Pakistan was the winner of the Carlton and United Series in 1996–97 in Australia. The picture here shows a very crucial moment in the second of the best-of-three finals at the MCG in Melbourne on January 20, 1997.
West Indies skipper Brian Lara (extreme right) has just been dismissed by seamer Shahid Nazir (not in the photo) after making 19 runs. Pakistan had been bowled out for 165 batting first, and following Shahid Nazir’s fine figures of 3-14 off 10 overs, the West Indies managed only 103 runs off 40.3 overs. As Pakistan had also won the first final, they clinched the series and were the proud winners of the trophy plus a whopping cash award of 100,000 Australian dollars.
The Pakistani fielders celebrate in the photo above as they sense victory coming their way. It is always a daunting task to beat Australia in Australia. Pakistan did extremely well under Wasim Akram’s captaincy. The young side includes Shahid Nazir, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shahid Afridi, Zahoor Elahi, Muhammad Wasim, Muhammad Zahid, and Mujahid Jamshed. These were indeed memorable moments of great victory for the West Indies in the Best of Three Finals. The Carlton and United Series were the toughest tournaments at those times.