Match details
India vs Pakistan
New York, 10:30 a.m. local time
The big picture: Make or break for Pakistan
So, here we are again. India seem stable. Pakistan are not. As it always is in the run up to the most anticipated match of the World Cup.
Form Guide
India WWWWW (last 5 completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan Wow
Pitches and conditions: What pitches will they be played on and how?
One of the consequences of building an international cricket stadium on park land in record time was the substandard quality of the drop-in pitch, which was grown in Florida and shipped to New York.
South Africa achieved their target with some difficulty, dismissing Sri Lanka for 77 on the first pitch. India dismissed Ireland for 96 two days later on the fourth pitch, in a match in which Harry Tector, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant were hit on the body and unpredictable bounce, exaggerated seam action and slow outfield movement made it very difficult to score. Following widespread criticism, the ICC acknowledged the problem and said it was trying to find a solution.
On Friday, Canada became the first team to score more than 100 in New York, defending 137 against Ireland by 12 runs on Pitch 4. On Saturday, South Africa played the Netherlands on a fresh Pitch 2. The Netherlands could only score 103 for 9, but South Africa took 12 for 4 and eventually won by four wickets. However, David Miller said his team was in better form on Pitch 2 than on Pitch 1, so India and Pakistan are likely to play on Pitch 4 or 2.
Fast bowlers have so far dominated the game in New York – Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammed Amir and Haris Rauf for Pakistan and Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya for India – and unless the situation changes dramatically, both teams’ batsmen will be forced into a tough battle.
The weather in New York was sunny the night before the match, but some weather sites are predicting rain on Sunday morning.
Team news
India are likely to play with the same line-up that beat Ireland by eight wickets with 46 balls remaining.
India (Predictions): 1 Rohit Sharma (captain), 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rishabh Pant (weekend), 4 Suriya Kumar Yadav, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Akshar Patel, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mohammed Siraj
Imad Wasim missed Pakistan’s clash with the United States with a rib cage injury but head coach Gary Kirsten said he was fit and will play against India, while Azam Khan, who had a golden duck in Dallas, may be left out.
Pakistan (Prediction): 1 Mohammed Rizwan (wk), 2 Babar Azam (captain), 3 Usman Khan, 4 Fakhar Zaman, 5 Shadab Khan, 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Mohammed Amir, 11 Haris Rauf
Get noticed
Babar Azam His performance against the USA was shocking – four off 14 balls in the powerplay, 24 balls before the first boundary and then dismissed for 44 off 43 balls just when Pakistan desperately needed him to continue the momentum they had so recently snatched. He failed to inspire his team on the field as one blunder after another led to an embarrassing defeat. Babar retired as captain in November and returned in March but his leadership could be severely questioned if Sunday’s game does not go Pakistan’s way.
India’s choice Shivam Dube He has been selected in the XI as a left-handed bowler who disrupts spin, mainly in the middle overs, but that role will not be played to much of a role against Pakistan. Dube has never been a particularly good fast bowler but he overcame that weakness for Chennai Super Kings, averaging 44 runs at a strike-rate of 164 against fast bowlers in IPL 2024. Passing the Test against Afridi, Naseem, Rauf and Amir could put an end to this debate.
Statistics and Trivia
- In the first four T20 World Cup matches played in New York, fast bowlers have taken 45 wickets and spinners have bagged just 10. At this venue, teams have bowled just 115.2 overs by fast bowlers and 27.2 by spinners.
Quote
“That’s what’s unique about T20 cricket. Anything can happen anywhere. In the last World Cup, Pakistan lost to Zimbabwe, but they ended up reaching the final.”
Rohit Sharma On whether India is wary of a shaky Pakistan counterattack.
“The India-Pakistan match is an important one. I don’t need to motivate the team anymore. The players are highly motivated and focused on the match. We have to forget about the last few days and just move forward. That’s the only way to face life.”
Head Coach Gary Kirsten This will be the first time they will be on the Pakistani side in this rivalry.
George Binoy is Deputy Editor at ESPNcricinfo.
