Pakistan vs India - What a way to warm up for the World T20 - Part 2 – Opinion
Continued from Part 1...
Pakistan really need to excel in the coming encounter against their rivals, and for that to happen, they will need to redress their loopholes by focusing on their batting line up, which is prone to collapses. Any impartial analyst would certainly agree that Australia's defeat against Pakistan in the three match T20 series in the Emirates recently, was because the Green Shirts banked upon their bowling strength. Pakistan’s batsmen in that series, and in previous encounters against an array of top quality oppositions, have been abysmal to say the least. The inability to pile up huge totals has been a matter of grave concern for the Men in Green.
The same is the case with Indian bowling as well. India’s explosive batting line up tends to compensate for their lack of bowling options; however, their bowling lacks the venom that their opposition has. Not a single bowler for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s real challenge.
The hype surrounding the game which is nothing more than a mere warm up, can in part be attributed to a plethora of factors. Firstly, the two governments of the teams have agreed on a Visa liberalization package to enable the safe passage of people from both countries to interact with one another. In light of this, it is safe to say that the hostile atmosphere that was witnessed in Mohali in 2011 may not be the case this time around. Secondly, the battles on the field between India and Pakistan have provided something for even the neutrals to look forward to. Not many would forget how http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Kohli-c2737 managed to demolish Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Dhaka, after the latter piled up a mammoth 329 for 6 in their fifty overs. Thus, the quality of cricket which could be on viewing this time around, could be something similar, and what adds to the spice is the fact that in the T20 mode there is seldom any room for relaxing. It is really all about flexing one’s muscles and playing with a militant mentality to ensure that the opposition is pounded into submission.
This pocket sized encounter would also give players on both sides a chance to gain some much needed confidence. For any Indian, scoring a century against Pakistan is as overwhelming as a Pakistani managing to pick up a five wicket haul against India, or vice versa. Players who have not had significant amount of match practice such as http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Imran-Nazir-c64248, could well and truly use this match as an opportunity to sting back into action. This game would also test the nerves of other players who have continued to disappoint as well.
Yet if one is to be sickly realistic, then the result of this warm up clash on the 17th can be considered immaterial as it may not have a bearing on the points table or the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World T20. Yet if one is to think beyond materialistic conditions, this encounter would be similar to any other Indo/Pak contest, which draws thousands of supporters around the world into various stadiums. For the players, this fact should be instinctive enough to put in a thumping performance, which could set the tune for the ICC World T20 of 2012.
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