Pakistan issue warning to India
FINAL: RIVALRY DESCRIBED AS ‘BIGGER THAN THE ASHES’
More than a billion viewers expected to watch the showpiece.
London
Pakistan are ready to change the course of history in a clash that’s “bigger than the Ashes” when they face arch-rivals India in the Champions Trophy final.
Some estimates suggest tomorrow’s match between the sub-continental cricket giants at The Oval in south London could attract a worldwide television audience of more than a billion viewers.
Title-holders India will be firm favourites against a Pakistani side who were the lowest ranked of all the teams taking part in a tournament featuring the world’s topeight one-day international sides.
It was less than two weeks ago that India launched their title defence with a 124-run rout of Pakistan at Edgbaston.
Yet even by their own “unpredictable” standards, Pakistan’s transformation since that reverse has been remarkable and on Wednesday they knocked previ- ously unbeaten tournament hosts England out of the competition with a comprehensive eight-wicket win in Cardiff.
Pakistan have yet to play a match at The Oval this tournament, but in bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, who spent several seasons at his “second home” playing for Surrey, they have someone familiar with all the vagaries of the London ground.
And the former Pakistani all-rounder insisted all the burden of expectation was now on India’s shoulders.
“We’ve got nothing to lose – the pressure is more on them,” Mahmood said yesterday.
“They are ranked higher than us – so everyone is talking about India, India. But I can tell you one thing – we have come to win.”
India have won all three of their previous matches with Pakistan in the knockout stages of International Cricket Council tournaments, but Azhar said there was no reason why the sequence had to be extended this weekend as well.
“History can change, and hope we can (change it).”
Meanwhile Azhar said there was no hiding from the scale of a fixture which, mainly because of political pressure, rarely takes place outside of a major international tournament.
“It is massive,” said Azhar. “India refuse to play against us (in Pakistan’s adopted home of the United Arab Emirates).” – AFP
The match starts at 11.30am. I