The biggest clash of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, apart from the final, is scheduled to take place tomorrow i.e. Sunday, October 23, when India take on Pakistan in Super 12. The fixture will commence at 1:30 PM IST at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
After an early Asia Cup 2022 exit, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team made some serious assessments and displayed a high quality of cricket in the bilateral series against Australia and South Africa. The Indian team prevailed in those two series’ with a considerably good bowling performance, which will boost the bowling unit’s confidence after receiving flack for conceding excessive runs. India have a star-studded batting line-up, a top three with an esteemed experience in the shortest format and an explosive middle-order, which can turn the game upside down in no time. The Men in Blue will look for a comprehensive victory in the first game of the competition to kick-start their campaign on the higher note possible.
On the other hand, Pakistan will walk into this World Cup full of confidence after winning a Tri-Series in New Zealand and the return of their lethal left-arm pacer, Shaheen Shah Afridi. The last time when Afridi played against India in a World Cup fixture, he got the better of the Indian openers in his first two overs itself. Babar Azam and his clan will expect a similar kind of performance from the team’s go-to pacer. Pakistan undoubtedly has one of the most deadly pace attacks with the experienced Afridi along with Naseem Shah, who is breathing fire lately. The Pakistani camp will also be looking forward to a positive commencement to the tournament with a victory over the Indians and recreating the 2009 T20 World Cup glory.
Head-to-Head:
In the head-to-head competition between the two teams in the shortest format, India have the upper hand. The neighbouring countries have collided in the shortest format 11 times, India won eight times while Pakistan emerged victorious thrice. In the last outing between the two teams in the shortest format, Pakistan won by five wickets.
In the ICC Men’s T20 World Cups, the arch-rivals have squared off against each other on six occasions, India came on top on five instances while Pakistan won just once. When the last time, these two giants of world cricket played against each other, Pakistan won by 10 wickets.
Where to watch:
TV – Star Sports Network
OTT – Disney+ Hotstar