DUBAI (Kashmir English): Pakistan face arch-rivals India in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy blockbuster today with no room for error for the Green Shirts.
The match will be played in front of a full house at the 25,000-capacity Dubai International Stadium with Pakistan having no room for error.
Pakistan need to down India to stay in the eight-nation competition for a place in the knockouts as another defeat will virtually end their chances to win the title.
The match will take place at a neutral venue; Dubai after India refused to travel to tournament hosts Pakistan due to political tensions. The two nations only meet in multi-nation events because of a political clash. India last visited Pakistan in 2008, for the Asia Cup.
Dubai International Stadium has a capacity of 25,000 but hundreds of millions more would be watching the match on their television screens.
Ultimate grudge match of the Champions Trophy
It’s a do-or-die for Pakistan as the country needs nothing less than a win against their arch-rivals today. Pakistan flopped to a 60-run loss in the opener of the Champions Trophy against New Zealand on February 19.
Men in Green were well beaten by New Zealand in the opening game of the ODI competition in Karachi and now realistically need to down favourites India to stay in the hunt for a semi-final berth in the tournament.
On the other hand, India is not under as much pressure as Pakistan when they face each other today. In their first match, the Men in Blue beat Bangladesh on Thursday by six wickets.
India have edge over Pakistan in the recent past. In fact, India have not lost an ODI against their neighbours since 2017.
Interestingly, India have managed to win only two out of five ICC Champions Trophy matches played against Pakistan so far in the last 21 years.
The top two teams from each of the two groups make the semi-finals.
Pakistan also suffered a big loss on Wednesday when star batter Fakhar Zaman suffered a muscle injury. He has been ruled out of the tournament with Imam-ul-Haq to be the replacement.
Pakistan and India last met in a one-day game at the 2023 World Cup in Ahmedabad, with hosts India winning by seven wickets. Victory for India today would brighten their chances of reaching the last four stage.
