Cricket was very thinly spread across the country and even in major urban centres of Lahore and Karachi the game was mainly played by the middle classes.
Pakistan made their first tour of England in 1954 and drew the series 1–1 after a memorable victory at The Oval in which fast bowler Fazal Mahmood took 12 wickets.
Over the years, competitions between India and Pakistan have always been emotionally charged and provide for intriguing contests, as talented teams from both sides of the border elevate their game to new levels to produce high-quality cricket.
1986 Australasia Cup, played in Sharjah, is remembered as a famous last-ball victory for Pakistan against arch-rivals India, with Javed Miandad emerging as a national hero.
Miandad received a leg side full toss from Chetan Sharma, which he hit for six over the midwicket boundary.
With the departure of Imran Khan and Saleem Malik shortly thereafter, Pakistan still required 115 runs at a rate of 7.67 per over with veteran Javed Miandad being the only known batsman remaining at the crease.
Once Inzamam got out, Pakistan required 36 from 30 balls, which wicketkeeper Moin Khan ended with a towering six over long off, followed by the winning boundary to midwicket.
It is remembered for the comeback Pakistan made after losing key players such as Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar, and being led by an injured captain Imran Khan.
Pakistan, needing to win to qualify for the next stage after losing to the West Indies in their opening match, were put into bat by Ireland on a green pitch.
[13][14][15] Tragedy struck the team when coach Bob Woolmer died one day later on 18 March 2007 in a hospital in Kingston, Jamaica.
[17] On 23 March 2007, Pakistan players and officials were questioned by Jamaican police and submitted DNA samples along with fingerprints, as part of the routine enquiries in the investigation into Woolmer's murder.
"[20] After the World Cup ended, serious doubts were raised about the investigation, with increasing speculation that Woolmer died of natural causes.
Press reports say that a group of eight players led by Shoaib Malik went to the house of former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, where they swore on the Quran to never play under Younis again.
Shoaib Malik, captain the team in the T20 (after Afridi was suspended due to ball tampering), started a tirade against Yousaf.
The above-mentioned revolt lead to an operation cleanup within the Pakistan team, when selectors were asked not to consider Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousaf for any future series.