This was twenty five – twenty five! – years ago, at the 1986 Australasia Cup final:
For starters, batting first, India managed to put on a massive 245 runs on the board. It was the highest score in Sharjah then and we were already under psychological pressure. The pressure increased as Pakistan’s top order returned to the pavilion one by one. That’s when I realised the responsibility on my shoulders,” Miandad recalls.
It’s striking how similar Miandad’s position was at his last match almost exactly ten years later at the 1996 World Cup quarter-final. India scoring 288, Pakistan chasing, a quick fall of wickets, Miandad as the last hope, a screw-you fightback. Different ending, though.