Pakistan must travel to Dubai to play with India, a team they have had difficulty defeating for a number of years, following their loss to New Zealand in Karachi.

Pakistan is in need of a miracle right now. They are so isolated in international cricket that this is the first ICC tournament they have hosted after 3 decades, and it is not their fault. And after losing badly to New Zealand just three days into the Champions Trophy, they are looking at the exit sign for a celebration they have been looking forward to for thirty years.

Pakistan needs to defeat their closest rivals on a slow, worn-out surface where India has already played and won one game and has five spinners at the ready in order to advance in the competition. India declined to visit Pakistan for reasons that neither their board nor their government would disclose, so Pakistan was forced to abandon their own country and fly to Dubai not because of the cricket players from India. Given that they had to struggle to simply have their country’s name restored in the official broadcast branding, would you blame Pakistan for feeling under siege? Even if they may not be, In these situations, the reasons for any such removal may seem intentional.

The two groups of cricket players have an odd dynamic as a result. The cricket players treat each other with such respect and dignity despite all the manipulations that it irritates others who wish to see their personal hatred manifested on the field. The gap between the two sides may potentially be the origin of the edge.

Also Read: India’s Playing 11 in India vs Pakistan

Once at the forefront of creativity in Asia, Pakistan is now terribly behind the times, particularly in limited-overs cricket, as is bound to happen with a team kept isolated. India, which used to be the nation of cells who weren’t always successful, is now always working to advance. It says a lot that Pakistan has only won in 2017 and 2021 since 2011, in a time when the ICC plans its tournament schedules to guarantee at least one important India-Pakistan encounter.

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