Nine years is a long time to wait. For Pakistan, a country that treats cricket as something close to a national language, the absence of an ICC trophy since 2017 has become a running conversation in every household, every tea stall, every press conference. On Saturday, 17 October 2026, in Rawalpindi, it was Fakhar Zaman’s turn to face the questions — and the experienced top-order batter did not dodge them.
“There is pressure on us as a team to deliver an ICC trophy, and we have had extensive discussions about ending the country’s wait for a major international trophy,” Fakhar said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
His words land at a delicate moment. Pakistan’s search for a major ICC title is about to stretch into its tenth year, and the next realistic shot at ending the jinx arrives in 2027, when the 50-overs World Cup — hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia — comes around. The last time Pakistan even reached a final was at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, where England beat them in Melbourne.
The Weight of the Wait
Fakhar did not pretend the drought doesn’t sting. He acknowledged that the team’s failure to win an ICC title has disappointed fans, but he also framed the relationship between players and public as something more complicated than criticism.
“It is natural (that) people are disappointed about Pakistan not being able to win an ICC title for long, and we also know that when we do well, we are showered with love and admiration,” he said.
“When you perform well, people show you more love. When you do not perform well, naturally, they are disappointed. Whether senior or junior, every player tries to perform to the best of their ability and improve in their profession.”
That exchange — affection for good days, frustration for bad ones — is familiar territory for any Pakistani cricketer. What made Fakhar’s remarks notable was his insistence that the squad has talked through the drought in detail, rather than shying away from it.
Why a Trophy Feels Different
There was one line in Fakhar’s media interaction that cut to the heart of Pakistan’s recent record. The team has reached the latter stages of ICC events — the 2022 final being the clearest example — and still come home empty-handed. Fakhar argued that only a title changes how a nation feels.
“The happiness you experience as a nation after winning a trophy is different from reaching semi-finals or finals,” he said.
It is a distinction Pakistani fans know painfully well. Near-misses do not hang banners. And Fakhar, for his part, made clear the players understand the difference between effort and outcome.
“We are taking it very seriously. We will do our best,” he said, adding that the team hopes to bring the World Cup trophy back to Pakistan.
The Tri-Series as a Testing Ground
So how do Pakistan plan to convert hope into a plan? Fakhar pointed to the upcoming tri-series involving England and Sri Lanka as the first serious laboratory. The tournament, he explained, is where the team intends to start settling on its best combination for the World Cup.
“The idea is to start building a perfect combination for the World Cup from now, and the good thing is most of our players are going into the tri-series having played domestic cricket,” Fakhar said.
That detail matters more than it might first appear. Pakistan’s domestic season has given its batters a runway of 50-overs cricket before they face international attacks, and Fakhar — a batter who has spent years toggling between formats — explained why that sequence matters.
“When you play 50-overs cricket after First-Class, it is much easier to adapt, but going from T20 to ODIs is never easy,” he said. “It is encouraging that all the players have come through the season and are in very good touch.”
For a team that has often been accused of picking XIs by instinct rather than by design, the tri-series represents something of a commitment: combinations will be tested, roles will be defined, and the answers will arrive before the World Cup rather than during it.
Looking Past the 0-3 Test Defeat
Fakhar’s media appearance came against the backdrop of a bruising recent memory: Pakistan’s 0-3 Test series defeat against England. Rather than defend the red-ball results, he drew a line between the formats.
“We have discussed our plans extensively, although there are certain things we cannot discuss on camera. There have been plenty of discussions, but red-ball and white-ball cricket are very different,” he said.
It is a convenient separation, some will say. But Fakhar backed it up with a point about change: he noted that there have been significant changes within the team, and that those shifts have given the players reason for optimism.
“There have also been significant changes in the team, so we are hopeful and excited. With the way our preparations are progressing, the World Cup is also in the back of our minds,” he added.
What Fakhar’s Admission Tells Us
There is a particular kind of honesty in a senior player admitting pressure out loud. Fakhar could have reached for the usual deflections — rebuilding phases, new combinations, one match at a time. Instead, he named the thing everyone in Pakistan already knows: the team is judged by trophies, and the shelf has been empty since 2017.
That admission cuts both ways. It raises the stakes for the tri-series against England and Sri Lanka, where every combination choice will be read as a World Cup signal. It also raises the stakes for Fakhar himself, a top-order batter whose own form will be central to any Pakistani title push in 2027.
What is clear from Rawalpindi is that the planning has already begun. The discussions have been held. The domestic season has sharpened the batters. The tri-series will sort the combinations. And somewhere behind all of it sits a single, simple target that Fakhar was willing to say out loud: bring the World Cup trophy home.
Whether Pakistan can finally convert near-misses into silverware will depend on form, fitness and fortune over the months ahead. But for the first time in a while, the team’s public messaging and its private ambition appear to be pointing in the same direction — towards South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in 2027, and towards ending a wait that has gone on long enough.
FAQ
When did Pakistan last win an ICC trophy?
Pakistan last won an ICC title in 2017. Their most recent ICC final came at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, where they lost to England in Melbourne.
Where will Pakistan's next chance to end the drought come?
At the 2027 50-overs World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
What did Fakhar Zaman say about the pressure on Pakistan?
Speaking in Rawalpindi on 17 October 2026, Fakhar said there is pressure on the team to deliver an ICC trophy and that the players have had extensive discussions about ending the country’s wait for a major international trophy.
How is Pakistan preparing for the 2027 World Cup?
Fakhar said the upcoming tri-series involving England and Sri Lanka will be used to start building the right combination, with most players arriving in good touch after playing domestic 50-overs cricket.