T20 World Cup 2022: Pakistan's renaissance Down Under reflects past glories

Moreover, they can win in situations where you would least expect it and sometimes lose least expectedly.

Thankfully, more of the former than the latter saw them inexplicably qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2022.

They came into the last round of matches knowing they needed either Netherlands to beat South Africa or Zimbabwe to beat India, all while they had to beat Bangladesh.

That Netherlands upset the Proteas meant Pakistan knew any win would do, and they cantered home against Bangladesh without too much fuss.

But it is a remarkable stroke of luck for a team that has been highly unpredictable – even by Pakistan's standards.

They came into the tournament with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan being the two batters to carry the batting load.

Instead, it has been the middle order that's shone while both Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been quiet throughout the tournament.

Even their bowling has been mercurial, with talisman Shaheen Shah Afridi not up to his usual standards, whereas the likes of Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf have shone.

And while Mohammad Nawaz was seen as their power hitter who could bowl a few overs, Shadab Khan's shone in that role.

However, their ability to be unpredictable and bounce back from impossible odds isn't new. It's been a part of their cricketing lexicon since that glorious summer of 1992.

It is often forgotten that, in the group stages, they lost three out of their first five group games – with one being a no result and the other being a win.

They won their last three games and then went on to win both the semi-final and the final which was miraculous.

But it gave birth to the rise to the legend of the Pakistan team – a team that defied the odds and did things their way, which often meant leaving it till late before finding form at just the right time.

The same thing happened in 2009. After the heartbreak of losing the finals in the inaugural edition of the World T20 2007, Pakistan was keen for redemption.

However, they barely made it through the group stages and the Super eights, mainly beating the weaker teams.

However, they knocked out tournament favourites South Africa in the semi-finals before registering a dominant win in the final against Sri Lanka.

It was more of the same in the 2017 Champions Trophy. They qualified for the semis but were hammered by India in the group stages as the latter won by 124 runs courtesy of the Duckworth Lewis Stern method.

But again, they peaked when it mattered most. They sent hosts England packing in the semis, while they registered a thumping 180 run-win over India in the final – taking revenge for the earlier loss.

Whether or not they can do the same in 2022 remains to be seen. However, all signs are at least pointing towards Pakistan doing the unthinkable yet again.