Pakistan have proven to be worthy rivals over the years

The much-awaited India-Pakistan match is scheduled for Sunday (June 16) at Manchester, a city where football rules and is now about to host a rivalry larger than the sport itself.

Even though England’s unpredictable weather conditions hover over the match, it is important to look at the head-to-head statistics of both the teams over the years. It is pointed out that Pakistan have never defeated India in the ICC World Cups, but they’ve time and again proved to be a country to watch out for with their incredible bowling line-up and victories.

Pakistan have been the best Twenty20 Internationals team, according to the ICC rankings, for the past two years, whereas India is at number five. In 26 matches, Pakistan have won 22 matches and lost just four, which is a good record for a format in which it is generally difficult to string together wins.

Also read: India-Pakistan rivalry, one that transcends cricket and sport

What’s in the history?

The Pakistan cricket team, popularly known as the ‘Shaheens’ (falcons) or ‘Men in Green’, first appeared in 1952 as an established Test team, following a recommendation by India. But due to the rise of terrorism in the country, India stopped playing bilateral series with the team.

However, it is interesting to note that Pakistan has performed extremely well in all the ICC events over the years, from the start of their career. They won the 1992 World Cup and were the runners-up in the 1999 tournament. Their win in the 2009 World T20 International and posing as runners-up in 2007 inaugural were the start of their run towards rank 1.

Despite their powerful stats, they faced a lot of backlash during their victory over India in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy, which was the first time Pakistan defeated the World Cup favourites.

Pakistan have won each of the major ICC international cricket tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC World Twenty20, and ICC Champions Trophy; and the ICC Test Championship.

Also read: Fans keep fingers crossed for Virat-Amir clash in India-Pak match

Predominant Performances

1986 Austral-Asia Cup

Known as the famous last-ball victory in which Javed Miandad’s winning six clinched the match from India, the match is still the most memorable win for Pakistan in Sharjah, UAE. This was the day when Pakistan found their national hero Miandad and chased down 245 runs even after losing wickets at regular intervals.

1992 World Cup

1992 marked Pakistan’s first world cup victory and the introduction of Inazamam Ul Haq who had just turned 22. After losing three of their five matches and almost getting eliminated, Imran Khan’s ‘cornered tigers’ won the semi-finals against the hosts New Zealand and finals against England.

2007 World Cup

First-time contenders Ireland knocked Pakistan out of the competition for 132 runs all out. However, they turned out as runner-ups in the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, where Pakistan exceeded expectations but lost the final to India in a nail-biting finish.

2009 ICC World T20

A pure show of team unity and partnership, Pakistan’s World T20 victory won the hearts of people in Pakistan and was much appreciated worldwide. The major shareholder of the win was Shahid Afridi but he said he could have done this only because of teamwork and that stole hearts.

2017 ICC Champions Trophy

After 2010, up until 2017, Pakistan saw a downfall with most of its senior players retiring and the team getting included in controversies and scandals. However, 2017 saw the victory of Pakistan over India where the Indian top-order headed back to the dressing room quickly and Mohammad Amir emerged as a pace bowler to watch out for. Hasan Ali took the final wicket finishing with figures of 3–19, defeating India by 180 runs Pakistan and the margin of victory being the largest in an ICC tournament final.

Also read: India vs Pak: A rivalry that brings the world to a standstill

What to expect in the face-off?

India have emerged as the World Cup favourites this season, since they’ve a changed team and strategy to approach the clash against Pakistan. The experience and the fact that India is the top-ranked team in ODIs and Tests will play its shot to keep the Men in Blue on pace with the game, but Pakistan’s bowling attack can be a game-changer.

Pakistan is said to be self-destructive when it comes to playing against India but if the rain doesn’t play spoilsport, fans can expect some edge-of-the-seat action at Manchester.

It is surely a rivalry that goes beyond the sport, one that will be memorable whatever the result may be.