Get ready for a game of India vs Pakistan

Have you heard of this one yet: traditional rivals India and Pakistan will once again go headto-head at the historic Sharjah Cricket Stadium — the venue which witnessed countless of classic clashes?

The marquee contest, however, has one difference — it will be played with tennis balls as a hand-picked India XI and Pakistan XI will clash on March 11 on the sidelines of the third edition of 10PL-World Cup of tennis ball tournament. The game is set to be played at 8.30pm and will feature some of the best tennis ball cricket players in action.

The tournament will be played from March 8-13 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, like in the first two editions. The last time an India and Pakistan side played each other at Sharjah was in 2013-14 during the final of the Under-19 Asia Cup. The senior sides had clashed for the last time in March 2000 during a triangular tournament also featuring South Africa.

Highest prize money

The 10PL tournament is the brainchild of UAEbased company Petromann. The World Cup boasts the highest prize money for tennis ball cricket at Dh250,000.

Dwayne Bravo, the white ball specialist from West Indies who is the face of 10PL-the World Cup of tennis ball cricket, offered support to the tournament. Bravo will make an appearance on the final day of the tournament at Sharjah.

While the India squad for the match will be coached by Bharat Lohar and managed by Javid Shaikh, the Pakistan line-up will have Asif Mumtaz as coach and Usman Manzoor as manager. An interesting choice in the Pakistan line-up is Shiraz Ahmed who played under Bravo’s for Maratha Arabians in their triumphant T10 league campaign at Abu Dhabi.