India vs Pakistan
Dambulla, July 19, 7.00pm local time
India and Pakistan – recent form
Let’s examine the past year for both teams.
India comes first, alphabetically. They have participated in
17 T20Is during this period and have a record of 10 wins and 5 losses (with two games ending in no-results). They secured the Asian Games gold in Hangzhou by defeating Sri Lanka by 19 runs in the final. Following that, they faced defeats against England and Australia at home, triumphed over Bangladesh 5-0 in Sylhet, and concluded their series against South Africa in Chennai with a 1-1 draw, as the second game was abandoned due to rain.
Pakistan has played even more T20I matches in the same timeframe – 19 completed games. However, they have only managed to win seven matches while losing 12. They had a remarkable 3-0 victory over South Africa at home before the Asian Games. The Asian Games did not go as planned, with defeats against Sri Lanka in the semi-finals and Bangladesh in the bronze-medal playoff. Subsequent losses occurred in a T20I series in Bangladesh, at home against West Indies, and a 3-0 defeat in England. Their only series victory was in New Zealand where they won 2-1.
India vs Pakistan – head-to-head
There have been
14 encounters between the two teams over the years, but no bilateral series for known reasons. One notable match took place in Delhi during the T20 World Cup 2016, where Pakistan emerged victorious by two runs in a rain-shortened game. Out of the 14 T20I matches played between them, Pakistan has only won three while India has won 11.
India holds a significant advantage in the Asia Cup as well, winning five out of the six matches played against Pakistan. However, Pakistan secured a victory in the most recent Asia Cup in Sylhet in 2022.
In the Women’s category, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma make a formidable opening pair for India. Mandhana, known for her longer innings, has amassed 3320 T20I runs at an average of 28.13 and a strike rate of 121.83. Shafali’s numbers stand at 1748 runs, averaging 24.27 with a strike rate of 129.48. Dismissing either of them quickly is often not enough for opposition teams; they have to remove both swiftly.
For Pakistan, captain Nida Dar stands out as a bowling all-rounder who consistently takes wickets and contributes with the bat. Additionally, Sidra Amin has been in top form with the bat, accumulating 205 runs from eight innings this year.
Viewers in India and Sri Lanka can catch the live telecast of the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 on the Star Sports Network. The matches will be available for live streaming on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website in India. [ESPNcricinfo and Disney Star are subsidiaries of the Walt Disney Company.]