https://arab.news/2zzu4
- Opener Saim Ayub says Pakistan eyeing not just beating India but also lifting Asia Cup tournament
- India’s lethal bowling arsenal comprises likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah
ISLAMABAD: All eyes will be on Dubai as an unpredictable Pakistan cricket team takes on arch-rivals India at the Dubai International Stadium today, Sunday, in arguably the most anticipated clash of the Asia Cup tournament so far.
This is the first cricket match between the Asian giants after the militaries of both countries engaged in a days-long battle in May. Over 70 people were killed on both sides of the border as India and Pakistan attacked each other with drones, fighter jets, missiles and artillery fire before Washington brokered a truce on May 10.
India will head into the match as favorites, having won the last couple of encounters between the two sides in the shortest format of the game. A new-look Pakistan squad without former skipper Babar Azam and ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan will look to deliver a decisive blow to India in the Asia Cup tournament under new leader Salman Ali Agha.
Speaking to the reporters on Saturday night, Pakistan’s left-handed opener Saim Ayub said his team was not just looking forward to beating India, but also lifting the Asia Cup.
“It’s a big game, and fans from both countries care deeply about it,” Ayub said. “But it’s important for us to follow our processes in the same way, and work on improving our execution.”
Pakistan head into the match with some confidence as well, winning the tri-nation series against the UAE and Afghanistan last week. The Green Shirts opened their account in the Asia Cup courtesy of a dominating 93-run victory over minnows Oman on Friday.
India also enjoyed an impressive start to the tournament, beating the UAE by nine wickets. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s side chased UAE’s paltry 58-run target in just 4.3 overs and with nine wickets to spare earlier this week.
India have a strong bowling attack in the form of Jasprit Bumrah and spinners Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy. Pakistan will look to their pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and spinners Sufyan Moqeem, Abrar Ahmed and Mohammad Nawaz to deliver the goods.
Agha and Ayub can also function as part-time spinners for Pakistan will Faheem Ashraf can be used as a seamer for the Green Shirts.
India have a strong batting lineup with the explosive Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson and skipper Yadav in the top order. Pakistan will look for their aggressive batters Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz to strike the ball hard against India’s spin attack to post a formidable score on the board.
India and Pakistan do not play against each other bilaterally due to political tensions. Both countries only face off at multi-nation tournaments and at neutral venues.
India resisted calls to boycott the Asia Cup T20 group-stage match between the two countries, who have not played in any bilateral series since the deadly attacks in Mumbai in 2008 that Delhi blamed on Pakistan-based militants, a charge Islamabad denied.
The match between the two sides is expected to begin at 7:30 p.m. as per Pakistan Standard Time.
SQUADS:
India (probable): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sanju Samson (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Varun Chakravarthy
Pakistan (probable): 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Salman Agha (capt), 5 Hasan Nawaz, 6 Mohammad Haris (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Sufiyan Muqeem, 11 Abrar Ahmed