
Squad
| Younis Khan (c) | Kamran Akmal | Salman Butt | Misbah-ul-Haq |
| Ahmed Shehzad | Fawad Alam | Shahzaib Hasan | Shoaib Malik |
| Shahid Afridi | Abdul Razzaq | Sohail Tanvir | Umar Gul |
| Yasir Arafat | Saeed Ajmal | Mohammad Amir | Iftikhar Anjum |
2010 T20 World Cup (Semi Final)
Pakistan appeared poised to reach their third consecutive T20 World Cup final in the 2010 Caribbean edition, but a stunning innings by Australian batter Michael Hussey in the semi-final ended their hopes.
The Men in Green were in a commanding position in the semi-final in the West Indies, with Australia needing 18 runs from the final over and three wickets remaining, seemingly set for defeat.
However, Hussey smashed 22 runs off experienced off-spinner Saeed Ajmal in the last over, dramatically turning the match in Australia’s favour and abruptly ending Pakistan’s campaign in the tournament.
Australia advanced to the final but lost to England, who claimed their first T20 World Cup title by defeating the Aussies by seven wickets, completing a historic tournament triumph.
Squad
| Shahid Afridi (c) | Kamran Akmal | Salman Butt | Umar Akmal | Khalid Latif |
| Misbah-ul-Haq | Mohammad Hafeez | Fawad Alam | Hammad Azam | Abdul Razzaq |
| Mohammad Amir | Mohammad Asif | Saeed Ajmal | Mohammad Sami | Abdul Rehman |
2012 T20 World Cup (Semi Final)
Pakistan maintained their strong T20 World Cup form in the fourth edition, reaching their fourth consecutive semi-final in 2012 World Cup, but fell short of the final after losing to Sri Lanka.
The Men in Green were captained by Mohammad Hafeez for the first time in a marquee tournament, and despite consistent performances, they could not secure a place in the final match.
Pakistan showed resilience and skill throughout the tournament, but the strong performance of Sri Lanka in the semi-final proved decisive, ending Pakistan’s campaign just short of another final appearance.
Sri Lanka advanced to the final but were defeated by the West Indies, who won the tournament convincingly by 36 runs, claiming the T20 World Cup title for that edition.
Squad
| Mohammad Hafeez (c) | Shoaib Malik | Kamran Akmal | Shahid Afridi | Imran Nazir |
| Umar Akmal | Nasir Jamshed | Asad Shafiq | Yasir Arafat | Abdul Razzaq |
| Umar Gul | Sohail Tanvir | Mohammad Sami | Saeed Ajmal | Raza Hasan |
2014 T20 World Cup (Group Stage)
For the first time in T20 World Cup history, the national team failed to progress beyond the group stage, ending their campaign after losing two of their four matches in the tournament.
Pakistan managed victories over Australia and Bangladesh, but defeats against India and the West Indies ensured their early exit, marking a disappointing performance for them in the global event.
Sri Lanka reached their second consecutive T20 World Cup final, demonstrating strong team performances throughout the tournament and maintaining momentum from previous editions.
Sri Lanka defeated India in the final by six wickets to secure the T20 World Cup title in Dhaka, while Kumar Sangakkara was named man of the final.
Squad
| Mohammad Hafeez (c) | Ahmed Shehzad | Kamran Akmal | Sharjeel Khan | Shoaib Malik |
| Umar Akmal | Sohaib Maqsood | Shahid Afridi | Sohail Tanvir | Umar Gul |
| Bilawal Bhatti | Junaid Khan | Mohammad Talha | Saeed Ajmal | Zulfiqar Babar |
2016 T20 World Cup (Group Stage)
The sixth T20 World Cup, held in India in 2016, saw Pakistan struggle to recover from previous disappointments, as the Men in Green once again failed to make an impact in the tournament.
Their campaign was disappointing, with only one win in four group-stage matches, finishing fifth on the points table and exiting the tournament early without progressing beyond the group stage.
Pakistan began positively with a victory over Bangladesh, but defeats against India, New Zealand, and Australia left them with just two points, highlighting inconsistencies throughout the competition.
West Indies claimed their second T20 World Cup title by defeating England in a thrilling final, with Carlos Brathwaite hitting four sixes in the last over to secure an unforgettable victory.
Squad
| Shahid Afridi (c) | Sarfaraz Ahmed | Umar Akmal | Ahmed Shehzad | Sharjeel Khan |
| Shoaib Malik | Mohammad Hafeez | Khalid Latif | Imad Wasim | Mohammad Nawaz |
| Anwar Ali | Wahab Riaz | Mohammad Sami | Mohammad Amir | Mohammad Irfan |
2021 T20 World Cup (Semi Final)
Pakistan had a strong start in the 2021 T20 World Cup, defeating India by 10 wickets in a dominant display, marking their first-ever victory against India and signaling their title ambitions.
The Green Shirts continued their winning momentum, securing victories over New Zealand and Afghanistan, ending their group-stage games unbeaten and finishing at the top of the points table.
Pakistan reached the semi-finals and faced Australia in a thrilling encounter, but a tense final over saw Shaheen Afridi concede crucial runs, allowing Australia to narrowly edge past the national team.
Squad
| Babar Azam (c) | Asif Ali | Fakhar Zaman | Haider Ali | Mohammad Rizwan |
| Sarfaraz Ahmed | Mohammad Hafeez | Mohammad Nawaz | Mohammad Wasim | Shadab Khan |
| Imad Wasim | Shoaib Malik | Shaheen Afridi | Hasan Ali | Haris Rauf |
T20 world Cup 2022 (Runners Up)
Pakistan started their 2022 T20 World Cup campaign with heartbreaking last-ball losses to India and Zimbabwe, leaving the team under pressure and their hopes of reaching the semi finals in doubt.
The Men in Green recovered with wins over the Netherlands and South Africa, as Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Afridi delivered key performances to revive event hopes.
A shock victory by the Netherlands against South Africa helped Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals on net run rate, giving them a second chance despite earlier defeats and inconsistent group stage results.
In the semi-final against New Zealand, Pakistan relied on strong opening partnerships and key contributions from Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan to secure a tense, hard-fought victory and reach the final.
Squad
| Babar Azam (c) | Asif Ali | Iftikhar Ahmed | Mohammad Haris | Mohammad Rizwan |
| Haider Ali | Shan Masood | Khushdil Shah | Mohammad Nawaz | Shadab Khan |
| Haris Rauf | Mohammad Hasnain | Naseem Shah | Shaheen Shah | Mohammad Wasim |
2024 T20 World Cup (Group Stage)
In the 2024 World Cup, Pakistan were eliminated at the group stage after rain in Lauderhill forced a washout between Ireland and the USA, allowing the USA to qualify for the Super Eight from Group A.
The Men in Green endured a difficult campaign, arriving in the USA without warm-up matches, losing to the hosts in a Super Over, and falling short by six runs while chasing a modest target against India.
Pakistan were left relying on other results, with only a single win over Canada, as the abandoned USA–Ireland match sealed their early exit after just three games in the tournament.
Squad
| Babar Azam (C) | Azam Khan | Fakhar Zaman | Iftikhar Ahmed | Mohammad Rizwan |
| Usman Khan | Imad Wasim | Saim Ayub | Shadab Khan | Abbas Afridi |
| Abrar Ahmed | Haris Rauf | Shaheen Shah | Naseem Shah | Mohammad Amir |
