ICC Champions Trophy 2013: India v/s Pakistan, Group B: Pakistan Preview

To quote Oliver Wood, the distinguished former-captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, “It’s the Big One; the one we have all been waiting for…”

India v/s Pakistan, the last Group B match in the Champions Trophy; the one match the entire cricketing world has been waiting for. Quite unfortunately, however, the continuing rivalry has to end with this one match considering that Pakistan is already out of contention of the Champions Trophy. But going by captain Misbah ul-Haq’s words and the entire team’s demeanour, the Pakistani squad isn’t treating this match as a ‘dead rubber’, but is preparing for it like a final hurdle; one that they want to get past at any cost.

Team Strengths: Their bowling is easily their trump card. In both their previous league matches, the Pakistani bowlers did well to curtail their opponents. Players like Saeed Ajmal, Mohammed Irfan and Wahab Riaz hold the key to Pakistan doing well against India. Captain Misbah ul-Haq and opener Nasir Jamshed are the two key batsmen for Pakistan, and will be expected to cause a few problems for the Indian bowling.

Team Weaknesses: Players like Imran Farhat, Kamran Akmal, Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Malik and Asad Shafiq have been quite under-par throughout the course of the Champions Trophy. Their sub-par performance, coupled with the fact that Pakistan doesn’t have any adequate substitutes, has doubled the pressure on the team. Also, even though the Pakistani bowlers are doing a commendable job from their end, the inability of these batsmen to help Pakistan put up a formidable score on board, or even chase a mediocre total, has allowed the team to get into quite a big slump.

Opportunities and Threats: Pakistan needs to use this match as an opportunity to redeem its thoroughly disappointing performance at the Champions Trophy. Braced with a 2-0 head-to-head lead over India in their previous Champions Trophy clashes, Pakistan need to surmount all their frustration and come up with a befitting response to their neighbours’ high-flying performances. This would also allow them to end their harrowing ordeal in the last edition of the Champions Trophy quite respectably.

In terms of threats, while the entire Indian playing XI has shown some excellent form, Pakistan would need to be especially wary of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik and Ravindra Jadeja primarily, amongst the rest. Pakistan cant allow any loose start against any of the Indian players, especially these guys.

Pitch Factors: With coldness and rain pervading the English weather, the pitch is expected to favour the bowlers more than the batsmen. Though India is doing well in both departments, Pakistan would need to be careful about putting their best foot forward whilst ensuring that their weaknesses don’t over-power their strengths.

Match Prediction: India to defeat its neighbours and top the Group B points table with a comprehensive 3-0 win-loss record.