Key events
Preamble
Hello! What better reason to roll out of bed on a Sunday morning than for India v Pakistan, cousin v cousin, grudge v gripe, cricket con passione.
We’re in Dubai today, due to the Indian government/BCCI’s refusal to play in Pakistan, and the match is a sell out. In fact it was a sell out within minutes of the tickets going public – expect a choppy sea of blue and green shirts, alongside the cacophony of noise,
The last time the two countries met in an ICC 50-over game was at Ahmedabad during the 2023 World Cup, India knocking off an easy win by seven wickets in the 31st over.
They’re huge favourites today too, and come into the game having beaten Bangaldesh on Thursday, thanks largely to a century from Shubman Gill and five wickets from Mohammad Shami. Pakistan, meanwhile, crashed and burned against New Zealand, losing by 60 runs, and face being knocked out early from the first ICC event they’ve hosted in 29 years.
But forget the stats deep-dive for now. This is Pakistan. This is Pakistan v India. Anything is possible.
Play starts at 9am GMT, and there’s plenty of space on the OBO sofa.
