Cricket's fiercest rivals India and Pakistan will clash in a highly anticipated T20 World Cup 2024 match for the first time in the United States.
India come 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 United States in the first match.
Security measures on Long Island have been increased to an unprecedented level for a sporting event, multiple screening events are planned around the world and tickets are selling like hot cakes.
Here's everything you need to know about cricket's marquee event:
When is India vs Pakistan?
The game will be played on Sunday, June 9. It will start at 10:30 local time (14:30 GMT). For viewers in India and Pakistan, it would be at 8 pm and 7:30 pm respectively.
Where is India vs Pakistan?
The match will take place at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Long Island, New York. It has a capacity for 34,000 people.
How is the New York countryside?
The temporary Nassau County International Cricket Stadium has hosted three games so far. The first two were low-scoring matches that favored the bowlers due to the nature of the straight delivery. Batsmen found it difficult to hit big shots due to movement and bounce.
Following criticism from fans and former players, the International Cricket Council has said the pitches have not been up to standard and ground staff are working to remedy this for the remainder of the tournament.
In the third match, between Ireland and Canada, both teams scored over 100, but the playing field remained difficult.
The India-Pakistan match is expected to be played on a new surface.
Are there security concerns between India and Pakistan?
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said last week that security measures in New York would be “elevated” for the tournament, especially ahead of the India-Pakistan showdown.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said his teams are not taking the game lightly, calling it the “Super Bowl on steroids” when it comes to fan interest.
Ryder told the Indian newspaper Deccan Herald that the security for the party “is possibly greater than what 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 ICC official platform, ranging from $1,500 to $10,000.
Ticket resale websites also offer tickets to the “hottest event,” with prices ranging from $980 to a whopping $17,475.
How is New York preparing for the game?
The ICC has organized official parks for fans who were unable to travel to the host city.
In New York, India vs Pakistan will be broadcast live to fans at Oculus World Trade Center and Cedar Creek Park. Fan parks will also be organized at Epic Central in Texas and Fisher Pavilion at Seattle Center. Most of these places have also sold out.
In addition to the United States, the ICC has organized fan parks in New Delhi (India), Rawalpindi (Pakistan), the United Kingdom and South Africa.
The viewing party at Citi ground for India vs Pakistan @T20WorldCup The game being played on Long Island is sold out.
There are two stadiums in New York with tickets sold out for this game. pic.twitter.com/dzTtv5XYtY
-Jomboy (@Jomboy_) May 30, 2024
What will the weather be like in New York?
Rain is expected in the morning, which could interrupt the meeting.
What happens if rain interrupts a World T20 match?
In the event of adverse weather conditions or other disruptions, an additional 90 minutes will be allocated to all morning and afternoon matches, and 60 minutes to all afternoon matches.
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 matches.
What happens if the India vs Pakistan match is tied?
All tied matches will go to a super final. And if that too is tied, subsequent super overs will be played until a winner emerges.
Lots of smiles at India's training in New York on Friday before their #T20WorldCup match against Pakistan, with a surprise visit from a player from the rival field 👀 pic.twitter.com/P1waTuAgqp
— ICC (@ICC) June 8, 2024
How to watch and follow India vs Pakistan?
Al Jazeera will have live photo and text coverage of the match from 09:00 GMT.
The match will be broadcast and streamed live via various rights holders. Disney Star will broadcast the match in India, while PTV and Ten Sports have the rights in Pakistan.
Who is the favorite to win?
India are the favorites to win this match due to their dominant head-to-head record.
In the seven times the teams met in the T20 World Cup, India won six times, including one tie, while Pakistan won only once.
- 2007 (group match) – Johannesburg: India beat Pakistan in a bowling match 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 recorded a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Pakistan in the group stage as the bowlers defeated Pakistan for just 128 runs, with Lakshmipathy Balaji bagging three wickets. Virat Kohli, then 22 years old, scored an unbeaten 78 runs.
- 2014 – Mirpur: India cruised to an easy seven-wicket victory in the group stage after their spinners restricted Pakistan to 130-7. The unbeaten 66-run partnership of Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina took India home.
- 2016 – Kolkata: In a rain-affected contest, Indian bowlers restricted Pakistan to 118-5 before Kohli made 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 pool 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) wrapped up a historic result.
- 2022 – Melbourne: India defeated Pakistan by four wickets in front of over 90,000 fans in a pool game, as Kohli smashed an unbeaten 82 for a thrilling finish.
