MUMBAI, India (AP) — The most-anticipated game of the T20 World Cup is set to attract over a billion eyeballs when India takes on archrival Pakistan at Colombo on Sunday with uncertainty aplenty still surrounding world cricket’s marquee matchup.
Political and diplomatic tensions between the two nations have often boiled over on to the cricket field. Sunday’s game will be the first time the teams have met since last year’s acrimonious Asia Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates which was won by India and where players refused to shake hands.
Elsewhere, West Indies aim for its third successive win in Group C as it won the toss and elected to field against Nepal in Mumbai. United States, which lost to both India and Pakistan before beating the Netherlands, takes on Namibia in its final Group A game later Sunday.
The win against Nepal will guarantee West Indies a place in the Super 8s after it already beat Scotland and England. Nepal, playing its third successive game in Mumbai, came close to upsetting England before first-timer Italy handed it a 10-wicket drubbing.
All eyes on Colombo
But Colombo remains the focal point on Sunday where the marquee game of the tournament begins at 7 p.m. local time (1400 GMT).
In the lead up to the match, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said he believed it was up to the Indian players to decide whether they will shake hands with his team before and after Sunday’s game.
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, for his part, was non-committal.
“Why are you highlighting that?” Suryakumar asked reporters on the eve of the game. “We are here to play cricket. We will play good cricket. We will take all those calls tomorrow. We will see tomorrow.”
Pakistan’s government threatened a boycott of Sunday’s match after the International Cricket Council kicked Bangladesh out of the World Cup for refusing to play matches in India, citing security concerns.
Pakistan only agreed to play after intense discussions with the ICC. The fixture is the major revenue earner for the ICC.
Tensions running high
Tensions came to a head in the Asia Cup when Suryakumar refused to shake hands with Agha. Heated moments followed between the two sides throughout the tournament, with Suryakumar and Pakistan’s Haris Rauf fined for breaching the ICC’s code of conduct.
India went on to win the Asia Cup but refused to accept the trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
“The game should be played in real spirit, the way it has been played since it started. The rest is up to them (India), what they want to do,” Agha told media on Saturday about the possibility of the players shaking hands.
Political and military tensions have meant the two teams have not played a bilateral series for years.
India has not traveled to Pakistan since 2008 and Pakistan visited India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023 but has since played ICC tournaments at neutral venues.
India has defeated Pakistan 12 times in the 16 T20 games they have played. It also has an impressive 6-1 record in the eight T20 World Cup matches since the first edition in 2007, with one being tied.
Tariq’s action
Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq’s bowling action has been the subject of discussion in recent days. The Indian media has questioned whether Tariq’s action is legal because he pauses before delivering the ball.
“The guy has been cleared twice and he has done whatever the ICC said, and whatever it requires to bowl in international cricket,” Agha said of Tariq. “I don’t know why people are saying so many things about him, but the one thing I can assure you, he doesn’t care about that because he’s very used to this stuff.”
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