Pakistan will begin its T20 World Cup campaign against archrival India today at the Dubai International Stadium.
Billions of cricket fans around the world will be glued to their television screens, and nearly 30,000 spectators will fill the stadium to watch the match between the two former champions, which begins at 7:00 pm Pakistan Standard Time.
Also Read; Pak vs Ind Politicos unite in support of Babar Azam and co
What did Pakistan and India say?
India won the inaugural tournament in 2007, defeating Pakistan by five runs at The Wanderers in Johannesburg, before Pakistan won the trophy in 2009 at Lord’s, defeating Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
Pakistan and India first met in the T20 format at the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup in Durban, which India won in a Bowl-Out after both teams finished on 141 runs. Since then, the two teams have met four more times in the T20 World Cup, including the final of the 2007 edition.
India is ranked second in the ICC T20I Rankings, while Pakistan is ranked third, just five points behind. Pakistan’s opponent on Tuesday, New Zealand, is fourth with 257 points.
The Green Shirts’ victory today narrows the gap between the two sides to one point, with India dropping to 264 points and Pakistan rising to 263 points, while a win over New Zealand on Tuesday could move Pakistan into second place on the ICC rankings.
The United Arab Emirates served as Pakistan’s home ground from 2009 until 2019, when Test cricket returned to the country.
During this time, Pakistan reached No. 1 in the T20I Team Rankings after winning 21 of 36 T20Is, with 13 losses and two ties.
What did Pakistan and India say?
In a virtual press conference ahead of the crucial match, Pakistan captain Babar Azam downplayed his team’s poor record against India, which has resulted in no wins in the T20 World Cup so far.
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