New York. The Indian team, full of confidence and having adapted to the conditions, will take on arch-rival Pakistan on Sunday in a much talked about match of the T20 World Cup on the tricky pitch of Nassau County, whose morale has been shattered by the unexpected defeat in the first match itself. The match which will attract the most crowd in the tournament will be played at the 34000 capacity Nassau County International Stadium. The pitch of this ground has been a topic of constant discussion. After heavy criticism, the ICC officially accepted it. So far, in the six innings of three matches played at this stadium, teams have been able to cross hundred runs only twice.
Former cricketers also wonder how cricket will be promoted in the American market through low-scoring matches. Four ‘drop-in’ pitches were laid here in April under the guidance of Adelaide Oval groundsman Damien House, which have not yet set. The uneven bounce from the pitch is raising questions about the safety of the batsmen. Indian captain Rohit Sharma suffered a shoulder injury in the match against Ireland due to which he had to leave the field. Rohit had said after the match, “Honestly, I do not know what to expect from the pitch. We will prepare according to the situation. Every player will have to contribute in the match against Pakistan.”
A day after India’s match, ICC had to issue a statement to clear all doubts about the pitch. Pakistan team has not played at Nassau Stadium yet. Pakistan team, which lost to America in the first match, reached here on Thursday night only. They have not got a chance to acclimatize to the conditions, which can be detrimental for them. If they lose to India, their path to enter the Super Eight stage will become almost impossible. Against Ireland, India did not field left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and an additional specialist fast bowler was given a place.
The same combination is expected against Pakistan as the match will be played on a new turf. South Africa and Netherlands are playing on a different turf on June 8. Kuldeep can be fielded considering his current form and his usefulness against Pakistani batsmen, especially Babar Azam. In such a situation, one of Akshar Patel or Ravindra Jadeja will have to stay out. In batting, Rohit and Virat Kohli will open the innings while Rishabh Pant will come at number three. On the other hand, the biggest challenge before Pakistan is to forget the defeat in the first match.
The defeat in the super over in the first match against America proved once again why the Pakistan team is considered so unpredictable. Babar blamed the bowlers for the defeat but it should not be forgotten that the batsmen also disappointed. Babar himself played 43 balls to score 44 runs. However, on a pitch that favors fast bowlers, Pakistan’s fast attack led by Shaheen Shah Afridi has the power to wreak havoc provided they do justice to their potential. After the terrorist threat from ISIS at the beginning of the tournament, tight security measures have been taken for the match. Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder recently gave information about the security arrangements. He said, “The security arrangements for the India-Pakistan match are the same as those made a few years ago to welcome the then US President Barack Obama.”
Teams: India: Rohit Sharma (captain), Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan.
Match time: From 8 pm.
Disclaimer: CricketInFocus has not edited this news. This news has been published from PTI-language feed.
