T20 World Cup: What’s the weather forecast of Pakistan-India match day?

MELBOURNE: While millions of cricket fans are waiting anxiously for the blockbuster India vs Pakistan clash in the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup, the rain may act as a spoiler on the day. 

Two teams will face each other at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on October 23 (Sunday).

According to weather reports, there is a chance of 85% that it will rain in Melbourne on Sunday which might affect the upcoming clash between the arch-rivals.

According to Melbourne Weather Forecast, rain is predicted both in the morning and evening in the state. This means that both teams might need to prepare for the worst-case scenario and plan accordingly.

If the game gets washed out there is no reserved day for the match and thus both teams will split the points.

In the last 3 encounters, one in T20 World Cup 2021 and the two in Asia Cup 2022, Pakistan have won two while India have won one.

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Indo-Pak ‘Super 4’ match becomes most-watched T20I outside WC

DUBAI: The thrilling Asia Cup 2022 Super Four fixture between the arch-rivals – India and Pakistan – became the most watched T20 International outside of the World Cup, the official broadcaster of the tournament, Star Sports announced.

The recently-concluded 15th edition of the Asia Cup was a treat for the cricket fans as the continental event featured two matches between one of the biggest rivals in cricket – Pakistan and India – in a span of just one week.

The traditional rivalry lived up to the expectation as both Pakistan-India matches set new heights of viewership as the two rivals came face to face in back-to-back thrillers on August 28 and September 4.

Star Sports had recently announced the Asia Cup 2022 group match between Pakistan and India as the most-watched T20I apart from the World Cup, however, the Super Four clash surpassed the record with a staggering 57.4 million AMA.

The highly competitive edition of the Asia Cup kept cricketing fans glued to their television sets as 243 million viewers tuned in to watch the Asia Cup 2022 (excluding the finals). The high-voltage tournament clocked a total of 58.8 billion minutes (excluding the finals).

It is pertinent to mention here that India edged Pakistan in a final-over thriller in the group stage by five wickets before Pakistan returned a similar outcome in the Super Fours.

India then lost to Sri Lanka in their next fixture and crashed out of the tournament, while Pakistan advanced to the final of the continental event after edging Afghanistan in another final-over thriller.

The Green Shirts, however, failed in the final against Sri Lanka, who defeated them by 27 runs to lift their sixth Asia Cup title.

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Pakistan to start SAFF Women’s Championship campaign against India

KATHMANDU: Pakistan women’s football team will start their South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championship 2022 campaign tomorrow as they take on their arch-rivals India in an anticipated clash.

The sixth edition of the SAFF Women’s Championship embarked today as the hosts Nepal took on Bhutan in the curtain-raiser.

Whereas, all eyes will be on the second fixture of the championship as the two-arch rivals come face to face after a gap of eight years.

The anticipated clash will commence at 12:15 pm (PST) and will officially mark Pakistan’s football revival after the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) waived the restrictions from the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on June 30.

Speaking ahead of the anticipated clash, Pakistan captain Maria Khan asserted that the national team is well prepared and will strive to perform well against India.

“There is a lot of excitement in the match between arch-rivals. The team is well prepared and will try to do well,” said Maria.

PAKISTAN SQUAD: Hajra Khan, Maliha Nasir, Mishal Akram Bhatti, Rameen Fareed, Alina Isphani, Anmool Hira, Ghazala Aamir, Khadija Kazmi, Marvi Baig, Nizalia Siddique, Sara Khan, Shahida Amin, Shanza Nazir, Suha Hirani, Malika-e-Noor, Nisha Ashraf, Roshan Ali, Sahar Zaman, Mahpara Shahid, Zulfia Nazir, Atika Nasir, Maria Khan, and Nadia Khan.

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‘I was promoted to maintain left-right combination’ says Nawaz

DUBAI: Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz, who played a match-defining 42-run knock in the high-octane Asia Cup Super Fours clash on Sunday, revealed that he was promoted in the batting order to maintain left-hand right-hand combination.

Nawaz spoke to the presser here after his match-winning knock and unveiled the strategy behind his promotion in the batting order.

“The captain and the management decided that I should be sent to maintain a left-right combination,” said Nawaz.

“I tried to give the best performance for my team which was seen today. There was no plan to change my number earlier,” he added.

The all-around player then asserted that playing under pressure had been very beneficial to him and pledged to get better as the burden of responsibility increased on him.

“I benefited a lot from playing under pressure. As an all-rounder, the onus has also increased on me to improve myself,” Nawaz stated.

The left-handed batter then revealed his game plan with Mohammad Rizwan as the duo decided to take the game till the end and lay a solid foundation for Khushdil Shah and Asif Ali.

“I had discussed with Rizwan about taking the match to the end so that Asif and Khushdil can play better,” shared Nawaz.

“The first match against India was also very close, we played under pressure which was quite good for us. Our focus was solely on winning and we will continue to do so. In this match, we were thinking that we might need to tackle short pitch deliveries and we were prepared for that,” he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan avenged their Group A defeat by edge pasting arch-rivals India by five wickets in the Asia Cup Super Fours on Sunday. Nawaz played a match-winning knock for the Green Shirts as he scored a blistering 42 off a mere 20 deliveries after returning with match-winning bowling figures of 1/25.

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Barmy Army under heat for claiming Ashes a bigger rivalry than PAK-IND

KARACHI: England’s famous fan page Barmy Army was brutally trolled by Pakistan-India fans for posting a controversial tweet and compared the rivalry between both sides with the Ashes.

Cricket fever was on a high on Sunday as the two bitter rivals – India and Pakistan – came face to face again in a span of one week.

Pakistan clinched a five-wicket thrilling victory over India in the Super Fours of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 to avenge their Group A defeat.

Earlier on August 28, India claimed an alike victory over Pakistan to start their Asia Cup on a high. The Group A match too went down to the wire before India sealed a thrilling five-wicket victory.

While many cricket enthusiasts and ex-players expressed their pleasure at the exciting matches between the two teams, England’s Barmy Army infuriated supporters on both sides by comparing the Pakistan-India rivalry with the Ashes.

Following the most-anticipated clash, England’s Barmy Army wrote, “Ashes > India vs Pakistan anyway,” a comment that enraged fans from both countries.

 

Here’s how India and Pakistan fans reacted to the tweet:

A Pakistan fan then took a hilarious dig at England’s Barmy Army and termed the Karachi-Lahore rivalry bigger than the Ashes.

A user replied to Barmy Army’s tweet and thanked the English fan page for uniting the Pakistan-India fans.

https://twitter.com/ch3rryw8n3/status/1566626136620437504

Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer also slammed Barmy Army for the analogy. Referring to England’s humiliating 0-5 defeat in the Ashes.

“If I was an England fan, with the Ashes record Eng has, I’d downplay the Ashes if anything,” Jaffer wrote.

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Rizwan, Nawaz star as Pakistan sink India in a final-over Asia Cup thriller

DUBAI: Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz shone in a tense run chase before Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah bolstered the men in green to avenge their group match defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals India in the Asia Cup 2022 Super Fours.

Set to chase 182, Pakistan steered over the line on the second-last delivery of the match as Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh failed to defend seven runs.

The Green Shirts had a dismal start to their run chase as their key batter Babar Azam perished cheaply for 14 in the fourth over.

Following his departure, Rizwan then joined hands with left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman and added 41 runs for the second wicket before the latter perished after scoring a snail-paced 15 off 18 deliveries.

Following the slump, all-rounder Nawaz, who was promoted in the batting order changed the dynamics of the game with a blistering knock of 42 runs off a mere 20 deliveries, laced with six boundaries and two sixes.

The duo of Rizwan and Nawaz added a valuable 73 runs for the third wicket in accordance with the mounting run rate. Nawaz, however, fell victim to a slower ball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 16th over.

In the next over, Rizwan also became the victim of a slower delivery from the struggling Indian pacer Hardik Pandya. The right-handed batter top-scored for the side with 71 off 51 deliveries, laced with six boundaries and two sixes.

Khushdil Shah and Asif Ali then stood up for their team and sailed the ball all over the ground to push India on the back foot. The pair appeared solid and were looking to run away with the victory as Pakistan needed just seven off the last over.

Asif’s dismissal off Arshdeep on the fourth delivery of the final over, however, gave a thrilling late twist to the match and the right-handed batter walked back sorrowly despite scoring a blistering 16 off eight deliveries, laced with two sixes and a boundary.

The twist and India’s comeback into the game, however, was denied by Iftikhar Ahmed, who slammed a full-toss over the bowler’s head to seal a thrilling opening victory for Pakistan in the Super Fours.

Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Pandya, Bhuvneshwar, and Arsheep all managed to pick one wicket apiece.

India, after being put into bat first by Pakistan captain Babar Azam, were off to a flying start as they added 54 runs for the first wicket in just six overs.

The duo appeared solid and were scoring at a rapid pace before Haris Rauf struck in his second over to hand Pakistan a much-needed breakthrough in the form of KL Rahul, who departed after scoring 28 off 20 deliveries, laced with a boundary and two sixes.

Following his departure, Rohit’s stay at the crease also remained brief as he perished in the next over to Shadab Khan, who struck on the first delivery of his brilliant spell. The right-handed batter also scored 20 off 16 deliveries with the help of three boundaries and two sixes.

India’s veteran batter Virat then took the responsibility and held his ground while the rest of the batters failed to score significantly with all-rounder Deepak Hooda contributing the most with his brief knock of 16 runs.

Pakistan bowlers did well to halt India’s march into the game and restricted the defending champions to 181/7 in 20 overs.

Virat top-scored for the side with a magnificent knock of 60 off a mere 44 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and a six.

Shadab was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan as he returned with brilliant bowling figures of 2/31, while Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, and Haris struck out a batter each.

Rizwan, Nawaz shine as Pakistan beat India in a thriller

DUBAI: Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz shone in a tense run chase before Asif Ali and Khushdil Shah bolstered the men in green to avenge their group match defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals India in the Asia Cup 2022 Super Fours.

PAK 182-4 (19.5 Overs)

Arshdeep to bowl the final over

PAK 175-4 (19 Overs)

Bhuvneshwar comes to bowl his last

PAK 156-4 (18 Overs)

Bishnoi comes to bowl his last

PAK 148-4 (17 Overs)

Pandya comes to bowl his last

PAK 139-3 (16 Overs)

15.3: Short of length around off, rolled his fingers over it. Nawaz looks to go over long-off but it bounces a little extra and Hooda pouches it calmly at the boundary.

Bhuvneshwar replaces Pandya

PAK 135-2 (15 Overs)

Chahal comes back

PAK 119-2 (14 Overs)

Pandya comes back into the attack

PAK 107-2 (13 Overs)

Arshdeep comes back into the attack

PAK 96-2 (12 Overs)

Bishnoi replaces Pandya

PAK 86-2 (11 Overs)

Chahal comes again

PAK 76-2 (10 Overs)

Pandya replaces Bishnoi

PAK 67-2 (9 Overs)

Chahal continues

PAK 57-1 (8 Overs)

Bishnoi replaces Arshdeep

PAK 51-1 (7 Overs)

Yuzvendra Chahal replaces Pandya

PAK 44-1 (6 Overs)

Arshdeep replaces Bishnoi

PAK 36-1 (5 Overs)

Hardik Pandya comes to bowl his first

PAK 22-1 (4 Overs)

3.4: Tried to jab it through midwicket, but ends up chipping it straight to the man!

Ravi Bishnoi comes to bowl his first

PAK 19-0 (3 Overs)

Bhuvneshwar continues

PAK 11-0 (2 Overs)

Arshdeep Singh to bowl from the other end

PAK 9-0 (1 Over)

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan come out to bat for Pakistan. Bhuvneshwar Kumar to lead the bowling attack.

PAKISTAN vs INDIA (2nd INNING)

Virat Kohli led the way for India with an astonishing knock of 60 runs after the openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul laid a solid foundation but Pakistan bowlers displayed a combined effort to reduce India to 181/7 in the high-octane clash Super 4s clash of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022.

IND 181-7 (20 Overs)

Haris to bowl the final over

IND 171-6 (19 Overs)

Naseem comes to bowl his last

IND 164-5 (18 Overs)

Hasnain replaces Shadab

IND 148-5 (17 Overs)

Haris replaces Hasnain

IND 140-5 (16 Overs)

Shadab comes to bowl his last

IND 135-5 (15 Overs)

Hasnain replaces Naseem

IND 126-4 (14 Overs)

13.5: Another googly from Shadab but this time he bowled it on a length outside leg. Pant went for the reverse sweep but ended up mistiming it straight to the fielder.

Shadab comes back

IND 118-3 (13 Overs)

Naseem comes back into the attack

IND 105-3 (12 Overs)

Nawaz comes to bowl his last

IND 101-3 (11 Overs)

Hasnain replaces Shadab

IND 93-3 (10 Overs)

5.4: Yadav made no attempt to keep that down, and the top edge meant it was straight down Asif Ali’s throat.

Nawaz comes again

IND 88-2 (9 Overs)

Shadab continues

IND 79-2 (8 Overs)

Nawaz replaces Haris

IND 71-2 (7 Overs)

6.1: Shadab strikes off the first ball. Got to the pitch but got neither the power nor the elevation, and Mohammad Nawaz takes a smart catch.

Shadab Khan replaces Nawaz

IND 62-1 (6 Overs)

5.1: It was up in the air for an aeon and Fakhar Zaman and Khushdil Shah bumped into each other and nearly made a hash of it. Khushdil just about clings on – very good catch, really. Sharma’s blitz comes to a close.

Haris continues

IND 54-0 (5 Overs)

Mohammad Nawaz replaces Naseem

IND 46-0 (4 Overs)

Haris Rauf replaces Hasnain

IND 34-0 (3 Overs)

Naseem continues

IND 20-0 (2 Overs)

Hasnain comes to bowl from the other end

IND 11-0 (1 Over)

KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma come out to bat for India. Naseem Shah to open the bowling attack for Pakistan.

PAKISTAN vs INDIA (1st INNING)

DUBAI: Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first in the high-voltage clash against the arch-rivals India in the Super Fours of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain

India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches-10, India-8, Pakistan-2

Pakistan win toss, elect to bowl first in high-octane clash against India

DUBAI: Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first in the high-voltage clash against the arch-rivals India in the Super Fours clash of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022.

PLAYING XIs

Pakistan make one change to their line-up as Mohammad Hasnain comes in for Shahnawaz Dahani, while India make three changes as Hardik Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, and Deepak Hooda come in for wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik, injured Ravindra Jadeja and Avesh Khan respectively.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain

India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches-10, India-8, Pakistan-2

Pakistan seek revenge, India eye to continue winning run in Asia Cup 2022

DUBAI: Cricket fever has reached its zenith as the two arch-rivals and Asia giants India and Pakistan are set to lock horns once again in a span of one week in the high-octane clash of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 Super Fours.

In less than a week, the arch-rivals will meet again, and they could do so two more times in the current year.

The two sides last met in the Group A fixture of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 when India edged past Pakistan by five wickets in a final-over thriller.

All-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya played the pivotal role in the much-needed victory for the defending champions as the duo put on a match-defining 52-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

India, however, will be missing the services of their last match’s top-scorer against arch-rivals Pakistan as Jadeja has been ruled out of the continental event with a knee injury. Whereas, their right-arm pacer Avesh Khan will also miss the anticipated clash due to fever.

The Green Shirts, however, who seek revenge to their last week’s bitter defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals India, sustained an alike setback as their young right-arm pacer Shahnawaz Dahani has been sidelined from the all-important clash with a side strain.

Despite Dahani’s unavailability, Pakistan still have two right-arm pacers – Mohammad Hasnain and Hasan Ali, who can fill into the Playing XI as suitable replacement.

Following the injuries scare, both sides will now be heavily relying on their top-order despite Babar Azam being out of touch, having managed to amass 19 in two matches.

On the other side, Pakistan will be hoping that their spin department works flawlessly and will be overjoyed if Naseem Shah manages to match his performance from the previous time the two Asian powerhouses met.

Before taking the field in a much-anticipated clash India are currently unbeaten in the tournament with two victories in two matches against Pakistan and Hong Kong respectively.

Pakistan, however, managed to win one game out of their two group fixtures against Hong Kong as they thrashed the associate side by a massive margin of 155 runs. The resounding victory might play a morale booster for the Green Shirts.
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Apart from all these factors, another component that holds importance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is the toss and due factor. It is often said the side winning the toss in UAE is more likely to win the match as well and the stats too proved it right from the ongoing Asia Cup 2022.

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches-10, India-8, Pakistan-2

‘His searing pace, keeps opponents on backfoot’ Haris praises Naseem

DUBAI: Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf heaped praise on the new entrant of the T20I team and young sensation, Naseem Shah, for his lightning-fast speed and the heroics that he played in the first two games of the Asia Cup 2022.

Pakistan are set to face the arch-rivals India for the second time in the ongoing Asia Cup on Sunday after the Green Shirts step into the Super Fours stage of the tournament with a thumping win by 155 runs against Hong Kong on Friday.

However, the team faced a major blow on Saturday when the right-arm pacer Shahnawaz Dahani was ruled out of the team due to a side strain injury.

Haris, on the other hand, looked confident to turn the tables this time as he believed that the team got a major boost after the resounding win in the last match.

“We kept it tight in the first match against India and got a thumping win against Hong Kong. We will try to keep this momentum in the Super 4 stage of the tournament,” he said as quoted by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“India-Pakistan games are always high-intensity matches and we are confident to produce a competitive clash on Sunday. It was a nail-biter last Sunday, which went into the last over but 4 September will be a new date and we are hopeful to cross the line this time in Dubai.” he added.

Furthermore, Haris hailed the 19-year-old Naseem for his fierce pace and keeping the batters under pressure which he believed proved beneficial for other bowlers of the team.

“I am really happy with the performance of my bowling line-up,” he said.

“Bowling partnerships are very important in this format of the game and I am really enjoying bowling with the young sensation Naseem Shah. Because of his searing pace, he keeps the opponents on the back foot, which gives an edge to the other bowlers.”

READ: Dahani ruled out of high-voltage clash against India after injury