‘It’s a final before the final’

On the eve of India-Pakistan match in the World Cup, Inzamam-ul-Haq, the chief selector of Pakistan, said that the match between the two sides was a ‘final’ before a final.

Whenever India and Pakistan take on each other in the World Cup, it’s a final before a final. People are always excited about this match. The stadium has a capacity of 24,000 but 8 lakh people applied for the tickets. So, that gives you an idea of how big this match is,” Inzamam told ANI.

Pakistan have never been able to defeat India at the World Cup but Inzamam said past performances do not matter when these two sides take the field. It will all come down to how the team plays on the match day, he said.

“Past performances do not matter and it all depends on who is better on the match day. I hope Pakistan will come out triumphant and I hope people get to enjoy a good quality game of cricket. Pakistan have won just one match in the tournament so far. I hope the fortunes change for the team,” Inzamam said.

“Everything has to happen once. Pakistan has never defeated India in the World Cup , so the pressure will definitely be there. . It’s a big match, the pressure will always be there. If you perform well in this match, it gives you high satisfaction. I urge people to treat this match just as a match,” he added.

Inzamam also labelled India skipper Virat Kohli as one of the greatest players to come out of India and said the Indian team were well balanced, but he backed his bowling attack to challenge them.

“Pakistan’s ‘s strength has always been the bowling. In the Champions Trophy, our bowlers were exceptional. So far our bowlers have not been able to scalp early wickets in the tournament, but the ability is definitely there so I hope for the best,” Inzamam said.

When asked on who he expected to reach the final of the mega-event, Inzamam said: “Pakistan for me will be one finalist in the tournament. England has a quality team. Australia and India also have good teams,” Inzamam said.

Inzamam also refused to criticise the ICC for the weather.

“Games getting washed out can hamper the team’s chances in the World Cup. But it is unfair to blame the ICC in this whole matter. I hope teams get a fair chance of playing their brand of cricket,” Inzamam said.