ISLAMABAD – The high-voltage clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and Indiascheduled for Manchester on June 16 promises to be one of the most tense ofthe tournament. Pakistan and India, who both possess nuclear weapons, cameto the brink of all-out war recently after fresh sparring over the disputedregion of Kashmir, adding to the intensity of the match.
But Sarfraz played down the hype, saying all games are important.”For usall nine matches are important so we will take every match as a matchagainst India,” he said of Pakistan’s bitter rivals — who have won all sixof their previous World Cup clashes.
But Pakistan took the Champions Trophy against India in 2017 with astunning 180-run victory in the final. “We have beaten India in a biggerevent recently so we will have that advantage,” said Sarfraz.
– ‘We have, we will’ –
Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said on Monday that being underdogs in nextmonth’s World Cup eases the pressure on his young team, who leave for thetournament this week.
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Pakistan will play three warm-up matches before taking on joint-hostsEngland in a five-match one-day series and a Twenty20.The 1992 World Cupwinners start their campaign against the West Indies in Nottingham on May31.Sarfraz he would prefer his side to go into the tournament under theradar. “Look, when we go as favourites, then it’s a problem, but if we goas underdogs then other teams feel the danger, so I think being underdogsis good for us and eases the pressure,” Sarfraz told a press conference inLahore before they depart for England and Wales on Tuesday.
Sarfraz, 31, was among five key players rested for the whitewash ODI seriesdefeat by Australia last month to freshen up the squad before thecompetition. He was handed a four-match suspension in January by theInternational Cricket Council after he made a racist comment about SouthAfrica’s Andile Phehlukwayo during an ODI. All ten teams will play eachother in the tournament starting on May 30 with England taking on SouthAfrica in the opening fixture. The top four teams will qualify for thesemi-finals.
