Ever thought of going back in time and reliving the winning moment of the World Cup 1992, where Pakistan defeated England in the grand finale to become champions? I have and I know you have to. But since it’s not possible to time travel (at the moment), let’s try to relive the moments of glory through Adnan Sarwar and Nina Kashif’s latest project Tapmad’s Cornered Tigers: The 1992 Story. Not only does the four-episode documentary series pay tribute to one of the greatest achievements of Pakistan Sports, it also makes you understand the hardships, the struggle and the method behind the victory.
If you were born after March 1992, then you have no idea what you have missed. The scorecard of the World Cup matches doesn’t do any justice to the tournament where at one time, Pakistan was the least favorite side even of the ardent Pakistanis who were as clueless as the players. However, as this documentary tells the viewers, it was before the match against Australia that the fate of the Greenshirts changed and they became the fighting unit that went on to rule the world.
Featuring the interviews of some of the members of the World Cup-winning squad, this documentary educated the viewers in every way possible. From making them understand that the team had its share of ups and downs during the mega event, it explained how Captain Imran Khan’s belief in the boys was instrumental in keeping them focused. The documentary may not feature Imran Khan as a guest but he is there in spirit as every player from Javed Miandad, Mushtaq Ahmed, Inzamam ul Haq, Wasim Akram and Moin Khan spoke about his leadership skills and how he was able to lead Cornered Tigers in the final stage of the event.
And that’s not all, fans of the game would be super impressed on hearing the views of their favorite Rawalpindi Express – Shoaib Akhtar – who went onto say that had it not been for the 1992 World Cup, he might not have become the Cricketer he did in the succeeding years. Add to that Wasim Akram explanation of the two deliveries in the final that changed the course of the game, and Mushtaq Ahmed’s revelation regarding Graeme Hick, you get to know behind the scene stuff in this documentary.
Not many Cricket enthusiasts have ever heard Javed Miandad tak about his fitness issues before the World Cup, or what Moin Khan felt when he went into bat in the semi-final? In this documentary, they talk about their issues as do Inzamam ul Haq, Ejaz Ahmed and Usman Qadir, the son of late Abdul Qadir who missed the tournament because of injury. One must also mention the brilliant background score that keeps the viewers interested in the documentary, and doesn’t let the audience lose interest at any point.
The documentary doesn’t end at the World Cup 1992 victory parade but also talks about the other final in which most of the players were in the final XI but were unable to repeat history. The impressively selected footages of all the important matches and moments are there to make the audience forget the bad memories and live in the glorious past, and the most memorable day!
Watch the docuseries here: