Pakistan's T20 World Cup record
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Runners-up (lost to India) |
| 2009 | Champions (beat Sri Lanka) |
| 2010 | Semi-final |
| 2012 | Semi-final |
| 2014 | Super 10 |
| 2016 | Super 10 |
| 2021 | Semi-final |
| 2022 | Runners-up (lost to England) |
| 2024 | Group stage |
| 2026 | Tournament won by India (beat New Zealand by 96 runs, final 8 Mar 2026, Ahmedabad) |
Campaign by campaign
2007 — runners-up. The inaugural tournament, and Pakistan went all the way to a last-over final against India in Johannesburg. Needed 13 off 6 with one wicket left; Misbah's scoop is the most replayed shot in the country's cricket history, for painful reasons. Lost by 5 runs.
2009 — champions. Younis Khan's side peaked at exactly the right time at Lord's. Shahid Afridi — player of the match in both the semi-final and final — dragged Pakistan over the line against Sri Lanka, finishing 54 not out in the chase. Pakistan's only T20 world title, and the "Afridi final" is still replayed every tournament cycle.
2010 — semi-final. Undone by one of the great T20 innings — Mike Hussey's assault took Australia home in a finish that still stings. Pakistan were good enough to win it; they just ran into a freak knock.
2012 — semi-final. Another last-four exit, this time to Sri Lanka in Colombo. Two semis in a row, nothing to show for either.
2014 — Super 10. Group-stage exit in Bangladesh. The first signs that the 2009 core was ageing out and the rebuild hadn't started.
2016 — Super 10. Another early exit in India. A forgettable campaign in a forgettable era for Pakistan's T20 side.
2021 — semi-final. The unbeaten run — including that famous win over India in Dubai — ended against Australia in the semi-final, chased down in the death overs. So near, again.
2022 — runners-up. Unbeaten run to the final, then England chased 138 at the MCG. Shaheen Afridi's injury mid-final turned the game — the great what-if of Pakistan's T20 history. Stokes' 52* did the rest.
2024 — group stage. Rock bottom. Lost to USA in a super over in Dallas — the lowest point in Pakistan's T20 World Cup history — and never recovered. The rebuild started here.
2026 — India won the tournament, beating New Zealand by 96 runs in the Ahmedabad final.
2009: the triumph
Younis Khan's side peaked at exactly the right time. Shahid Afridi — player of the match in both the semi-final and final — dragged Pakistan over the line at Lord's against Sri Lanka. It remains Pakistan's only T20 world title, and the "Afridi final" is still replayed every tournament cycle.
The near-misses
- 2007: lost the inaugural final to India by 5 runs — Misbah's scoop is the most replayed shot in the country's cricket history, for painful reasons.
- 2022: unbeaten run to the final, then England chased 138 at the MCG. Shaheen Afridi's injury mid-final turned the game.
Pakistan's knockout record
| Stage | Times | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Champions | 1 | 2009 |
| Runners-up | 2 | 2007, 2022 |
| Semi-finals | 3 | 2010, 2012, 2021 |
| Group/Super 10 exits | 3 | 2014, 2016, 2024 |
The pattern
Pakistan are T20 World Cup specialists at reaching knockouts and specialists at losing them — four semi-final/final defeats against one title. I watched the 2009 final on a neighbour's TV because ours had died that morning — the whole mohalla crowded into one drawing room, and when Afridi hit the winning runs, someone's chai went all over the carpet. Nobody cared.
The 2022 final I watched alone, because nobody wanted company after Shaheen went down. Some defeats you need to sit with quietly.
Where Pakistan's T20 side stands now: Pakistan's T20 captain. The full roll of honour: T20 World Cup winners list.
