1,000 ODIs milestone

Pakistan reached a historic cricketing milestone this past weekend by playing its 1,000th One-Day International match, becoming only the third country to achieve this feat, alongside India and Australia. The Green Shirts marked the occasion in style, defeating Australia in Rawalpindi by five wickets in the opening game of the ongoing three-match series.

Debuting in the ODIs in 1973, Pakistan soon became a formidable cricketing force brimful of exciting players in all departments of the game. Over their 1,000 matches, Pakistan have won 527 and lost 442 while 9 stood tied. The victory percentage – 52.7 – is impressive, if not outstanding, proving that Team Pakistan is a force to reckon with. Against the world's top two teams, India and New Zealand, Pakistan boast a victory percentage in excess of 50. However, against Australia, the reigning ODI World Champion and world number three, Green Shirts have fared poorly at 33%.

Pakistan's 50-over resume includes two global titles: the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup under Imran Khan and the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy under Sarfaraz Ahmed. The cricket nation has consistently produced some of the most formidable fast bowlers and wrist-spinners in history. It also has numerous notable individual records. Icons like Wasim Akram (502 wickets), Inzamam-ul-Haq (11,739 runs) and Saeed Anwar (highest individual score of 194 at one point) have set world-class benchmarks. More recently, batters like Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman have maintained that elite standard, with Zaman's brilliant 210 not out standing as the highest individual score for Pakistan.

Even though Green Shirts' performance is not up to the mark in recent times, they are still among the ones to watch out for. Notoriously unpredictable, they can do anything on the given day – beat the world beaters and crumble against the underdogs. Such a mercurial character ensures that they are never left out of the reckoning. As they enter their second millennium of ODI cricket, Green Shirts remain a captivating and dangerous unit on the international stage.