India-Pakistan T20 Showdown in New York: Key Details

India’s men’s cricket team is set to face arch-rival Pakistan in a group-stage match at the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Long Island, New York, on Sunday. This highly anticipated game is expected to be one of the most-watched sporting events of the year. The tournament is being played in the Twenty20 (T20) format, the shortest and newest version of international cricket, with matches typically lasting around three-and-a-half hours.

The match will take place in a temporary stadium inside Nassau County’s Eisenhower Park. However, the pitch has sparked controversy due to its unpredictable bounce, which led to an injury scare for Indian captain Rohit Sharma during the team’s first game against Ireland. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has assured that its world-class grounds team is working to fix the pitch issues before Sunday’s match.

India holds a strong 6-1 win-loss record against Pakistan in T20 World Cups, including a memorable victory in the inaugural edition’s final in 2007 in South Africa. Pakistan’s only T20 World Cup win against India came in the pandemic-delayed 2021 edition, marking their first-ever World Cup victory against their rivals in any cricket format.

$52,000. This is the resale price for the most expensive ticket for Sunday’s game on SeatGeek. Tickets for India-Pakistan World Cup matches are always in high demand, but the steep pricing for this game in New York has drawn criticism. The ICC originally priced tickets between $300 and $10,000, yet even the cheapest resale tickets start at around $830. Concerns have been raised about the possibility of empty seats due to the high ticket and parking costs. Some fans have noted that group-stage game tickets are pricier than NBA Finals tickets.

India-Pakistan matches often carry significant political tension. CNN reported that the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are taking precautions against potential lone-wolf attacks by ISIS-K, the South Asian arm of the Islamic State terror group. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has also directed the New York State Police to implement elevated security measures. However, this heightened security has led to complaints from fans, with South African cricket journalist Neil Manthorp describing the entry process to the stadium as “intimidating as hell.”

India and Pakistan are in Group A with the U.S.A., Canada, and Ireland. The top two teams will advance to the Super 8s. With the U.S. and Canada making their T20 World Cup debuts and Ireland being lower-ranked, India and Pakistan were expected to easily move to the next round. However, Pakistan’s unexpected defeat to the U.S. team in Dallas on Thursday has raised the stakes for Sunday’s match, as another loss could jeopardize Pakistan’s chances of advancing.

Nearly 400 million viewers in India—173 million on TV and 225 million on Disney’s Hotstar streaming platform—watched the last game between the two teams in October at the 50-over World Cup. The 50-over format is longer than T20, with games typically lasting around eight hours. Cricket also has a third format, Test cricket, which is the sport’s oldest and most prestigious form, played over five days.