HYDERABAD: Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur hopes his team will have two wins under their belts before they face old rivals India in the eagerly-awaited World Cup blockbuster.
The 1992 champions face the Netherlands first up in Hyderabad on Friday followed by Sri Lanka at the same venue four days later.
Pakistan will then lock horns against India in Ahmedabad on October 14 in front of 132,000 fans in the world’s biggest cricket arena.
“It’s going to be an unbelievable spectacle,” said Arthur on Thursday.
“I can’t wait for it, personally. Hopefully we’ve got two wins under the belt before we get to Ahmedabad.”
Arthur praised world number one ODI team India.
“India are playing some fantastic cricket, but so are we,” said Arthur. “I just think it’s going to be a great game. I can’t wait for it, personally.”
Pakistan will hope to overcome a poor show in the recent Asia Cup where they suffered a 228-run rout at the hands of India and lost by two wickets against Sri Lanka.
They also went down in both World Cup warm-up games against New Zealand and Australia, also in Hyderabad.
Arthur said his team will, however, be focused on the Netherlands rather than India.
“We’re not getting too far ahead of ourselves,” said Arthur. “First of all, the boys love being in India, which is fantastic.
“The pressure of a World Cup is always massive. But I think our boys are in a really good place.”
Pakistan appointed Arthur in April this year for a second stint, doubling up on his job with Derbyshire in the English county championship.
He vowed to complete the unfinished business of winning a second World Cup to add to Pakistan’s 1992 triumph.
“I felt in 2019 we were very, very close,” said Arthur despite Pakistan failing to reach the semifinals.
“These young boys have now become men and have another four years’ experience.
“Look, they’re a very close group because they’ve played together for so long. They know each other backwards. They’re not only teammates, but they’re generally friends as well.”
The pitch at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad is known for high scores with New Zealand chasing 346 and Pakistan compiling 337 in a chase of 352 against Australia in the warm-ups.
“It looks an incredibly good wicket,” said Arthur. “The wickets we had for the warm-up games were brilliant and this pitch looks no different. It looks like a very, very good one.”
Arthur also played down concerns over the lack of form of opener Fakhar Zaman and spinning allrounder Shadab Khan.
“I think form comes and goes,” said Arthur. “The quality of these players that we have in those positions is undoubted. It’s about making sure they are in a good space mentally, and then just hopefully that they click tomorrow.”
Pakistan eye two wins before ‘unbelievable India spectacle’
https://arab.news/9f2sq
Pakistan eye two wins before ‘unbelievable India spectacle’
- Coach Mickey Arthur says the quality of Pakistani players is ‘undoubted,’ though they need to be ‘in a good space mentally’
- He points out ‘India are playing some fantastic cricket, but so are we’ ahead of the crucial match between them on October 14
England ‘not fearing anything’ against India, says Curran
- England will take on the favorites and hosts in front of 35,000 fiercely partisan fans in Mumbai on Thursday
- Curran said that because he and many of his England teammates play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), they will not be fazed
MUMBAI: England will go into their T20 World Cup semifinal against India with no fear, said all-rounder Sam Curran on Tuesday, adding that their first job would be to silence a raucous home crowd.
England will take on the favorites and hosts in front of 35,000 fiercely partisan fans in Mumbai on Thursday, with a place in the final against South Africa or New Zealand at stake.
The noise will be deafening at times in the cauldron-like confines of the Wankhede Stadium.
But Curran said that because he and many of his England teammates — such as Will Jacks at Mumbai Indians — play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), they will not be fazed.
“It’s an experience as a young cricketer you dream of — playing India in the semifinal of a World Cup,” left-arm seamer Curran told reporters.
Curran was in the international wilderness a year ago but forced his way back into the England squad with eye-catching performances in T20 franchise leagues, including the IPL.
“India are a quality side but we’ve played a lot of cricket here. We know how to play on these grounds and we know what to expect,” he said.
“The IPL, no question, has helped a lot. Having played in the ground many times, there’s not many unknowns.”
England experienced a hostile crowd at the Wankhede in their first match of the tournament when they beat Nepal in a final-ball thriller.
It was Curran who bowled the nerveless final “death” over, conceding just five runs when Nepal needed 10, to stave off an embarrassing defeat.
He then repeated the feat against Italy and has contributed with the bat from number six, scoring 149 runs so far with a best of 43 not out.
“We’re not fearing anything and I’m sure both teams are really excited by the challenge,” Curran said, adding England could judge how well they were playing by the volume of the fans.
“If the crowd are silent, England are probably going to be doing well. That’s our positive way of looking at it,” said Curran.
It is the third T20 World Cup in a row that England will have played India in the semifinals and each time the winners went on to lift the trophy.
In 2022, England crushed India by 10 wickets in Adelaide and went on to beat Pakistan in the Melbourne final.
Two years ago India won in Guyana by a similarly dominant 68 runs before downing South Africa in Barbados.
South Africa face New Zealand in the first semifinal on Wednesday. The final will take place on Sunday in Ahmedabad.
“I guess this is what the last four or five weeks have been building for,” said Curran.
“And hopefully we can take one more step toward the final.”
