Pakistan added more fuel to the fire of the 1992 theory by inflicting a six-wicket defeat on New Zealand on Wednesday at Edgbaston. Here are the Heroes and Zeroes from that game.

Heroes

Shaheen Shah Afridi

England had not been kind to this kid. It rarely is to any teenager, unless of course your name is Mohammad Amir. The 19-year-old Shaheen Shah Afridi had taken to international cricket like duck to water but all hell broke lose when he stepped foot on English soil. From not having leaked more than 47 runs in his first 10 ODIs, he went for 80, 83 and 82 in his next three — all against England.

Through this, there was never a question mark on his talent. It was just about how soon does he adjust to the chilly English summers. Against New Zealand, he showed he’s adjusted already. The lanky southpaw hit the right lengths and found the kind of movement one expects from a famous teammate of his.

It was Afridi whose demolition job paved way for all the others to do what they did later. Watch out world, if you thought blocking Amir and going after others will keep on cutting it against Pakistan, you got another thing coming.

Sarfaraz Ahmed

Fat, you said? That catch is making all the critics eat their words and all the proverbial humble pies. If the skipper can grab catches like those, it doesn’t matter what his BMI is or how yawny he seems. This was the best answer to all the fat and performance shamers.

Haris Sohail

Anyone can play a one-off match-winning innings. Naveed Latif did it that once against Sri Lanka. Do you remember his name? Wajahatullah Wasti did it in a World Cup semi-final even. Where is he now?

Sports has had more than its share of one-and-done or one-hit wonders, whichever way you like to put it. But when you follow one gem of an 89-run knock with another priceless 68-run innings just three days later, you’ve announced that you’re in for the long haul.

Now stay fit, please.

Babar Azam

As the great Osman Samiuddin put it brilliantly, this was a coming-of-age innings that deserves multiple viewings. There’s nothing we can say that could top what can be viewed. Off you go to YouTube then.

Neesham, Grandhomme's rescue act

They were 83-5 and ran the risk of folding without giving their bowlers a fair crack of the whip. Fair play to James Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme that they hung on and made a match out of it. A match they didn’t win but still.

The 1992 theory

And so the theory thickens. Unless you’ve been living under the rock without wifi, you must have heard how Pakistan’s 2019 World Cup campaign is eerily similar to their 1992 one, where they won it all. That one also had a chase down victory over New Zealand under similar circumstances. We kid you not!

Zeroes

Kane Williamson

It’s unfortunate that the Kiwi captain makes his debut in the Zeroes section. But such are the high standards set by him that one innings where he doesn’t play the saviour is considered a failure.

Black Caps’ World Cup record against Pakistan

New Zealand appear to be the calling card for Pakistan when in need for a World Cup win. The Green Shirts have now beaten the Black Caps six times in eight World Cup meetings.

The World Cup-specific record is much more skewed in Pakistan’s favour than the two teams’ overall record, which should be a cause of concern for New Zealand. Why do they keep falling to the same opponent over and over again when it matters the most?

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