Cricket’s fiercest rivals India and Pakistan will come face to face in a highly anticipated T20 World Cup 2024 match for the first time in the United States.
India head into the Group A match on the back of a comfortable win over Ireland, while Pakistan are under pressure after suffering a shock defeat to co-hosts USA in the opener.
Security arrangements in Long Island have been increased to an unprecedented level for a sports event, multiple screening events are planned across the world and tickets are selling like hotcakes.
Here’s everything you need to know about cricket’s marquee fixture:
When is India vs Pakistan?
The match will be played on Sunday, June 9. It will start at 10:30am local (14:30 GMT). For viewers in India and Pakistan, it would be at 8pm and 7:30pm respectively.
Where is India vs Pakistan?
The match will be held at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Long Island, New York. It has a capacity of 34,000.
How’s the New York pitch?
The temporary Nassau County International Cricket Stadium has hosted three games so far. The first two were low-scoring encounters that favoured seam bowlers due to the nature of the drop-in pitch. Batters found it difficult to hit big shots due to the movement and bounce.
Following criticism from fans and ex-players, the International Cricket Council has said the pitches have not been up to standard and ground staff are working on remedying them for the rest of the tournament.
The third match, between Ireland and Canada, saw both teams post scores above 100 but the pitch remained tricky.
The India-Pakistan match is expected to be played on a new surface.
Are there any security concerns for India vs Pakistan?
The Governor of New York State, Kathy Hochul, said last week that security arrangements in New York would be “elevated” for the tournament, especially before the marquee clash between India and Pakistan.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said his teams are not taking the match lightly and termed it like the “Super Bowl on steroids” when it comes to fan interest.
Ryder told Indian newspaper Deccan Herald that the security for the match “is possibly more than the one we offer the president”.
Where can I get tickets for India vs Pakistan?
General tickets for the match have been sold out, but limited premium tickets are still available on the official ICC platform, ranging from $1,500 to $10,000.
Ticket resale websites are offering tickets for the “hottest event” as well, with prices starting at $980 and reaching up to a whopping $17,475.
How is New York gearing up for the match?
The ICC has arranged official fan parks for fans who could not travel to the host city.
In New York, India vs Pakistan will be broadcast live for fans at Oculus World Trade Center and Cedar Creek Park. Fan parks will also be arranged at Epic Central in Texas and Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center. Most of these venues have been sold out as well.
Apart from the US, the ICC has arranged fan parks in New Delhi, India and Rawalpindi, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom and South Africa.
The watch party at citi field for the India vs Pakistan @T20WorldCup match, which is being played in Long Island has been sold out.
That’s two NYC stadiums sold out for this match pic.twitter.com/dzTtv5XYtY
— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) May 30, 2024
What’s the weather going to be like in New York?
There is a forecast for rain in the morning, which could interrupt the fixture.
What happens if rain interrupts a T20 World Cup match?
In case of adverse weather conditions or other interruptions, an additional 90 minutes will be allotted to all morning and afternoon fixtures, and 60 minutes to all evening fixtures.
In case of a shortened match, each team will have to complete five overs for a result to be declared.
There is no reserve day for group-stage games.
What happens if the India vs Pakistan match is tied?
All tied matches will proceed to a super over. And if that too is tied, subsequent super overs will be played until a winner emerges.
Plenty of smiles at India training in New York on Friday ahead of their #T20WorldCup match against Pakistan, with a player from a rival camp making a surprise visit 👀 pic.twitter.com/P1waTuAgqp
— ICC (@ICC) June 8, 2024
How to watch and follow India vs Pakistan?
Al Jazeera will have live text and photo coverage of the match from 09:00 GMT.
The match will be broadcast and streamed live through various rights holders. Disney Star will broadcast the match in India, while PTV and Ten Sports have the rights in Pakistan.
Who is the favourite to win?
India are favourites to win this match owing to their dominant head-to-head record.
In the seven times the teams have met at the T20 World Cup, India have won six times, including a bowl-out, while Pakistan have won only once.
What’s the history of India vs Pakistan at the ICC T20 World Cup?
- 2007 (group match) – Johannesburg: India edged Pakistan in a bowl-out after the match was tied at the end of both innings.
- 2007 (final) – Johannesburg: India won the first T20 World Cup after defeating Pakistan by five runs in the final. The inexperienced Joginder Sharma bowled a fantastic final over, while Irfan Pathan and RP Singh also played key roles, picking up three wickets each.
- 2012 – Colombo: India registered a comfortable eight-wicket win over Pakistan in the group stage, as the bowlers bundled out Pakistan for just 128 runs, with Lakshmipathy Balaji bagging three wickets. Virat Kohli, aged 22 at the time, scored an unbeaten 78 runs.
- 2014 – Mirpur: India strolled to an easy seven-wicket win in the group stage after their spinners restricted Pakistan to 130-7. Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina’s unbeaten 66-run partnership took India home.
- 2016 – Kolkata: In a rain-affected contest, India’s bowlers restricted Pakistan to 118-5 before Kohli struck an unbeaten 55 as India won the group game by six wickets.
- 2021 – Dubai: Pakistan defeated India for the first time in the tournament when they won by 10 wickets in a group game. Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali picked five wickets between them to restrict India to 151-7 before Mohammad Rizwan (79 not out) and Babar Azam (68 not out) closed out a historic result.
- 2022 – Melbourne: India defeated Pakistan by four wickets in front of more than 90,000 fans in a group game, as Kohli smashed an unbeaten 82 for a thrilling finish.
