Tag: Pakistan vs India

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has warned India ahead of their blockbuster clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Pakistan and India will lock horns for the eighth time in a T20 World Cup when they square off at the newly-built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 9.

The two teams boast contrasting momentums in the ongoing tournament as India eased past Ireland by eight wickets in the campaign opener while Pakistan succumbed to a humiliating defeat against the USA.

However, Aakash Chopra believes that Pakistan is an unpredictable team and is more dangerous when wounded.

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“There will be pressure (on both teams). Pakistan are generally a dangerous side when they’re wounded, and that’s exactly how they’re right now after losing to the USA. If they lose to India, their campaign will be as good as over. You’ve got to be really careful,” Chopra told IANS.

The player-turned-commentator also acknowledged the importance of the toss, considering the pitch conditions in New York.

“The toss will be very crucial on this (New York) surface, but I still feel that India should start as favourites because our team is a lot better than theirs,” Chopra added.

For the unversed, out of seven matches played thus far between the arch-rivals, India emerged victorious six times while Pakistan tasted triumph only once.

READ: T20 World Cup 2024: Akeal Hosein takes five as West Indies decimate Uganda

Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle has predicted the winner of the much-anticipated T20 World Cup 2024 clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India, scheduled on June 9.

Gayle handpicked India to win the match against Pakistan, considering the recent form of both teams. However, he also stated that anything can happen in a high-octane clash.

“India are in the driver’s seat, definitely a more relaxed seat. But this is India vs Pakistan at a World Cup, so you can take nothing for granted,” Chris Gayle told ICC.

“Their (Pakistan) backs are up against the wall and coming off a loss like that straight into playing a team like India, who traditionally have the upper hand in these games, is a huge challenge.”

The two-time T20 World Cup winner also expressed shock over USA’s upset victory over the Green Shirts.

“Like the rest of the cricketing world, I was gripped by the USA’s victory over Pakistan. It is a huge result which is not only incredible for them but massive for cricket as a whole.

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“You always expect a few upsets at World Cups and having started well by beating Canada, USA put Pakistan under the pump for pretty much the whole game. I think it marks the day the World Cup really started.”

For the unversed, Pakistan and India will lock horns for the eighth time in a T20 World Cup when they square off at the newly-built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 9.

Out of seven matches played thus far between the arch-rivals, India emerged victorious six times while Pakistan tasted triumph only once.

The two teams boast contrasting momentums as India eased past Ireland by eight wickets in the campaign opener while Pakistan succumbed to a humiliating defeat against the USA.

Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub.

India squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya (vc), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

READ: Rohit Sharma wary of Pakistan’s potential to bounce back

NEW YORK: Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten shared that all-rounder Imad Wasim is fit and available for the team’s blockbuster T20 World Cup 2024 clash against arch-rivals India, scheduled on June 9.

Kirsten addressed the pre-match conference on the eve of the highly-anticipated fixture between arch-rivals Pakistan and India and confirmed Imad Wasim’s availability for the big game. He also expressed his hope for a turnaround for the Green Shirts in the tournament.

“Imad Wasim will be available for the match against India,” Kirsten confirmed.

“We will make a comeback in tomorrow’s match hopefully. I don’t like to dwell on the past, we will forget the previous loss [against the USA] and focus on the match [against India] and play excellent cricket,” he added.

Kirsten then discussed the nature of the T20s and emphasized the need to improve decision-making to excel in the format.

Just like Indian captain Rohit Sharma, Gary Kirsten asserted that playing a couple of games at a venue would not benefit a team.

“Things change quickly in T20s, we have to move the decision-making,” Kirsten said. “Nobody gets an advantage if a team plays two or four more games here.”

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Kirsten then went on to share that Pakistan’s Playing XI has not been finalized as of yet as the management is analyzing a few players’ fitness.

“We are looking at the fitness of a couple of players so the playing XI has not been decided yet. The players know about [the game of] one another, we will have to play our best game according to the conditions.”

For the unversed, Pakistan and India will lock horns for the eighth time in a T20 World Cup when they square off at the newly-built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on June 9.

Out of seven matches played thus far between the arch-rivals, India emerged victorious six times while Pakistan tasted triumph only once.

The two teams boast contrasting momentums as India eased past Ireland by eight wickets in the campaign opener while Pakistan succumbed to a humiliating defeat against the USA.

Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub.

India squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya (vc), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

READ: Rohit Sharma wary of Pakistan’s potential to bounce back

NEW YORK: India’s captain Rohit Sharma was unfazed by Pakistan’s upset defeat against the United States of America (USA) ahead of the blockbuster T20 World Cup 2024 clash between arch-rivals, scheduled on June 9.

Rohit while speaking at the pre-match press conference here on Saturday, expressed his belief that Pakistan can make a turnaround in the ongoing tournament, stating that the Green Shirts played the final of the previous edition despite losing to Zimbabwe.

“This is the special nature of T20 cricket – anything can happen. Even in the last T20 World Cup, Pakistan lost to Zimbabwe, but it was eventually Pakistan in the final as well,” stated Rohit.

“If the opposition lost the last match, that doesn’t mean they will lose again or play badly. will surely have analysed their mistakes,” he added.

The Indian captain then denied the claims of having an advantage of knowing the conditions better than their opposition, considering the fact that India have played two matches – a warm-up against Bangladesh and their campaign opener against Ireland – at the newly-built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

“In New York, the conditions and opportunities will be the same for both teams. We have been here for just six or seven days; this is not our home ground,” Rohit said.

“The team that plays well will win; it doesn’t matter who arrived in New York first. We don’t know what the wicket will be like,” he added.

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Rohit Sharma further reiterated the need for the players to play to their full potential.

“No matter the pitch or the opponent, we have to play our best cricket. We have discussed the game plan for the match against Pakistan and we will play according to the situation.

“The team is full of experienced players, and we expect the best from them. We cannot rely on just one or two players; all eleven have to play their part.”

For the unversed, Pakistan and India will lock horns for the eighth time in a T20 World Cup.

Out of seven matches played thus far between the arch-rivals, India emerged victorious six times while Pakistan tasted triumph only once.

The two teams boast contrasting momentums as India eased past Ireland by eight wickets in the campaign opener while Pakistan succumbed to a humiliating defeat against the USA.

Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Babar Azam (c), Abrar Ahmed, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub.

India squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Rohit Sharma (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya (vc), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

READ: Babar Azam highlights shortcomings after USA upset Pakistan

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly warned India ahead of their upcoming blockbuster clash against arch-rivals Pakistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to run from June 1 to 29.

Ganguly mentioned India’s superior record against Pakistan in the World Cups but acknowledged the Green Shirts as more dangerous in the shortest format.

“Our record against Pakistan has been very, very good over a long period of time. In the T20 format, probably Pakistan is more dangerous compared to 50- overs (format). We beat them in Ahmedabad when they came to India and we beat them easily,” stated Ganguly.

“India is superior and if they play well, if they play freely and I keep saying the word ‘freely’ all the time because (in) the last World Cup in Australia, I don’t think we played freely.

“Just put all the cobwebs behind. Don’t worry about winning or losing. Don’t think about winning the World Cup. Just go and play every game.”

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Sourav Ganguly further claimed that the inaugural champions “have very good chances” in the forthcoming mega event, highlighting their immense talent.

“India have very good chances in the World Cup. India will have to play like a T20 team. There is enormous talent,” he said.

“Play without fear and just keep hitting. There is enormous talent, (this is) a team which has (Virat) Kohli, Rohit (Sharma), Surya (Suryakumar Yadav), (Rishabh) Pant, (Shivam) Dubey, (Hardik) Pandya, (Ravindra) Jadeja, Axar (Patel), (Jasprit) Bumrah, Sanju (Samson),” he said when asked about India’s chances.

“That’s why I say everyone is capable of winning it for India and the only way they will do it is (if they) just play with freedom.

“Play with that extra batsman and hit from the first ball, hit till you have to defend (and) play like the last ball,” he added.

Notably, India, alongside Pakistan, Canada, Ireland and the co-host United States of America (USA) are placed in Group A.

They will start their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on June 5 before taking on Pakistan on June 9 in New York.

India Squad for T20 World Cup 2024

Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj.

Reserves: Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Avesh Khan.

READ: Rashid Latif has an advice for Babar Azam ahead of T20 World Cup 2024

DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday revealed the on-field umpires for the high-octane clash between India and Pakistan during the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Richard Illingworth and Rodney Tucker are slated to fulfil their duties as on-field umpires during the highly anticipated Group A match. Pakistan and India will square off on June 9 in New York.

Illingworth is also named as the on-field umpire for the opening game of the event between co-hosts United States of America (USA) and Canada.

Bangladesh’s Shahid Saikat will join him on the field, becoming the first umpire from the country to officiate at the Men’s T20 World Cup.

Richie Richardson will serve as the match referee, while Sam Nogajski will be the TV umpire and Langton Rusere will serve as the fourth umpire for the tournament opener.

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The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 is slated to run from June 1 to 29 and will be co-hosted by the USA and West Indies. The tournament kicks off with co-host USA taking on Canada in the curtain raiser at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.

The ninth edition of the mega event features a record 20 teams, divided into four groups. The top two teams from each of the groups will qualify for the Super Eight phase, where the sides will be split into two groups of four.

The top two teams in each group will then make their way to the semi-finals.

The Match Officials for the T20 World Cup 2024

Umpires: Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Allahudien Paleker, Richard Kettleborough, Jayaraman Madanagopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski, Ahsan Raza, Rashid Riaz, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Shahid Saikat, Rodney Tucker, Alex Wharf, Joel Wilson and Asif Yaqoob.

Match referees: David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson and Javagal Srinath.

READ: Hasan Ali released from the Pakistan squad

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh termed Pakistan a tricky challenge for India ahead of their much-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 clash.

Two of the most fierce competitors in the game of cricket — Pakistan and India — will lock horns at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 9.

Meanwhile, former spinner Harbhajan, while talking to a local news channel, asserted that the seizure of the bilateral series between the two cricketing nations will make the encounter a tricky one.

“At the end of the day, playing against Pakistan is always (tricky) as both countries do not play much against each other. We do not know much about their strong and weak zones but the Indian management keeps track of every player and their strong and weak zones,” Harbhajan said.

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Harbhajan Singh also acknowledged Pakistan’s bowling department’s mental and physical strength but insisted that the Indian team will counter them.

“In the bowling department too, Pakistan bowlers keep themselves mentally and physically strong. These aspects will be taken care of by the Indian team. These things will come into play when both sides will battle it out on the field,” he said.

Earlier, Harbhajan Singh slamed at the idea of drop-in pitches for the blockbuster clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, raising concerns about the unpredictability of the surface.

“Pitches there [Nassau Cricket Stadium] are known to none to be honest. Even the pitch curators might not know how many times will this pitch last. How much heat would be there how much water has been put in? How much bounce would it offer?,” Harbhajan said during a press conference.

“Once those practice games are played there, then we will get to know how the pitch is acting. And then we can think about combinations. Prior knowing that, we can’t say about team combinations.”

READ: Virat Kohli plays down hype around Pakistan-India T20 World Cup clash

Right-handed batter Virat Kohli played down the hype of the highly-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India.

Two of the most fierce competitors in the game of cricket — Pakistan and India — will lock horns at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 9.

The anticipation and excitement of cricket fans around the globe have soared to the top but Virat Kohli asserted that the frenzy is way more than what happens on the field.

“The frenzy around and outside the game is way more than what happens on the field. An instinctive person always remains in the present. So, forget June 9, I can just do what I have to do now after one hour,” stated Kohli.

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Virat Kohli then went on to express his hunger to excel in the tournament while also claiming that India will do well in the T20 World Cup 2024.

“I can say I’m as hungry as ever. Once there is no hunger, you won’t see my in any tournament. If I don’t have that mindset, I can’t play. There is an energy in such tournaments and once there’s a good atmosphere within the team, it’s a beautiful journey. We had one in the last World Cup. We really enjoyed the World Cup. I’m sure we’ll have a really good tournament this time as well,” Kohli said.

Kohli boasts a dominant record against arch-rivals Pakistan in T20Is, the highlight of which was his unbeaten 82-run knock in the blockbuster ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 bout at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

He is currently enjoying a purple patch with the bat, currently leading the run charts in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Inaugural champions India will start their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Ireland on June 5 before taking on Pakistan in the blockbuster clash on June 9.

READ: Nida Dar becomes leading wicket-taker in Women’s T20Is

BIRMINGHAM: Edgbaston Cricket Ground is all set to transform into the Fan Park for the highly-anticipated ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India on June 9.

According to the details, the cricket stadium here will accommodate up to 8,000 fans after the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed the venue among just a few of the host venues globally.

This is the first instance when the ICC is giving the United Kingdom (UK) fans an opportunity to watch the eagerly-anticipated clash on the big screen.

Comedian and cricket commentator Aatif Nawaz will take the stage, alongside former India and Pakistan players, as part of the build-up for the match.

Edgbaston Chief Executive Stuart Cain expressed his delight over being chosen as one of the few venues as the Fan Park for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

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Cain further reiterated that Pakistan and Indian fans can generate enough energy to replicate the atmosphere during their 2019 World Cup match at the Old Trafford.

“We’re the only venue in the country to have been chosen by the ICC as a T20 World Cup Fan Zone location which is amazing.

“It’s an opportunity for our local communities to really feel part of the T20 World Cup experience and I’m sure it will be a fantastic occasion.

“Pakistan and India fans generated an electric atmosphere here in the 2019 Cricket World Cup and I’ve no doubt we can get close to replicating that in the Fan Zone.”

In addition to enjoying live commentary during the game, fans may participate in cricket skill challenges and observe cultural performances from the Pakistani and Indian communities at the family picnic area.

ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley explained the importance of the Fan Parks, stating they are essential to taking the World Cup fever to more people across the globe.

“Fan parks are an important part of bringing World Cups to more people across the globe,” he said, “and we are delighted Edgbaston Stadium will be hosting the screening of one of cricket’s biggest rivalries.

“I am sure there will be a great atmosphere on the day and based on previous India and Pakistan matches that have taken place at Edgbaston it will be an occasion not to be missed.”

READ: ICC reveals details about Pakistan-India T20 World Cup 2024 venue

The International Cricket Council (ICC) disclosed important insights regarding the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, poised to host the highly-anticipated Pakistan-India clash at the T20 World Cup 2024.

The newly built cricket stadium in New York will host a total of eight matches, including two involving Pakistan and India each, amid the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Chris Tetley, head of events at the ICC, confirmed that the Nassau County ground is capable of meeting international standards with ease and is equivalent to the size of the renowned Wankhede Stadium.

The venue is also enriched with a world-class drainage facility, crucial for ensuring uninterrupted play.

“Whenever a new stadium comes up, there are a lot of questions about the size. But the Nassau County ground is not a token-sized ground – it is 75 yards east west and 67 yards north south from the centre. It is similar to the size of Wankhede. The drainage facilities, too, will be world-class,” Tetley said.

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For the unversed, Nassau County Stadium will feature drop-in pitches for the tournament. A total of 10 pitches, under the supervision of Damian Hough, head curator of Adelaide Oval, were prepared in Florida and transported to New York.

Meanwhile, Hough predicted the nature of the drop-in pitches, stating it would be bouncy and the ball would come onto the bat.

“The pitches will have pace and bounce and the ball should come on to the bat, something that the players prefer. The idea is to produce good pitches that will stay good throughout the tournament and the players will enjoy playing on,” Hough said.

READ: Shoaib Malik opines on Pakistan’s opening pair for T20 World Cup 2024