Pakistan’s cricket team is riding high after a win over the USA, setting a confident tone for their high-stakes T20 World Cup match against arch-rivals India this Sunday.
PAKISTAN declared themselves “confident” of taking down bitter rivals India after warming up with a 32-run win against the USA on Tuesday. The Group A victory was a timely boost ahead of Sunday’s high-octane clash with the defending champions in Colombo.
The match is now back on after the Islamabad government called off a boycott 24 hours previously. Opener Sahibzada Farhan, who top-scored with 73 against the USA, said the team is in a positive mood.
“We used to beat India in the 1990s and before so don’t count the recent record or only the ICC event record, we used to win against them frequently,” said spinner Tariq Usman, who took 3-27. Pakistan’s record against India in ICC tournaments is dismal, with just one win in eight T20 World Cup encounters.
They have also lost all eight meetings in the 50-over World Cup. In last year’s T20 Asian Cup, India beat Pakistan three times on their way to lifting the trophy in Dubai.
Farhan promised a different outcome this time. “This time it will be different and we will give a strong performance,” he said. He noted that the Asia Cup losses, including the final, were not one-sided matches.
Two wins from two World Cup matches have kick-started Pakistan’s campaign. They entered the tournament on the back of a 3-0 home T20 series win against Australia.
“Wins always give you confidence and we will take this confidence into Sunday’s game,” Farhan added. India will face Namibia in New Delhi on Thursday before flying to Sri Lanka for Sunday’s blockbuster, the most lucrative clash in world cricket.