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ICC T20 World Cup 2026: India vs Pakistan | Match 27 | Group A | Colombo | February 15 | Pre-Match Discussion

The Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle

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The stage is set for the most high-stakes encounter in cricket. After a period of intense uncertainty and a resolved boycott threat, Pakistan and India are officially ready to face off in the 10th edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

This match was nearly called off due to a diplomatic deadlock. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initially announced a boycott following security concerns and hosting disputes. However, following "back-channel talks" involving the ICC and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the Pakistan government officially cleared the team to play on February 9, 2026.

India: The Defending Champions
India enters the match with momentum, having already secured a 29-run victory against the USA in their opening game. Led by Suryakumar Yadav, the squad looks settled with a mix of explosive youth and elite experience.

* Strength: A middle order featuring Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube capable of finishing games from any situation.
* Key Player: Jasprit Bumrah. His ability to bowl "bullet" yorkers at the death remains India’s biggest insurance policy.

Pakistan: The Subcontinent Specialists
Pakistan started their campaign with a hard-fought 3-wicket win over the Netherlands. Because Pakistan is playing all their matches in Sri Lanka, they may have a slight "home" advantage in terms of pitch familiarity.

* Strength: The "Elite Pace Battery" of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Wasim Jr.
* Key Player: Babar Azam. In the spin-friendly conditions of Colombo, Babar's ability to anchor the innings and rotate strike will be the difference between a par score and a winning one.

Previous Record

* Matches Played: 8
* India Wins: 7
* Pakistan Wins: 1
 
T20 is a lottery format, anyone can win on a given day.
Remember the Asia Cup final, where India struggled to chase a moderate target.

Whoever absorbs the pressure and holds their nerve will win the match.
 
Easily our worst team, not sure why we have Kishan, colombo is ideal for PCT to win against us.
 
Farhan
Saim
Agha
Babar
Nafay
Shadab
Nawaz
Naseem
SSA
Abrar
UTariq
=========
Usman should be benched , so is Faheem , Naseem Shah the gem 💎 should play
 
USA is more like India-E team. Not a single Native American.

The Netherlands at least have quite a few native players
 
The associate teams are more comfortable against pace than spin

Not playing Fakhar is stupid imo

The way Shaheen is getting spanked by most teams these, I would be tempted to drop him or one of the spinners and play Fakhar.
 
Against India our best bet is bat 1st score 180+ , ideally one of the opener scoring a brisk 50 and rest of the lot contributing.

Then in bowling everybody chips in more like CT17 final template
:sarf2 it's doable guys
:wy
 
To be honest Usman Tariq’s action is very distracting for the viewers let alone batsmen.

The unnecessary pause does not allow the batsman to get into any sort of rhythm while facing him.

Probably such a bizarre action should not be allowed in cricket
 
AZulfi said:
To be honest Usman Tariq’s action is very distracting for the viewers let alone batsmen.

The unnecessary pause does not allow the batsman to get into any sort of rhythm while facing him.

Probably such a bizarre action should not be allowed in cricket
Click to expand...
Good thing ICC rules are not based on the whims and perceptions of average people. The pause in his action is the same with every delivery he bowls which is why it is legal under the rules laid down by the ICC.
 
AZulfi said:
To be honest Usman Tariq’s action is very distracting for the viewers let alone batsmen.

The unnecessary pause does not allow the batsman to get into any sort of rhythm while facing him.

Probably such a bizarre action should not be allowed in cricket
Click to expand...
Batters have too many advantages now adays.

I think its fine if a bowler can have an advantage as long as he is not chucking.

He is basically the bowling version of chaderpaul, fawad alam.
 
I’ve actually had it with this team. Babar, Shaheen, Usman. So boring, so poor.

All I can say is congratulations India
 
I would switch up the XI a little.

1. Saim Ayub
2. Sahibzada Farhan
3. Agha Ali Salman (C)
4. Babar Azam
5. Fakhar Zaman
6. Shadab Khan
7. Faheem Ashraf
8. Usman Khan (WK)
9. Salman Mirza
10. Abrar Ahmed
11. Usman Tariq

I can’t get the right balance. I would to bring in Naseem, but it would mean Faheem has to drop out & his late order batting is key.

Nawaz has to be dropped as he is a hindrance with the bat & with the ball can be expensive. Fakhar Zaman coming in made sense with his experience considering the complete opposite for Khawaja Nafay, however Fakhar isn’t a No.5 but you need his experience.

After he scored runs against USA, dropping Babar will be impossible unfortunately.
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Good thing ICC rules are not based on the whims and perceptions of average people. The pause in his action is the same with every delivery he bowls which is why it is legal under the rules laid down by the ICC.
Click to expand...
I really hate why people dont bother to read the rules before making claims on what is legal and not based on their own feelings..

Yes, even i hate his action, but if its legal and he is taking wickets, than he should play.

Btw, do watch Anil Chaudry (umpire) videos on social media. One of the best cricket video makers that basically talks about rules and playing conditions of cricket based on contemporary issues.

He gives the umpires pov, no feelings drama
 
RedwoodOriginal said:
Good thing ICC rules are not based on the whims and perceptions of average people. The pause in his action is the same with every delivery he bowls which is why it is legal under the rules laid down by the ICC.
Click to expand...
I did not say his action was illegal. I know it is legal under the present laws

It is very unsettling for a batsman though and that was my point
 
Self belief is the main thing, Pakistan must believe they can beat India , no rocket science specially the skipper Agha his body language will be crucial
:jm
 
AZulfi said:
I did not say his action was illegal. I know it is legal under the present laws

It is very unsettling for a batsman though and that was my point
Click to expand...
You said such a bizarre action should not be allowed. An action being "bizarre" is not really a good enough reason for it to not be allowed. In professional sports such decisions are based on codified rules.
 
TeymurBlake said:
I would switch up the XI a little.

1. Saim Ayub
2. Sahibzada Farhan
3. Agha Ali Salman (C)
4. Babar Azam
5. Fakhar Zaman
6. Shadab Khan
7. Faheem Ashraf
8. Usman Khan (WK)
9. Salman Mirza
10. Abrar Ahmed
11. Usman Tariq

I can’t get the right balance. I would to bring in Naseem, but it would mean Faheem has to drop out & his late order batting is key.

Nawaz has to be dropped as he is a hindrance with the bat & with the ball can be expensive. Fakhar Zaman coming in made sense with his experience considering the complete opposite for Khawaja Nafay, however Fakhar isn’t a No.5 but you need his experience.

After he scored runs against USA, dropping Babar will be impossible unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Agree Nawaz has to be dropped. He won’t be bowled against India because of lefties and his batting is looking useless
 
Lmao… now that Indians are confused by off field shenanigans it’s time to put the bucket over their heads and wack it with the bat…

Perhaps PCB realizes this is the only way Pak can close the gap with India without getting rid of corruption and investing in domestic cricket, do an off field topi drama, then say “yes we will play” in the last second and catch them off guard.

Like telling your wife I’m gonna divorce you, head out the door, and return in an hour with chocolate and flowers and date night :wenger :asghar
 
I’ll mostly be watching to see whether India shakes hands or not. If they do, it’ll show that the boycott threat has definitely taught india a lesson how to be behave.

Win and lose is part of the game and india is a better team so its more likely they will win.
 
Probably not much pressure in this game since it’s not do or die . So Pakistan might prevail . I don’t think they will change the XI .
 
Haven't done this in a while but here's my team:-

Farhan
Fakhar
Saim
Babar
Salman
Nafay
Shadab
Nawaz
Faheem
SSA / Mirza
Abrar

I don't mind Saim staying as opener and Fakhar coming in at 3
 
This Ind team is an absolute favorite to win the WC. Will be a massive disappointment if they dont. Actually didnt expect the 2024 team to win at all but this 2026 team is really good with all bases covered. They need a really bad dad day to be knocked out of the WC. So, if Pak win against Ind this weekend, it will be a massive upset for sure. And cant see the Ind batting faltering so badly ever again in this tournament. Just hope its an exciting contest and not a boring one sided media driven rivalry - need a real close contest on the field.
 
Asif321 said:
It’s gonna be same team as today . 100% . Absolute No change
Click to expand...
Yeah I'm sure it will be...
But this is the team I would pick from the squad...
Fakhar is a big match player so I would definitely slot him in and as high up the order as possible
 
Kianig89 said:
Against India our best bet is bat 1st score 180+ , ideally one of the opener scoring a brisk 50 and rest of the lot contributing.

Then in bowling everybody chips in more like CT17 final template
:sarf2 it's doable guys
:wy
Click to expand...
No always chase against India. Bowl them out for under 160 and you have a chance. Us batting first we will never be able to post a score worthy enough to defend given how Shaheen goes for 40 runs +- against them the rest have to defend 120 in 16 overs it's an easy chase for India as I don't see Pak scoring 200+. 160 at best batting first, we just do not know how to set totals against them, all will be going well batting at 10 runs an over and suddenly a wicket falls and Yadav starts acting like the second coming of warne and we forget how to bat. Never have I seen players being smashed all around the park only to come back and turn the match on it's head, it has happened countless times to us. Better chase and let see what score we can limit them to!
 
No serious team would play a:
- pacer who is bowling full pies and has conceded 70 runs in 7 overs against associates while benching their best performing seamer of not just the first game but last few months
- a bowling allrounder at 8 who doesn’t bowl at all at the expense of a specialist bat when it already has 6-7 bowling options
- part time keeper who can’t bat (although the options are pretty limited there)
not to mention a top order batsman who consumes at least 15 deliveries to get going

This team is just Farhan + spinners at the moment.
 
Indians used to struggle against pace and smack spinners. The current lot is total opposite. They need pace on the ball. So with conditions and spin attack, Pak has a fair shot.

Realistically speaking India are 55-45 favorites for this.

We lost our last odi series in SL too due to spinners.
 
Indian top order had their failure against USA so unlikely to fail again. Our best chance is to restrict them to 160 and hope Saim or Sahibzada comes off for 10 overs or bat first and get to 180 odd with the same happening.
 
SSA will get murdered by Abhishek et al. Serving up pies in search of that glory ball.

Best XI based on what we have:

Sahib
Saim
Agha
Babar
Usman
Shadab
Faheem
Nawaz
Abrar
Mirza
Tariq

Would like to have seen Nafay given a chance in place of Usman against associates. Too big a game to throw him in now.
 
AZulfi said:
USA is more like India-E team. Not a single Native American.

The Netherlands at least have quite a few native players
Click to expand...
As long as they hold the passport, no issue. Or elses that would be racists.

Native americans are not even the americans themselves but the tribes that existed before the whites of britain landed
 
Team is not in balance. Playing SSA will cost Pak big time. Indian openers wont spare him and once the tone gets set in such a high profile game, coming back can be tough.

Apart from the openers (batting) rest looks shaky. Batting is a big question mark.
 
Major said:
I really hate why people dont bother to read the rules before making claims on what is legal and not based on their own feelings..

Yes, even i hate his action, but if its legal and he is taking wickets, than he should play.

Btw, do watch Anil Chaudry (umpire) videos on social media. One of the best cricket video makers that basically talks about rules and playing conditions of cricket based on contemporary issues.

He gives the umpires pov, no feelings drama
Click to expand...
I saw his video on Usman Tariq's action
 
Team is not in balance. Playing SSA will cost Pak big time. Indian openers wont spare him and once the tone gets set in such a high profile game, coming back can be tough.

Apart from the openers (batting) rest looks shaky. Batting is a big question mark.
 
Pakistan can be a better team then they are but alot of times they are not willing to hurt the egos of their big names even when that is in the best interests of the team
 
Will be a close game as Pakistan is fully prepared with spin options. india cannot load their squad with spinners just for one match. So they will rely mostly on seamers on these wickets. So it will be tight.
 
We are about to get destroyed.

Pak cricket is mental midgets in big, high pressure games and this is certainly the big one after the recent tussles.

Probably will bat first, lose early wickets and go in shell to score 130 which will be chased in 15 overs. Ah well, let’s worry about closing out against Namibia.

All I ask is to Just lose with some fight.
 
Kianig89 said:
Against India our best bet is bat 1st score 180+ , ideally one of the opener scoring a brisk 50 and rest of the lot contributing.

Then in bowling everybody chips in more like CT17 final template
:sarf2 it's doable guys
:wy
Click to expand...
India's strength is chasing.. so it's better to bowl first if Pak won the toss.. also i feel India's bowling is not that great atm..
 
Mas-LFC said:
If some part timers USA can give India a scare. Pakistan can win. InshAllah.
Click to expand...

Anything can happen in a t20 it’s fun cricket . You cannot decide which is the better team based on 40 over match , 4 overs per bowler . Only a test match on a balanced wicket would decide but India won’t play tests .

However this is the worst Pakistani squad ever sent to a icc tournament, full of bits and pieces players .

Unless 1 or 2 players have magical 20 mins , India will walk this .
 
Why the fixation with
emranabbas said:
I’ll mostly be watching to see whether India shakes hands or not. If they do, it’ll show that the boycott threat has definitely taught india a lesson how to be behave.

Win and lose is part of the game and india is a better team so its more likely they will win
Click to expand...

Why still fixated with stupid irrelevant handshakes??!??

Have an ounce of self respect, go out and play the game, thats it….

The handshake can GTFO here….

Would you shake hands with an Israeli after all they are doing…..exactly!!
 
guard said:
Why the fixation with


Why still fixated with stupid irrelevant handshakes??!??

Have an ounce of self respect, go out and play the game, thats it….

The handshake can GTFO here….

Would you shake hands with an Israeli after all they are doing…..exactly!!
Click to expand...

Its not irrelevant we need to see if India has stuck to its stance of no handshake or have done a U-Turn and if they dont a u-turn why?

Will be embarrassing for india if they dona U-Turn
 
emranabbas said:
Its not irrelevant we need to see if India has stuck to its stance of no handshake or have done a U-Turn and if they dont a u-turn why?

Will be embarrassing for india if they dona U-Turn
Click to expand...
Well…. Sorry but thats exactly why Pakistan is as it is…looking for external validation..

indias stance can take a running jump of K2… why should Pakistanis care.. They’ve already made it clear not once, not twice but thrice but still people want to see… see what??!??
 
Saim simply cannot bowl the second over. May be Abrar is a better bet.

Tempted to drop Shaheen but you got to take a chance with him and hope he bowls 2 or 3 magical deliveries.
 
As long as the anchor is there in a pressure cooker, Pakistan will need huge breaks - dropped catches, no balls, etc to pose challenge. Pakistan must score over 100 in 10 or less overs before the anchor appears to bat while batting first. IF they are forced to keep the anchor in the team, which probably they are, drop him at 5, play Faheem @4.

IF chasing, good luck Pak with this anchor, unless most of the runs already chased down.

How about the showoffridi. This guy has no sense at all where to pitch a ball in what conditions after playing for 100 T20Is. These are not the conditions to pitch full. There is hardly any swing. If he has the ability to watch tapes, just emulate the 2nd ball he delivered in the 2nd overs and change the pace. That is where he needs to keep the ball - just short of length moving away from the middle.

The positives for Pak is the momentum now. As the tournament progresses and pitches in Colombo get more and more dry, Pak will be the best team to utilize them with its huge spin attack.
 
hur rizvi said:
Agree Nawaz has to be dropped. He won’t be bowled against India because of lefties and his batting is looking useless
Click to expand...
Playing in tournament cricket, his form & mental strength diminish & decline.

I mentioned in another thread, that this tournament is last chance saloon for Mohammad Nawaz. In conclusion of this tournament his T20 or Pakistan Intl. career has to end due to the amount of spin bowling allrounders Pakistan coming through.
 
Faheem has not bowled in the first 2 games and Nawaz is pretty useless against India as they have lots of lefties in their team. I’d be tempted to drop them both and play a specialist batsman in Fakhar and Bowler in either Naseem or Mirza.

My team would be

Farhan
Saim
Salman
Babar
Fakhar
Shadab
Usman
Shaheen
Mirza
Abrar
Tariq
 
India will likely win, their batsmen will be able to handle our spinners better, and our lower order will probably collapse again. However, with all the drama over the past few weeks there will be a lot of pressure on both teams to win. Would be amazing if we beat India, and a little funny considering the context of it all. But if I had to put money on it, it would be on India.

Hope the weather becomes clear, we get a full game, and we do something special on Sunday. Can’t wait!
 
AZulfi said:
USA is more like India-E team. Not a single Native American.

The Netherlands at least have quite a few native players
Click to expand...
Native American as in Cherokee/Lakota/Comanche/Seminole etc? I cannot recall any major US national sports team in any sport having a native American. Maybe some one off instances that I cannot recall. Native Americans are probably just 1.1% of the US population so I'm not sure why that would be a metric.
 
The pitches appear to be slow and indian stroke makers have to adjust big time.
pak has a good bowling attack. Indian batsmen like ball coming on and if this is denied and leads to dots, they go for the glory shots. This is where pak should try and exploit.
a lot of poeple predicting one sided win for India - dont thing thats happening - i for one think this is going to be a real humdinger and evenly matched.
 
AZulfi said:
To be honest Usman Tariq’s action is very distracting for the viewers let alone batsmen.

The unnecessary pause does not allow the batsman to get into any sort of rhythm while facing him.

Probably such a bizarre action should not be allowed in cricket
Click to expand...
Why? its unique. I recall at some stages even Ashwin used to have a pause albeit not as long or pronounced as UT. thats the beauty of the game, the outlier characters liven it up.
 
CrIc_Mystique said:
Why? its unique. I recall at some stages even Ashwin used to have a pause albeit not as long or pronounced as UT. thats the beauty of the game, the outlier characters liven it up.
Click to expand...
It has to be one motion from what i understand. This pause can be interpreted many ways. Imagine someone holds the ball for like 2 or 3 seconds
 
Pakistan need to be smart here.

This is a dead rubber game, so there is no need to play Usman Tariq.

Keep him up your sleeve for a potential semi-final / final with India.
 
Usman T has to play. This is a statement game. Nafay should play for Usman. Salman for afridi, which won't happen for Susar Afridi.
 
I have a feeling Pakistan may win this.

It is because Pakistan have done well in T20 for the past few months. Also, recent events may charge Pakistani players up.
 
I think its like asia cup final.one side may reach 150 kind if middling total.other may huff and puff to reach it.I will think its 50 50 for both.Batting should be preferred as chasing against quality spinners may be bit more difficult.

One lucky thing for pak since 21 wc is that they never faced india on a batting track to get annihilated.
 
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