Every sport code has at least two teams that know how to get under each other’s skin. Baseball has the Red Sox and Yankees. The Premier League has Manchester United and Liverpool. And Original Six teams Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins can’t stand each other. It’s a kind of ill chemistry that is thrived upon. For cricket, India and Pakistan have endured an acidic rapport dating back to the early ’50s. It’s not just the teams that are at loggerheads; their fans take it up notch, which aids the antagonism.
This Saturday the two sub-continent teams will lock horns against each other at the Adelaide Oval in what will be their sixth ICC World Cup encounter. Pakistan will be searching for their first win against India at the World Cup. Over the years the pair have played 126 matches against each other with Pakistan claiming a superior 72-52-4 record. India has the upper hand at World Cups claiming two to Pakistan’s one. One of the most absorbing bouts between the two nations occurred in 2011 when they met in the semi final. Set 261 to win, Pakistan fell 29 runs short. India went on to win the 2011 World Cup, the first time ever a host has triumphed.
Wars in the late 1990s and the terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008 opened up old wounds between the two countries, creating a win-at-all-costs mentality and austere fan reactions to defeats. In 1997, Indian fielders were pelted with stones by Pakistan fans, causing the match to end; activists have dug up pitches before the start of play causing a switch in venue; and Indian cricket offices have been ransacked. One year there were even rumours that Pakistan extremists were prepared to release snakes into an India arena (this did not happen). There was also Potatogate.
Pakistan will head into the Australia-New Zealand World Cup as a wild card. The added option of including No. 1 ranked bowler Saeed Ajmal to the team, on bouncier pitches, could bolster their chances marginally. Veteran Younis Khan and middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq will be relied upon to supply a mountain of funs. Whimsical all-rounder Shahid Afridi is playing his final World Cup and will want to end on the highest of notes. When he is on song, he can make light work of any bowling attack and can hit long into the stands. He can also chip in with three wickets and is handy on the field.
India, who, for the most part of the last 12 months have performed admirably and boast a young team oozing flair, will go into the game favourites, though minus their strike bowler Ishant Sharma. They’ve spent the Australian summer playing on the Aussies’ bouncy and quick pitches, so they’ll be suited to the conditions. Virat Kohli, who could be the next Sachin Tendulkar at the rate he is scoring, will be hard to stop. He gave Australian bowlers headaches; he’ll do the same to the Pakistani lineup. MS Dhoni is also playing his last World Cup. So pivotal in the 2011 final where he made an unbeaten 91, he’ll add calm and leadership to a young list. Always hard to get out once he is settled.
Who will win? Just ask their fans. One thing is for certain: Indian and Pakistani communities around the world will be watching. An estimated record one billion viewers will tune into this match, an even bigger audience than the one captured by this year’s Super Bowl.
Here’s a brief look at some of the other beguiling ICC World Cup fixtures happening over the next six weeks.
West Indies vs. Pakistan, Feb.20, Christchurch, New Zealand
Neither is predicted to go deep, but, as fans, we hope they do because they are two of the most exciting teams to watch. When the flame is lit they both play a risky, carefree game. West Indies are heading into the World Cup without three of their match winners: Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo. The last time these teams played against each other was July 2013, a game Pakistan won by four wickets. The key to this match will rest in the hands of Chris Gayle for the West Indies and his lethal clubbing of the ball as well as Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and his handy all-round work.
South Africa vs. India, Feb. 21, Melbourne, Australia
India will be South Africa’s only real test in Pool B and their best chance to iron out the wrinkles before the knockout stages. South Africa and India have enjoyed success at the top in recent years, but have lacked a certain barbarity to stay No.1 for long periods of time. In 2000, both teams were involved in an ugly match-fixing scandal and recently there seems to be an unlikely tug of war brewing between the two groups. Watch for South Africa’s front-line quick man Dale Steyn and his chest thumping, vein-popping-out-of-his-neck wicket celebrations and also for India’s new master blaster Virat Kohli.
New Zealand vs. Australia, Feb.27, Eden Park, New Zealand
New Zealand play all six of their qualifying matches on home soil, including this bout against Australia, their nemesis. Ever since the unforgettable incident of ’81, when Greg Chappell bowled an underarm delivery to make sure the Kiwis could not win off the last ball of the game, things have been icy when these two square off. The result in this match won’t matter as both look like they’ll cruise through to the knockout stages, but New Zealand will want to beat Australia on their terms, on their slow and wearing wickets, to give themselves the shot in the arm they need to do one better than a semifinal berth at this World Cup.
England vs. Sri Lanka, Feb. 28, Wellington, New Zealand
This is being billed as a must-win match for England. Sri Lanka, if they navigate beyond New Zealand in their opener, should be 3-0 by Mar.1 .The Brits could be 1-2 with losses to Australia and New Zealand (which is likely) and a win against Scotland, making it a do-or-die confrontation. The two teams have met in the previous two World Cups. In 2011, Sri Lanka thumped England by 10 wickets in the quarterfinal; in ’07, Sri Lanka were able to close out a 2-run win in the Super 8 stages. England failed to qualify beyond the group stages in 2003, and in 1999 both teams missed the knockout round cut. If England lose this match they will be 1-3 with two games remaining in the World Cup; a swift exit would loom. It would add more anguish to their 12 months of turmoil which saw the sacking of captain Alastair Cook, the release of Kevin Pietersen’s tell-all book about England’s locker room bullying culture, and a steep decline in the rankings from No. 1 (when the ICC first picked the World Cup draw) to its current place in the world at No. 5.