Pakistan had a slimmer hope of qualifying for the semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2022. But somehow they managed to do it as the Netherlands defeated South Africa is a major shocker.
Pakistan cricket has a knack for coming out on top when faced with impossible odds in the world cup.
Twenty-seven years and a generation apart, Pakistan’s World Cup bears striking similarities with their 1992 campaign — when they started slowly but ended up lifting the trophy in Melbourne.
Then they managed to defeat New Zealand to qualify for the finals of the T20 World Cup. Now, the whole cricketing world can see a real prospect of the India vs Pakistan final.
Any India vs Pakistan match is a thriller and the world, particularly the Indian subcontinent remains at a standstill, glued to their screen when it happens. A world cup final between the two countries makes it even more thrilling.
The cricketing legend and opener from Sri Lanka, Sanath Jayasuriya called the prospect of the India-Pakistan final mouth-watering stuff.
India vs England semi-final today will decide
India clashes with England in the semi-final and if India does manage to come on top today, the cricketing world is going to get the ultimate game — India vs Pakistan final.
Veteran cricketer Mohammad Kaif Tweeted “This World deserve India/pak final.
It is clear that cricket needs such a contest between India and Pakistan which has a long history of rivalry between them. The contest keeps the fans on edge.
Not all cricket fans want India Pak Final in the world cup. Some believe it is too much stress to see the contest.
India no longer tours Pakistan for cricket and the same goes for Pakistan visiting India for cricket. There is a political compulsion and on the other side for cricketing boards and ICC, no other contest can fetch the commercial benefits that the India-Pak contest does.
It was a clear question for Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, to face in his post-match presser after the Pakistan-New Zealand semi-final.
When questioned if Pakistan were to face India in the final, there would be a lot of pressure and what the team is preparing to do in such a scenario, Azam said they always try to overcome their challenges and plan to play ‘fearless cricket.’
“We can’t say right now which opponent we will be facing in the final. No matter which opponent comes, we will try to give our 100 percent. We always try to overcome challenges, and a final is bound to have pressure. You enter the final after passing through different phases in a tournament. When you reach the final, you try to play fearless cricket. The kind of cricket we have played in the last 3-4 matches, we would look to continue that,” he said.
India will take on England on Thursday at Adelaide. The match will start at 1:30 pm IST, and the coin toss will be done 30 minutes prior to the match.
