Over the years, the lack of bilateral cricket between estranged neighbours India and Pakistan have only added to the hype each time the two cricket-crazy nations gear up to meet in ICC competitions, and it is no different in the lead-up to the 2024 T20 World Cup’s marquee clash at the Nassau International Stadium in New York on June 9.

Pakistan, the T20 World Cup champion in 2009, has performed well in the past two editions of the competition, reaching the semifinals in 2021 and losing to England in the final in 2022. However, the Babar Azam-led side’s preparations for this year’s tournament in the United States and West Indies have been far from ideal, with a loss to Ireland in an eventual 2-1 series victory followed by a 0-2 defeat against England in a rain-affected series.

“Effort is in our hands, but results, we do not know. How we present ourselves on the ground, our body language and how we communicate with each other will matter. We must be positive, so results will come…” Babar said in an episode of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast.

“Conditions in the USA may pose challenges as we are going there as a national side for the first time. We are in the process of collating various cricket and match-related information from players who have played there, which can help and assist us in our preparations,” he added.

Pakistan is in Group A of the T20 World Cup and begins its campaign against host USA on June 6 before playing the big game against India. In T20 World Cups, India and Pakistan have faced each other seven times, with the Men-in-Blue emerging victorious on six occasions.

As such the odds are stacked against Babar’s men, and the Pakistan captain acknowledged that there are nerves before the much-anticipated contest with fans across the world eagerly waiting for the action to unfold.

“We know the India-Pakistan match generates more discussion than any other match.”

“Wherever you go in the world, you’ll have people talking about the India-Pakistan match with everyone supporting their country. Every fan eagerly waits for the fixture and focuses on this one particular match,” Babar would observe.

“The players get different vibes and excitement. Naturally the expectations and hype around the match cause some nervousness,” he added.

However, Babar feels that the only way to deal with pressure and nervousness is to stay calm and trust in one’s abilities.

“It all comes down to how you handle it and the more you focus on basics, the easier it will be for you as a player. It’s a game of immense pressure and if you keep your cool, stay calm, and trust your hard work and skills things will be easier,” he suggested.

Game of uncertainty

Placed in Group A, India and Pakistan headline exhilarating neighbourhood showdown. While India enter into the World Cup with a burning desire to shatter their streak of near misses in world events, having come agonisingly close in recent tournaments only to falter at the final hurdle.

Pakistan, much like their counterparts India, have been tantalisingly close to clinching an ICC trophy, having reached the semi-finals and final in the last two editions of the T20 World Cup. Having said that, Pakistan have been the most consistent of all T20 teams, making the last-4 six times in eight editions.

Thus the June 9 showdown promises to be another exciting battle of uncertainties between two unpredictable neighbours.