Pakistan ready for ‘massive’ India clash — skipper Salman Ali Agha
On the eve of their Group ‘A’ fixture against arch-rivals India, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha spoke with measured confidence, insisting his side was fully prepared for the ‘massive’ contest.
“This is a game whose magnitude has always been massive and will continue to be massive,” he said, eyes calm and voice steady, at the pre-match press conference in Colombo.
“We were prepared for everything, whether we play or not. Even tomorrow, the game is going to be massive.”
After threats of a boycott were finally laid to rest last Monday, when the Pakistan government gave the green light for their cricketers to face India following an initial withdrawal, the blockbuster encounter is finally set to take place this evening at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
Amid the surrounding noise, the captain said his team’s focus remained firmly on the cricket itself. While acknowledging that India have had the better of Pakistan in recent global tournaments, Agha stressed that history could not dictate the outcome.
“It’s a new day, a new match. You have to play good cricket to win,” the skipper said.
“You can’t change history. You can learn from it. We have learned from it and we will try to put in a good performance tomorrow and win the match.”
India have beaten Pakistan in their last five meetings, a record that highlights Pakistan’s struggles to absorb the pressure that accompanies this high-profile rivalry. Agha believes spin will play a decisive role in Colombo, identifying Tariq Usman as his trump card against India’s powerful batting line-up.
“Tariq has been bowling well and I am sure the mystery element will make him our trump card,” Agha said, brushing aside concerns over the legality of Tariq’s unique sling-arm action and the long pause in his delivery stride.
“He has been cleared twice, so there are no worries. He doesn’t care about these things. Since he started cricket, these talks have been going on and he is very used to it.”
Despite the hype, there remains the possibility of rain playing spoilsport in Colombo, but Agha said his side was clear on its plans for a shortened contest.
“We can’t do anything about the rain. If the match is shortened or the overs are reduced, we are ready and we know exactly what we need to do,” he said.