Champions Trophy Match 4: India vs Pakistan

Champions Trophy Match 4: India vs Pakistan: Scorecard

Given that these two countries only ever seem to play each other in ICC events given the hostilities between the two nations away from the cricket field, there is always the hope of an intriguing battle when they come along. That probably hasn’t been the case in recent times, and it certainly wasn’t the case here, with India taking full advantage of the bumbling Pakistan contingent to annihilate them by 124 runs on the Duckworth Lewis method and consign them to further evaluation of their current ODI platform.

Pakistan’s decision to send India in could only have been provoked by the wet weather hanging around, for surely offering up a flat wicket for first use was not the ideal strategy. The opening stand of 136 probably proved this to be correct, but even so despite this the Pakistanis could probably have held the Indians to about 275 had Mohammed Amir been able to complete his full ten overs (he withdrew with ‘cramps after 8.1 overs), and Wahab had bowled well (he went for 0/87 off 8.4 overs), and Imad had not had to bowl the last over because these two were ‘injured’ (he went for three consecutive sixers in that over) and if Pakistan could catch (both Kohli and Yuvraj were shelled before either started their final carnage) and didn’t give up 89 runs off the final 6 overs. In essence, if Pakistan had been any other team in the tournament you would have seen a total far less than the 319 India finally managed from their maximum allowable of 48.

Further rain left Pakistan requiring 289 off 41 overs, but it never looked in danger despite a positive opening by Ali (top score with 50) and Shehzad. Wickets falling at almost every 20 runs meant there was no momentum or partnerships to be built, and despite the Indians not being at the top of their form in the field either, they did enough to ensure that Pakistan was bowled out for just 164 in 33.4 overs, not within a bull’s roar of a chance of winning.

With neither Pakistan or Sri Lanka looking likely to challenge for a semi-final spot, the match next Sunday between South Africa and India is likely to decide top spot in the group. How much that has to bear on their semi-final opponents is likely to be another thing determined by the English weather.