"I knew it was our day. I was restless, couldn’t wait for the match to begin." — Photo by Hafsa Adil
Aaqib Javed: Leaving Pakistan, we were actually quite confident. With a bowling attack comprising Wasim, Waqar, Mushi (Mushtaq Ahmed), me and Imran and batsmen such as Miandad (Javed), Malik (Salim), Aamir (Sohail) – we weren’t feeling too bad.
We reached Australia two weeks before the tournament and put in a great deal of work in our preparations. But just as the tournament was about to get underway, we lost Waqar to injury. When your entire bowling composition is disturbed, it is a major setback. We didn’t know who our third bowler would be. Our seam bowling options suddenly became very limited and when you are in Australia and New Zealand, it is very difficult to compete with just two seamers in the side.
During the first few matches, our concerns were translated into results as playing with two seam bowlers cost us. As the tournament progressed, based on our results, the players began to lose hope of making it to the second round. Slowly, we could see it slipping away from us.
HA: How did it change, then?
AJ: What do they say about fate? That when you’re destined to achieve something, luck favours you. It was after the match against England (which was washed out, resulting in a draw) that our negative frame of mind slowly began to turn around.
We thought, “if we have survived even after the worst of performances (Pakistan were bowled out for 74), maybe we can make it forward if we win the rest of our group matches.”
We then went to Perth for our match against Australia. It was almost impossible for an Asian side to beat Australia at Perth but that was our day. Just before the match, Imran came into the dressing room, spoke for about 20 minutes and turned our psyche around for the rest of the tournament.
He instilled a belief in us. He had this unique quality, a quality that every leader must have: to make people believe in what he is saying.
Personally, whatever cricket I had played before that match or after it, nothing could ever match those three-and-a-half hours. The mental state I was in, I had never experienced it before and never did after.
I can’t describe that feeling. It was...I knew it was our day. I was restless, couldn’t wait for the match to begin. I thought “aaj koi nahin rok sakta mujhe (no one can stop me today)”. I took three slips because I knew I was going to be on the mark. It was the same for everyone else. (Pakistan beat Australia by 48 runs in that match)
We played New Zealand next. They were unbeaten and one of the favourites for the tournament, but still no match for our confidence. Perth was the turning point – we didn’t know what had hit us (humain pata hee nahin chala kay humain hua kya hai). The momentum was such that it took all the pressure off us. Even before the final, we felt zero pressure. We knew only we could win the tournament.
It was the perfect exhibition of how a positive mind-set can change your fortunes overnight. After winning that match we knew – we didn’t expect or hope – we just knew that we’d reach the next round.
So going back to those 20 minutes, that’s when he switched our minds around. Those 20 minutes were the reason we won the World Cup.
HA: The great cricket writer Osman Samiuddin often uses the term “haal” while describing this Pakistani momentum that you keep mentioning. Is there really such a thing as “haal” in cricket?
AJ: See, when you’re playing a team game it is very difficult to have all the players come together to play as one entity and think alike. Even with the best of teams, when they lose they have a side where four players are going in pushing forward and the rest backwards. So in such situations, you need one person to rise, gather everyone, align them in one direction and push them forward.
Even without Waqar we had understood our mechanism: new ball to be shared between me and Wasim, then Mushi, Imran and so on. Limited bowling options but full of confidence.
Your mind gets confused only when there’s a doubt about what you want or how you are feeling. When someone or something clears that doubt – and your mind is free of clutter – your momentum will remain the same.
For us, the momentum from Perth carried on into the England series (following the World Cup) and kept going for a long time. You keep riding that wave for as long as there’s no major setback, for example a change of captaincy or management.
Sourav Ganguly did it for India for so many years, until Greg Chappell came and put such a brake that it took them several years to get back up again with MS Dhoni.
You see, the people running cricket boards or managing teams must have a deep understanding of the game. If the team is doing well consistently, the managers should be able to identify the fulcrum and just let them be. If you mess with it, there is a breakdown from which you can’t recover overnight.
A positive mind-set takes you all the way up to the top. So when you are displaced from the top you keep swirling down and you can’t just get back on top right away. Look at Australia, they were on top for almost a decade but once they came down, they realised how difficult it is to get back up.
The right mental approach is vital. A coach, manager, captain or even any other senior player can be the pivotal person. For us, it was Imran Khan. It was all him. The ‘92 World Cup belonged to him and his mind-set. It was his brainchild. If it weren’t for him there’s no way we could have even thought about winning, let alone reach the final.
HA: What was it that he said?
AJ: He came to the dressing room wearing his cornered tiger t-shirt and said “I have thought long and hard, spent a lot of time on this and now I have figured it out: From here, we will not look back. People are announcing your return flights but I am trying to figure out who we will play in the final. Not for a second should you think that we are going back.
Just think about the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground), the final. I am thinking about it already. From today onward, we will beat these guys and I’m sure nothing and no one can stop us. Everything is coming together for us now.”
What’s that saying about the universe conspiring to make things happen for you? That’s what he meant.
Baat tou saari dunya karti hai, lekin kaun kar raha hai aur keh kya raha...asal cheez woh hai (Look, anyone can speak, give pep talks but what matters is whom it is coming from)
HA:What was your role in the side? Did Imran specify it?
AJ: When it was the three for us, my role was different. We would see which way the wind was blowing and I would just bowl against the wind. I had to bowl tight and be economical in order to create pressure for Wasim and Waqar to strike. You play this game as a team and I was happy doing my bit.
When Waqar left, I realised that I would have to strike now and started thinking differently, like a strike bowler. I guess it worked out okay because even with two bowlers we won the World Cup.
HA: What about Inzamam’s turnaround?
AJ: Once again, you have to give credit to Imran. Whomever he selected, it wasn’t without reason. A complete thought process went behind it. He knew what he could extract from a player. Inzi ran away from the responsibility, he didn’t want to take the pressure but he was forced. Imran said, it doesn’t matter if you don’t score a single run (tu chahe zero kar, chahay hila na jaye...tu bas khel) – just play. Why? He’d say, "You have no idea about your own talent."
Had it not been for Imran, Inzi would have barely survived in the team. That’s what happens here. You come, get your chance in one or two series and if you don’t do well, you’re out. Imran forced Inzi to make use of his talent. People would say, Inzi? What does he (Imran) want from him? But Imran knew what he wanted to do.
On the morning of the semi-final, Inzi tried to bail out. Imran asked us to talk to Inzi so we told him, when the captain is okay with you getting out on zero then what’s your problem? So he played. And how well.
HA: With the turnaround in place, what did Imran say after the Australia game?
AJ:He didn’t really need to talk again. All the boys had their minds set on what he had said earlier. He’d put an idea in front of us, gave us confidence and it worked. From then on, all he would say was: “See? I told you we could do it. Just wait and see what you do next. You will not even let these teams come close to you.”
Whoever you speak with (from the ‘92 side), they will talk about that one meeting at Perth. We weren’t even thinking about winning before that game.
HA: Your catch to dismiss Graham Gooch off Mushtaq’s bowling in the final was one of the best in the tournament. Did you really think you could pull it off in the dramatic manner that you did?
AJ: Players go to the ground and they have several thoughts going through their head: How will we win? What if we lose? With us, it was different. We’d go to the ground to win. We knew it. When you go there to win, you’re searching for opportunities to contribute and make a difference. I was desperately looking for the ball. Your brilliance or skills don’t count for much in such situations. What makes the difference is what you’re thinking.
At times you’re thinking “I hope the ball doesn’t come toward me (yaar yeh ball meri taraf na ajaye)” but in that moment I was thinking, “Come on. How, when, where can I catch the ball?” That’s the difference. It’s all in the head.
HA: How can you think about drawing or losing if, as a sportsman, you're going in to compete?
AJ: If you look at the way Pakistan is playing right now: third Test in a row, Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss, went in to bat and put up a massive total. So if you are New Zealand, how difficult would it be for you to think about winning? When you are stuck in such a situation, you cannot really think about winning. You are barely surviving. These three Tests will now seem like three months to New Zealand given the way Pakistan is playing.
For Pakistan, it will be the opposite. Having won so easily, these matches won't seem like a big deal to them now. Just because of their positive and confident mind-set. The mental aspect is the biggest pawn in cricket.