India and Pakistan set for historic T20 clash at Women’s World Cup
Milestone adds lustre to the high-profile contest in Dubai
Dubai: India and Pakistan face off in the ICC Twenty20 Women’s World Cup on Sunday. The landmark 100th Twenty20 International at the Dubai International Stadium will add more shine to this high-profile match.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur is playing in her ninth World Cup, while young Fatima Sana is leading Pakistan for the first time. Sana’s performance has been on the rise since taking over the leadership. The 22-year-old produced a match-winning performance to guide her team to victory in their World Cup opener against Sri Lanka on Friday.
Calm and composed approach
“There is no such pressure,” Fatima said. “Because there will be a crowd and the atmosphere will be like this, there will be a little pressure on the girls.
“But we will try to be calm and not take much pressure. When we take pressure, it doesn’t go in our favour.
“We will try to be calm and handle the situation as well as we can.”
From Karachi’s streets to World Cup glory
The fast-bowling all-rounder honed her skills on the streets of Karachi, playing tape-ball cricket with her older brothers. Since stepping in as the stand-in captain for Nida Dar in Christchurch last year, Sana has gone from strength to strength. Now, in less than a year, she leads Pakistan’s fortunes in the World Cup in the UAE.
Sana led Pakistan to avenge their Asia Cup loss to Sri Lanka at Dambulla in July. However, a bigger test awaits the young captain on Sunday as Pakistan face India in their Group A match.
Kaur’s struggles
Kaur comes into the contest under immense pressure after a heavy loss to New Zealand in their opener. With Australia, six-time champions, also in the same group, dubbed the “Group of Death,” there is no room for slip-ups. India must win all their remaining matches to stay in contention.
Kaur has struggled for runs in recent games, especially in her new No. 3 role. Even against New Zealand, the 35-year-old veteran, with 174 Twenty20 internationals under her belt, tried to play across the line too often and paid the price.
While past performances may not count for much, they do provide some confidence. India need to bounce back quickly to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
“Today would be the game we’d like to forget. This is a World Cup and we need to keep moving on and picking ourselves up — we can’t say stuck on this game. We need to pick ourselves up and show the character of this team,” India’s No 4 Jemimah Rodrigues told the media.
A fitting venue for the historic meeting
The “Ring of Fire” at the Dubai International Stadium has become one of the most iconic cricket venues in the world since it first hosted a Twenty20 match between Pakistan and Afghanistan in May 2009.
Khalid Al Zarooni, Emirates Cricket Board Vice-Chairman, said: “Hosting 100 T20Is at the Dubai International Stadium is a remarkable achievement. The venue has always stepped up when required and has gained global recognition as one of the very best cricketing venues in the world.
“The India-Pakistan match on Sunday will be watched by thousands at the stadium and millions more around the globe. The fact that it’s the 100th match at the DIS adds icing to the cake.”
Now, all eyes turn to the Dubai International Stadium for the highly anticipated start of the match at 2pm on Sunday.