A day after arriving in Dubai from Karachi, Pakistan were hard at work at the ICC Academy grounds on Friday night. Looking at them, one wouldn’t have suspected the pressure they were under after suffering a heavy defeat in their Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand on Wednesday. There was no shortage of excitement, enthusiasm or banter and bonhomie, and if there were any nerves ahead of the ‘big one’, they were beautifully disguised.
Pakistan are on the cusp of being ushered out of their own party. After being crushed by 60 runs by the Kiwis, the tournament hosts are within one defeat of potentially playing themselves out of contention. Sunday’s blockbuster faceoff against traditional rivals India couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time; by the same token, it couldn’t also be more opportune, given Pakistan’s history of rousing themselves against India, especially in the Emirates.
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