Pakistan vs India is the biggest a cricket match can get; Pakistan vs India at an ICC World Cup is the grandest stage of them all.


It is the first match to sell out, it is the first match that 90% of the cricket viewing public look out for when the schedule is released, it is the most anticipated match of any tournament (let alone a World Cup), and it is the most watched match at a Cricket World Cup.

The players always talk about how it is like any other match for them.

It is not true. It is all talk.

The pressure, the excitement, the nerves are all multiplied for the cricketers.

Performing against either team can make careers; not performing can destroy them. Ask Chetan Sharma.


For the fans, it is all about bragging rights.

"Hum ne Pakistan ko haraya, hamare liye yehi World Cup ke barabar hai" - heard in India in 1992.

For fans living in India and Pakistan, it is quite different than for expats living in a place like the UAE or the UK for example.

Residents of India and Pakistan do not interact with each other (besides on social media).

For us expats, it is a totally different ball game.

Schools, offices, apartment buildings, residential communities, shopping malls, restaurants, supermarkets, cinema halls, wherever you go, Pakistanis and Indians coexist.

You have to face each other before and after the match. Sometimes even during the match!

But it never gets hostile. We coexist. Always have.


I grew up in Abu Dhabi. Had a bunch of Indian friends in school. My father had Indian colleagues. We had Indian neighbors. We studied together, we partied together, played cricket together, watched cricket together.

We coexisted throughout all those Sharjah Cup matches.

We had a school cricket team, which had Pakistanis and Indians. We used to play a lot of Pakistan vs India matches against each other, but against other schools we united as one. We were one hell of a great team.


The school team captain was Pakistani. The Vice Captain was Indian. We selected together, strategized together, played together.

The openers were a Pakistani and an Indian. Boy what an opening combination it was.


There were 4 Indians in the top 6 of the batting order. The opening pace attack was Pakistani - a left arm and a right arm pace bowler!

One fond memory of those days is of the Independence Cup played in India in 1997.

It was Pakistan vs India at Chennai.

We watched the match at an Indian friend's house. A dozen Indians and a dozen Pakistanis under one roof.





Saeed Anwar created a new world record - the highest ODI score of 194.

Pakistan won the game and our gracious Indian host treated us to KFC after the match.

We coexisted quite happily.

A decade later, I went to study at Manchester Business School. I was one of two Pakistanis in the Class of 2011. There were 30 odd Indians.

My flatmate was an Indian.

His parents were terrified that he was sharing an apartment with a Pakistani.

We laughed about it. We still laugh about it.


I captained our class team in the MBA Cricket League.

I was one of the only two Pakistanis in the squad. There were 10 Indians.

We played together happily.


A year later, I represented the MBS Cricket Team as an alumni and played under an Indian captain. Again, happily!


In another country, a decade after leaving high school, once again, we studied together, partied together, lived together, ate together, played cricket together, and watched it together.

I watched the entire ICC World Cup 2011 with Indians, including the Mohali semifinal between Pakistan and India.

Even today, we talk about it.

I am on a whatsapp group with all those Indians and the banter still hasn't stopped. It never will. But we will continue to coexist, happily.

Living and working in Dubai, I have so many more such examples of us Pakistanis and Indians coexisting.

There is no animosity. We work together. We play together. We travel together. We watch Pakistan vs India together.

Which we shall do on Sunday 16 June 2019 as well!

I am traveling to Manchester for the match.

The place I have so many fond memories of. The place I made really good friends. Including Indian friends.


The place where Pakistan will take on India at Old Trafford!

It can't get better, nor bigger, than this. Not for me at least.

This coming weekend, Manchester will be a sea of green and blue and the city will be buzzing like never before.

To all my Indian friends - all the best!

To all my Pakistan friends - jeetega bhai jeetega, PAKISTAAAN jeetega!

Pakistan has lost every single World Cup match against India. All 6 of them. Two of them knock outs.

But you know what will happen on Sunday?

Virat Kohli will become the first ever Indian captain to lose a World Cup match to Pakistan.

And after the game, we will continue to coexist. In Manchester, In Dubai, and world over. Happily!

PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!

Growing up in Abu Dhabi in the 80s and 90s, I always used to look forward to the annual cricketing event in Sharjah.

Sharjah Cup, Champions Trophy, Wills Cup, Australasia Cup, Rothmans Trophy, Coca-Cola Cup, Pepsi Cup, there were a plethora of tournaments played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in last two decades of the 20th century.

Pakistan and India squared off 24 times at Sharjah during that period with Pakistan winning 18 times!

At the turn of the century, it all stopped. There were barely any more tournaments in Sharjah. India stopped coming here, and the annual Pakistan vs India fare became a rare commodity.

The only time India have come to the UAE since 2000 was in 2006 for a 2-ODI series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, and later for a few IPL games.

The Dubai Cricket Stadium has been open since 2009 and India has not played there even once.

All this will change from Wednesday.

In the span of 4 days, on the 19th and 23rd of this month, Pakistan will square off against India twice in Dubai!

The Asia Cup has brought back excitement to the same 80s and 90s level.

The 25,000 capacity stadium in Dubai was sold out within minutes for the 19th. Soon after the 23rd was sold out too.

Potentially, the two could meet in the Asia Cup final as well on the 28th, which will make it 3 games in 9 days at a venue where Pakistan and India have never met before.

I have been at the Dubai Stadium at full capacity.

A Pakistan vs Australia T20 a few years ago that ended in a Tie and went into a Super Over, a few PSL games, and a couple of other matches.

The atmosphere there is electrifying to say the least. The noise, the cheering, the music all make it quite deafening.

But I have never been there for a Pakistan vs India match and I can only imagine what it is going to be like this Wednesday.

The stadium is going be full. It might be more than full actually. There will be hoards of people waiting outside trying to get in. There will be a traffic jam around Motor City and Sports City. Parking lots will be full. Cars will be diverted away. There will be some very frustrated fans outside the ground. It will be hot and humid. There will be a lot of hurdles getting to the ground.

But once you will be in, it will all be worth it!

It has to be, it is Pakistan vs India after all, and that too in the UAE after 12 years, and in Dubai for the first time ever!

Pakistan and India have played 26 ODIs against each other in the UAE, out which they played 24 ODIs in Sharjah and 2 in Abu Dhabi.

Those two ODIs in Abu Dhabi in 2006 was the last time the two rivals met in the UAE. It has been 12 years.

They have never played an ODI in Dubai, which seems strange considering the Dubai International Cricket Stadium opened in 2009.

And now they are set to square off twice within 4 days and potentially a third time a week later.

Come Wednesday, 19th September, Pakistan will square off against India for the first time ever in Dubai and for the first time in the UAE in 12 years!

The 25,000 capacity stadium in Dubai was sold out in less than an hour for this match.

I can't wait to be there. I was there for the two games in Abu Dhabi in 2006. I remember being there for at least half of the 24 Sharjah games that Pakistan has played against India.

Those were the days when Pakistan used to dominate India. Out of the 26 matches played in the UAE, Pakistan has won a whopping 19!

Besides their dominance in the UAE, Pakistan has many other things going for them at the moment.

• The last time they played an ODI, it was the Champions Trophy Final in 2017, and Pakistan completely destroyed India.
• The last time they played an Asia Cup ODI match, it was the game in Dhaka in 2014, where Shahid Afridi scarred Ashwin for life.
• UAE is home and a like a fortress for Pakistan.
• India is coming off a demoralizing England tour.
• India has come for this Asia Cup without Virat Kohli.

If all this does not make Pakistan overwhelming favorites for its two games against India in this Asia Cup, I don't know what will.

Pakistan are my favorites for winning the Asia Cup too. The team has been on a roll for some time now. The young and talented cricketers have been performing exceptionally and glory for all of them is right round the corner.

Actually, they got the glory with the Champions Trophy win last year, so an Asia Cup win will only solidify Pakistan's position as one of the top limited overs side currently.

They have a courageous captain, some outstanding openers, one of the best number three batsman in the world currently, a hard hitting middle and lower order, and a destructive bowling line up that possesses unlimited variety and skill.

India and the rest of Asia need to be wary of this talented Pakistan side.

Pakistan's victory in the Champions Trophy has brought so much joy to Pakistanis in all corners of the world that even two days later we can't stop talking about it. It is such a historic moment that everyone is talking of Ramzan miracles, making analogies to past World Cup wins and Pakistan-India encounters, and simply expressing their elation.

The final was so good that it almost felt like a dream. As Ahmer Naqvi described it, we were truly transported back to the 90s when such victories over India used to be the norm.


Rehan Ul Haq went a step further and said that this was redemption for Bangalore. It truly was!

And the best of them all, Osman Samiuddin, tried to make sense of every thing that happened. And even he admits that not much sense can be made out of what Pakistan did.


There are so many articles on the internet that it is impossible to mention all of them, but one writer that deserves a mention and an award for describing the way Pakistanis feel during their team's matches and their team's fluctuating fortunes in a tournament is Jarrod Kimber. I don't know any non-Pakistani who can describe our feelings that way Jrod does. What am I saying, he describes them better than we do ourselves!

If you have not read the master pieces by Jrod during the Champions Trophy, you can find them all here.

While all these analogies to past Pakistan vs India encounters and "Haal" are apt, the best message I received talking about similarities between the ICC Finals Pakistan has played over the years was:

1992: in Ramzan
1999: in England
2007: in Ramzan
2009: in England
2017: in Ramzan in England

Deadly!

For me, this victory over India wiped away all the heartbreaks, particularly Bangalore, Johannesburg, and Mohali.

It truly is redemption for all of Pakistan's fans.

1992, 2009, and 2017 will forever be engraved in our memories and for those like me who have watched each of those finals ball-by-ball, what a time to be alive!

1992. 2009. 2017.

Pakistan is the 4th team in the history of international cricket to win all three ICC tournaments and only the 3rd team to hold every single ICC trophy including the Test Mace.

That is an achievement.

In 2015, Pakistan were the 9th ranked ODI team and they had to beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka to move to qualify for this Champions Trophy. Now, Pakistan are on top of the world and they have got there by beating the best in the business.

That is remarkable.

Pakistan's win in this Champions Trophy is stuff dreams are made of. It is a fairy tale ending. It is a movie where in a make believe fantasy world the underdog does the unthinkable and you leave the theater saying "this only happens in movies".

Along their glorious victorious run, Pakistan created some records and left us with some amazing memories. Here's a look back at the magic the team and its players created yesterday in the final and over the past two weeks.

THE TEAM

Beat the Best
To be the Champions, one has to beat the best. Pakistan won this Champions Trophy by beating:

- World's number 1 ranked ODI team.
- Tournament Favorites.
- Defending Champions.

Highest Total in CT17
For a team that is not known for its aggressive batting or big hitting, a team that does not score 300 as often as it should, a team whose batsmen tend to play too cautiously, a team that is far behind global standards of modern day ODI cricket, put up the highest total of this Champions Trophy; and that too in the Final!


Highest Total in all Champions Trophies
Pakistan's 338-4 in the Final is the second highest total in a Champions Trophy match; it is the highest total against a test nation in Champions Trophy, and it is the highest total in a Champions Trophy Final.


Highest Total in Pakistan vs India ODIs
Pakistan's score was their second highest ever in ODIs against India and the highest score ever in a Pakistan vs India ODI played outside the Subcontinent and the UAE.


Largest Win in Champions Trophy
Pakistan's win the final by 180 runs is not only the largest win in a final of an ICC tournament, it is also the largest win against a test nation in all Champions Trophy matches ever.


Largest Win in Pakistan vs India ODIs
The win the final is also the largest win by runs in the history of ODIs between Pakistan and India.


This team achieved results that no one expected them to. The players did the same...

FAKHAR ZAMAN
The man of the moment, Fakhar Zaman has left everyone awestruck. In his debut ODI series, he improved with every match and showed his best in the final with a scintillating knock of 114. He provided Pakistan with the much needed impetus at the start of an innings in every match and showed the world that Pakistan can also play modern day ODI cricket.

Highest Strike Rate in CT17
Fakhar had such a remarkable tournament that he not only was the highest run scorer with the best average for Pakistan, he was 6th highest run scorer in the tournament, had the second highest strike rate in the tournament (Min: 100 Runs), and had the highest strike rate rate among all openers in the tournament.


Most Boundaries in CT17
He brings to Pakistan's team the much needed explosiveness at the top of the order, which is evident from the fact that he hit the second most number of boundaries in this Champions Trophy.


Highest Strike Rate in all Champions Trophies
Among all batsmen that have scored a minimum of 150 runs in Champions Trophy matches over the years, Fakhar has the second best strike rate. Among these batsmen, Fakhar has the third best average, behind Dhawan and Wallace.


Highest Score in a Champions Trophy Final
Fakhar Zaman's 114 in the final against India is the 6th century to be scored in a Champions Trophy final, the second highest score ever in a Champions Trophy final, and the highest score ever in a winning cause in a CT final.



HASSAN ALI
It was his first ever ICC tournament and he ended it with the Player of the Tournament Award and the Golden Ball Award for his 13 wickets. It has not even been a year since he made his debut for Pakistan and he has rapidly risen to become their primary spearhead. Besides the first match against India, Hasan took 3 wickets in each of the other matches and was instrumental in ensuring that Pakistan restrict South Africa, Sri Lanka, and England to chase-able totals. He continued his form in the final and played a part in India's destruction as well.

Highest Wicket Taker in CT17
Hasan's 13 wickets were the highest in this Champions Trophy. He was well ahead of the rest of the bowlers in terms of average and economy, and only behind Josh Hazlewood in terms of strike rate.


Best Average & Strike Rate in all Champions Trophies
Among all bowlers with at least 10 wickets in Champions Trophy matches, Hasan has the second best average, third best strike rate, and third best economy.


Most Wickets in a Champions Trophy
Hasan's 13 wicket haul in this Champions Trophy is the highest any bowler has taken in a single Champions Trophy. He sits equal with Jerome Taylor on this record, however at a much better average, strike rate, and economy.



AZHAR ALI
Many, including me, criticized his inclusion in the ODI team. Despite his sluggish strike rate, he formed a potent opening partnership with Fakhar and gave Pakistan two successive century opening stands in the semifinal and final.

The 118 run stand in the semifinal was Pakistan's first century opening partnership in over two years. The last time Pakistan's openers put on two successive opening partnerships was 14 years ago; in 2003 when Imran Farhat and Yasir Hameed unleashed against New Zealand.


Azhar was Pakistan's second highest run scorer (and 8th overall) in this Champions Trophy. His 3 fifties in the Champions Trophy were the most by any batsman (equal with Virat Kohli).

The primary concern with Azhar opening the batting is his strike rate. He is not a naturally aggressive batsman and struggles to rotate the strike. However, he improved with every match and also took on the role of an aggressor in both matches against India when his partner was struggling.

I will be the first to admit that I am a convert and I believe Azhar has a role to play in this ODI side, especially if the aggressors around him can play theirs.

MOHAMMAD HAFEEZ
He is another player who has been heavily criticized by one and all, including me. What is his role? Is he a batsman who bowls or a bowler who can bat? Where does he fit in the batting line up? There are so many questions about his role in the team that even the team management can't probably answer.

Hafeez's ability to rotate strike is nonexistent. Against India, he scored 33 off 43. Against South Africa, he was worse - 26 off 53. Against Sri Lanka, he couldn't even get going as he went for 1 off 5 deliveries.

In the semifinal against England, he walked in to bat with only 39 left for victory. Hafeez got 31 of them in only 21 deliveries. His innings included 3 fours and 2 sixes. It was like an innings that a younger Hafeez would have played while opening.

In the final, he continued where he left off against England. His unbeaten 57 off 37 deliveries took Pakistan well beyond the 300 run mark. He batted with aggression and his stroke play was immaculate.

Hafeez's strike rates in those two innings against England and India are the 4th and 5th best strike rates for an innings by a Pakistani batsmen in Champions Trophy. His 50 in the final was the second fastest 50 by a Pakistani batsmen in Champions Trophy.


Against India, he walked in to bat with 10 overs left in the innings. After all these years, we might have just discovered the best position for him to bat on.

MOHAMMAD AAMER
He has now been back in Pakistan colors for 18 months but he is not the same Aamer who left the scene in 2010. Since his return, Aamer has struggled with his swing, and wickets have been rare largely because of Pakistan's inept catching. He has been bowling well for quite some time, what was missing was the wicket taking ability.

Against India, in the Champions Trophy Final, he produced a magical spell, his best since his comeback, and had the tournament's top three run scorers back in the pavilion inside the first 9 overs. It was pure magic out there.

Not many bowlers can claim to have had the better of Virat Kohli. No bowler can claim that they got Kohli twice in two deliveries. But Aamer did just that. It was two perfect deliveries to the world's best batsman; the first one was edged and dropped at first slip; the second one had him caught at point.

Aamer's figures of 3-16 in the final are the second best bowling figures ever in Champions Trophy Finals. His average and economy being the best among these efforts.



JUNAID KHAN
Even though he was not Pakistan's first choice at the start of the tournament, he performed exceptionally well to end as the third highest wicket taker in this Champions Trophy. He forged a threatening new ball partnership with Aamer, and the duo combined at the death with some perfectly executed yorkers.

Junaid has a stellar record in ODIs, and despite falling behind due to injury and loss of form over the past couple of seasons, his partnership with Aamer forms a potent attack for Pakistan.

BABAR AZAM
Even though he did not reach the heights that he did against the West Indies earlier in the season, his scores of 31*, 38*, and 46 against South Africa, England, and India are enough to demonstrate his immense talent.

He remains the only batsman to average above 50 for Pakistan in ODIs and the future of Pakistan's batting is in safe hands with Fakhar and him in the top order.

SHOAIB MALIK, IMAD WASIM, RUMMAN RAEES, SHADAB KHAN, FAHEEM ASHRAF
Even though there was no major contribution from either of these players, they did enough to complement Pakistan's batting and bowling to show the talent that they possess.

Malik failed when he got a chance but he looked sublime in his innings against India (group game) before he was run out and against South Africa before the rain interruption.

Imad displayed control with both the new and old ball and kept the run rate in check every time he came on to bowl. In the final he turned it on with the bat too in the end overs showing his value to the team's lower order.

Rumman ad Faheem got only one match each and either could have easily played more if it were not for the better form with the ball of Pakistan's first choice trio. Both made their debuts during the Champions Trophy and showed that they have the ability to compete with the best at this level. Rumman's accuracy and Faheem's utility with bat and ball will prove to be invaluable for Pakistan in the future.

Shadab Khan is a superstar in the making. His bowling is spot on, he can hit hard with the bat, and his fielding is top notch. He owned the point region for Pakistan and is arguably the best fielders in the team. This boy has a long and bright future ahead.

SARFRAZ AHMED
Last but not least, Pakistan's captain, proved to be a leader. To come back and lift the troops after the decimation against India in their opening match, would have been no easy task. The way Sarfraz, along with the coaching staff, kept this team motivated and inspired in every match after that is a phenomenal effort.

Sarfraz did not get much opportunity to showcase his batting talent in this Champions Trophy, but the one time when a captain's knock was required to take Pakistan into the semifinals, he led from the front. His unbeaten 61 against Sri Lanka ensured a Pakistan win after they were looking down the barrel after being reduced to 162-7 while chasing 237.

In that match, Sarfraz's unbroken partnership of 75 with Mohammad Aamer for the 8th wicket, created a new Champions Trophy record for the highest 8th wicket partnership.


Sarfraz is only 30 and he can captain this side for a long time to come if he can show the same level headed approach that he did in this Champions Trophy. He seems to have formed a healthy relationship with Micky Arthur; nothing can be better for a team like Pakistan than to have a united Captain and Coach to lead the charges.

They have a young team under their wings. Shadab is still a teenager; Babar is 22; Hasan and Faheem are 23; Aamer and Rumman are 25; Fakhar and Junaid are 27; Imad is 28. Only Azhar, Hafeez, and Malik are above 30.

This Champions Trophy win is just the start for this core group of players and they will play together for a long time to come. These boys can truly make Pakistan the ODI powerhouse that they once used to be.

What would a fan be if he is not optimistic?

Here is a recollection of the past two weeks and how a few friends predicted the Champions Trophy proceedings right till the end!

This Champions Trophy was anxiously awaited by Pakistan's fans, particularly for the match on 4th June. It was going to be Pakistan vs India in an ODI after two years.

It was an anxious wait and a sleepless night...


The match itself was an anticlimax. There were so many emotions pouring out, which I would love to share but some of the language used is not for public viewing.

The next day was all about taking the Micky (no pun intended) out of Sarfraz' "out of the box" statement.


Nothing was right about Pakistan's start in the Champions Trophy. Bold statements, bad death bowling, inept batting. Nothing went right and everyone had lost hope; well almost everyone.

The evening of 5th June brought some good news for Pakistan's fans.


Couple of days went by, Pakistan continued to be criticized, the team was not expected to win any of its matches, but come the morning of 7th June, it was Pakistan vs South Africa, and some of us still had hope!


Some of my friends laughed at me when I said we have a chance you know. No one thought we stood a chance against the world's number 1 ODI team. Well almost no one.



At least I was not alone. One friend not only predicted a victory against South Africa, but went on to predict it correctly all the way to the final.


There were reasons presented also about why Pakistan will beat South Africa, and then there was some hope.


The same prediction was reiterated elsewhere the next day.

Even though I had predicted one of the semi finals to be India vs New Zealand; on the morning of New Zealand's must win match against Bangladesh, I felt otherwise.


Bangladesh became the second team to qualify for the semifinals as Australia lost to England the next day, and on the morning of another knock out game, India vs South Africa, I had another feeling.


That came true when India beat South Africa.

I had already predicted a Pakistan vs England semi final earlier, and reiterated the same on the morning of 12th June.


Pakistan's win over Sri Lanka sealed it and all predictions seemed to be coming true.

The prospects of a Pakistan vs India final were truly alive.

But not many believed Pakistan could get past England... some of us though had all the hope in this world.



Once again, I was not alone. There was the same friend saying the same. He was also trying to arrange tickets for the Final on the morning of Pakistan's semifinal against England.


While the planning continued, optimistic thoughts continued and we were still a few hours away from the start of the first semifinal.
The chase was all too easy for Pakistan. No one expected it. No one could believe the turnaround they had witnessed.

Now, India had to beat Bangladesh to make this Champions Trophy epic.


India obliged with even more ease as they smoothly sailed over Bangladesh setting up a first time ever Pakistan vs India final of an ICC ODI tournament.

Match tickets were arranged. Flights were booked. Hotels were booked. And the boys made their way to London to bring home the cup.


Yes, this is the same friend who had predicted a Pakistan vs India final on the morning of 7th June. He however claims that he had made this prediction in February. He might be right.


So here we are then. A rollercoaster ride that has brought us to the eve of an epic final. What are we predicting for tomorrow?


Yep, that sounds about right!

Come on PAKISTAAAAAAAN!