All eyes on Pakistan-India T20 clash tomorrow in New York

NEW YORK: Pakistan’s green shirts will face chief rival India in a group-stage game at the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Long Island, New York, on Sunday, which is expected to be one of the most-watched sporting events of the year.

In Pakistan, the fans can watch the game at 7:30 pm Pakistan Standard Time on Sunday evening.

The game will take place in a pop-up stadium inside Nassau County’s Eisenhower Park, although the temporary pitch has faced controversy for its “dangerous” unpredictable bounce, which caused an injury scare for Indian captain Rohit Sharma during his side’s first game against Ireland.

The International Cricket Council has since issued a statement saying its “world-class grounds team” is working to remedy the pitch before Sunday’s mega clash.

TICKET PRICE

$52,000. That’s the resale price (including fees) on SeatGeek for the most expensive ticket for Sunday’s game. Tickets for India versus Pakistan games at World Cups are always heavily sought after, but the steep pricing for the match in New York has been criticized by cricket fans and even former administrators.

The ICC priced the T20 Pakistan India game’s tickets between $300 and $10,000, but even the cheapest tickets on the resale market start at around $830. The expensive tickets coupled with pricey parking have led to fears of there being empty seats at the most hyped cricket game of the year. Some fans on social media have even pointed out that group-stage game tickets are more expensive than NBA Finals tickets.

HEAVY SECURITY

India-Pakistan matches can often be highly charged political spectacles. Earlier this week, CNN reported that both the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are taking precautions to prevent a lone-wolf attack carried out by affiliates of ISIS-K—the Islamic State terror group’s South Asian arm. Late last month, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a statement saying her office is monitoring the situation closely and she has directed the New York State Police to “engage in elevated security measures, including an increased law enforcement presence, advanced surveillance, and thorough screening processes.” The elevated security stance, however, has drawn complaints from fans. South African cricket journalist Neil Manthorp said his experience of entering the stadium for an earlier game was “intimidating as hell…it’s like a warzone, there are combat troops with military assault rifles.”

THE STAKES

India and Pakistan are placed in Group A with three other teams: U.S.A., Canada and Ireland. The top two teams will qualify for the next round—the Super 8s. With this being the U.S.’ and Canada’s first T20 World Cup and Ireland being a lower-ranked side, India and Pakistan were expected to cruise through to the Super 8s, with the result of Sunday’s game purely for bragging rights. But Pakistan’s shock defeat to the U.S. team in Dallas on Thursday has raised the stakes for Sunday’s match as another loss could put Pakistan on the brink of a first-round elimination.

Canada defeats Ireland by 12 runs