Revelry not rivalry as Indian divas face Pakistan damsels in T20 WC tie

Mohammad Abdullah, Senior Sports Reporter

A buoyant Pakistan will look to extend their winning streak with a win over Indian eves in their Women’s T20 world Cup match in Dubai on Sunday.

The match is bound to raise the temperature by a notch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which will become an  exciting arena on Sunday.

After beating Lanka in the first match, Pakistan’s morale is high and they are already fancying their chances of making it to the next round. Skipper Fatima Sana led Pakistani fight-back against Lanka in the opening game. After scoring a blitzkrieg 30, Sana also took two wickets to lead from the front after having been bowled out for a paltry 115.

Pakistan were almost written off in the first match after posting an under par total.  A heavy-spin laden attack took the game away from Lanka. Pakistan used seven bowlers, out of which five were spinners.

Sadia spearheaded the bowling attack with three scalps while Omaima Sohail and Nashra Sandhu chipped in with two wickets each on a spinning turf of Sharjah Stadium.

They are likely to stick to the winning combination as an India-Pakistan rivalry is always a pressure-cooker game and a slip-up by either of the teams can cost heavily.  This is likely to be the most-watched match of the World Cup.

Having won their opening game, Pakistan will be more relaxed as compared to their opponents.

Both Pakistan and India are in the group of death as the three other teams are Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Ten teams have been divided in two groups of five each. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, a dejected India will bid to bounce back and put their faltering campaign back on track with a victory against their arch-rivals.

Indian women got their campaign off to a losing start with a defeat against New Zealand eves. India were defeated by a margin of 58 runs as none of their batter could put up any resistance against New Zealand bowling.

Six batters of India failed to reach two-figure mark, which is a matter of concern for them. Even Indian bowlers could not thwart New Zealand batters. Dipti Sharma and Shreyanka Patil conceded 45 and 28 runs from their four and three overs respectively.

India have too many holes to plug in in the most crucial match of their campaign. They cannot afford to lose one more game as it would put their chances of making it to the last four in peril.

India are at the bottom of their group due to the poor run rate. Lanka, who have lost both their matches, are one place above India.

Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur said before the tournament they would seek to emulate the success of their male counterparts, who are the world champions. But just after one match, it looks like a distant dream.

A victory over Pakistan will surely bring some respite to the camp yet India will have to keep an eye on their run rate as if two or more teams are tied on points, run rate will play a crucial role in deciding the last four.

India, who came into the tournament as one of the favourites, are facing an early exit. Pakistan will try to exploit India’s circumstances and put pressure on them. Sunday’s game will decide India’s future in the tournament.

Meanwhile, the India-Pakistan game will also mark 100 T20Is at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The first T20I to be hosted at the venue was a men’s match between Pakistan and Australia in May 2009. Since then the venue has been host to some of the most thrilling games including the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 final and the ACC Men’s Asia Cup final in 2022.

A number of bilateral men’s and women’s series have also been staged at the venue. At present, the venue has played host to 92 men’s and seven women’s T20Is.

Emirates Cricket Board Vice-Chairman Khalid Al Zarooni expressed his delight on achieving the milestone in such a short span of time.

"Hosting 100 T20Is at the Dubai International Stadium is a remarkable achievement indeed and I want to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly congratulate the Dubai international Stadium ground staff, venue team and staff members who have worked tirelessly over the years to turn the venue into one of the most popular Cricketing venues in the world,” said Zarooni.

"The facilities at the venue are truly world-class and the venue has gained the confidence of the International Cricket Council, Member Boards and players with the successful delivery of a number of top-rated events.

"The venue has always stepped up when required and has hence gained global recognition for being one of the very best Cricketing venues in the world.

"The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 is off to a thrilling start. The India-Pakistan match tomorrow will be watched by thousands at the stadium and millions via the tournament broadcast around the globe. The game is one of the most watched sporting encounters in the world and we are really excited to host the two teams tomorrow. The fact that the game is the 100th at the DIS adds icing to the cake.”