Pakistan’s captain Mohammad Rizwan inspects the pitch during a practice session ahead of a One Day International (ODI) cricket match of the ICC Champions Trophy between India and Pakistan, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, in Dubai.
Credit: PTI Photo
Pakistan will take on arch-rivals India in a blockbuster Champions Trophy match on Sunday, hoping to get their campaign back on track in front of a sell-out crowd in Dubai.
India will advance to the semi-finals with a victory, while Pakistan's chances of progressing to the next round will be slim to none if they lose.
Ahead of this mouth-watering clash, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali said that the conditions in Pakistan are so tough that fans may not even break their televisions if the Mohammad Rizwan-led side loses.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit said, "India are heavy favourites. If Pakistan wins, it will be an upset in my view because Pakistan's cricket has hit a low. Agar one-sided hota hai, toh ab TV bhi nahi tootenge kyunki Pakistan mei mehangai bahut zyada hai. Ab zabaan se hi har cheez hogi. (If it's one-sided, fans might not even break their TVs due to the rising inflation in Pakistan. Now, they’ll just talk about it.) India are favourites, there’s no doubt about that."
Pakistan is currently grappling with its worst crisis in decades, with a crumbling economy and forex reserves that are reportedly only enough to last for three more weeks.
Basit Ali also assessed the chances of both teams, saying that India has a 70 per cent advantage over Pakistan's 30 per cent. "India has a more experienced side. If Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma aren't in form, then the game could become more balanced," he added.
Basit also discussed Pakistan's team composition, particularly in light of Fakhar Zaman’s injury.
"Who will bat at No. 3? Nobody knows. They might ask Usman Khan to open with Imam-ul-Haq and bring Babar Azam to No. 3. Something needs to be done. With Fakhar Zaman out, Pakistan’s batting lineup from No. 1 to 5 is quite similar, and there’s no real room to swap positions. It's like their car is stuck in third gear—it won’t switch to turbo unless it’s in the last five or ten overs," he said.
India, who enjoy an 8-0 win-loss record over Pakistan in the ODI World Cup but are 2-3 in the Champions Trophy, will be determined to level terms.