DUBAI: Fierce rivals Pakistan and India will clash in the Asia Cup T20 tournament in Dubai later on Sunday for only the 10th time in cricket’s shortest format.
Political tensions mean they now only face each other in international tournaments, with their last meeting a 2021 T20 World Cup encounter at the same venue, when Pakistan romped to victory.
AFP Sport recalls five memorable India-Pakistan matches in the shortest format.
Dazed in Durban
India and Pakistan’s first T20 encounter at Durban in 2007 ended in a dramatic tie before being decided in a bowl-out — cricket’s equivalent of football’s penalty shoot-out.
Pakistan elected to field in the inaugural T20 World Cup league match and restricted India to 141-9.
With the scores level at the end of Pakistan’s reply, India skipper MS Dhoni then outfoxed the opposition with his choice of bowlers in the hit-the-wicket decider.
Part-time bowlers Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa and premier spinner Harbhajan Singh all hit the stumps, while Pakistan’s Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi all missed.
Unlucky 13
The 2007 final in Johannesburg saw them meet again and chasing 158 for victory, Pakistan’s reply was hampered by the regular fall of wickets.
But Misbah ul-Haq kept the target in sight with his gritty batting and took the game into the final over with Pakistan needing 13 against an unlikely Indian bowling option in Joginder Sharma.
Misbah hit a six after a wide and a dot ball, only to opt for a scoop shot that got more height than distance and landed in the hands of S. Sreesanth at short fine-leg to trigger wild Indian celebrations as they won the World Cup by five runs.
Christmas professor
Pakistan beat India for the first time in T20s on Christmas Day 2012 in the opener of a two-match series with skipper Mohammad Hafeez standing tall in Bangalore.
Hafeez, nicknamed “professor” by teammates for his understanding of the game, hit 61 to guide Pakistan’s chase of 134 as he put on a 106-run stand with Shoaib Malik, who was unbeaten on 57.
Hafeez smashed the Indian bowlers all around in his 44-ball blitz before falling to pace bowler Ishant Sharma in the 18th over but Malik stood firm to complete the victory with a six.
Mirpur mauling
India came out all-guns-blazing in an Asia Cup league match at Mirpur, Bangladesh, in 2016 to reaffirm their domination of Pakistan.
Pace bowler Hardik Pandya stood out with figures of 3-8 to help skittle out Pakistan for 83 in 17.3 overs with only two batsmen getting into double figures, including Sarfaraz Ahmed who scored 25.
Star batsman Virat Kohli powered the chase with his 49 as India withstood an inspired Pakistan bowling attack to win by five wickets and 27 balls to spare.
Shaheen’s revenge
India started as favourites in the hotly-anticipated league match of the 2021 T20 World Cup in Dubai but Pakistan pace ace Shaheen Shah Afridi soon upset the predictions.
Tall left-arm quick Shaheen sent back opener Rohit Sharma for a first-ball duck as he rattled the Indian top-order.
Kohli attempted to rebuild with 57 before falling to Shaheen in the penultimate over.
Mohammad Rizwan made 79 and skipper Babar Azam 68 as they took apart the India bowling attack to cruise to a 10-wicket win — their first in a World Cup against their fiercest rivals.
