Who Will Win The ICC World Cup 2011 Semi-Final Between India And Pakistan? India Or Pak?

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There is a high level of excitement in the air, tickets are being sold ten or more times their original prices, hotels are filled to capacity and the Prime Ministers of both countries are going to be there. The occasion: ICC World Cup 2011 – India Versus Pakistan!

Let’s face it; it can’t get any better than this clash!

More than a hundred million television viewers are said to watch an India versus Pakistan cricket match.  With one of the most intense sports rivalries existing between the two, long-time arch rivals India and Pakistan consider a defeat against the other unacceptable. This feeling is strongly embedded in fans of both sides, increasing the desperate need for a confrontation between the two on the cricket field, which is almost equated with war.

With the next game in the World Cup being the much-awaited “India-Pak” match scheduled to be played at Mohali, on Wednesday, March 30, 2011; Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has invited Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, to this match.  The Prime Ministers are using cricket as a springboard for diplomatic talks, and this is not the first time both the countries are making an effort to ease the relations using cricket as a platform.

While we wait for things to change for the better and hope ties are rebuilt through cricket, a sport both countries are fanatically passionate about, let’s take a look at the actual matches and the players that make these matches as exciting as they always end up being.

A Quick Glimpse At The Matches Played Between India And Pakistan

India and Pakistan played their first ever test match at Delhi in October 1952. India won the 5-match series 2-1 and then all the ten tests that followed were draws.   Pakistan won against India after 26 years, in the 1978-79 series. Then they played each other in other countries, such as Canada and the United Arab Emirates.  The series in Canada in the 1990s and early 2000s were called the “Friendship Cup.”

Unfortunately, the diplomatic and political tensions between the two countries hindered this interesting and growing sports interaction for a while.  It was in early 2009 that India’s tour of Pakistan was cancelled due to these issues.

The “World Cup” history between the two countries shows India having a 4-0 win record over Pakistan. However, the “Champions Trophy” matches saw Pakistan having a 2-0 win record over India.

Statistics For India Versus Pakistan Matches

Details	Tests	ODIs	T20s
Matches Played	59	119	2
Pakistan Wins	12	69	0
India Wins	9	46	1
Draws	38	4	1

Out of these, 26 ODIs were played in India, 27 were in Pakistan and 66 matches in other countries.

There have been a total of 59 test matches and 119 ODIs played between India and Pakistan, and both the teams have had their “memorable moments.”

Let’s take a look at what these matches yielded:

TEST MATCH RESULTS

TEST MATCHES	Pak	India	Location	Date	Result
Highest Team Score	699/5		Lahore	Dec 1, 1989	Draw
		675/5	Multan	Mar 28, 2004	India won by an innings and 52 runs
Lowest Team Score		106/all out	Lucknow	Oct 23 – Oct 26, 1952	Pak won by an innings and 43 runs
	116/all out		Bangalore	Mar 13 – Mar 17, 1987	Pak won by 16 runs
Highest Individual Scores		Virender Sehwag	Multan	Mar 28, 2004	309 runs
	Javed Miandad		Hyderabad	Jan 14, 1983	289*
Highest Series Wicket Keeper	Imran Khan				94 wickets
		Kapil Dev			99 wickets
Best Bowlers in an Innings		Anil Kumble	Delhi	Feb 7, 1999	10/74
	Imran Khan		Karachi	Dec 27, 1982	8/60

ODI MATCH RESULTS

ODI MATCHES	Pak	India	Location	Date	Result
Highest Innings		356/9	Visakhapatnam	Apr 5, 2005	India beat Pak by 58 runs
	344/8		Karachi	Mar 13, 2004	India beat Pak by 5 runs
Lowest Innings Score		79	Sialkot	Oct 13, 1978	Pak beat India by 8 wickets
	87		Sharjah	Mar 22, 1985	India beat Pak by 38 runs
Highest Total Chased	322		Chandigarh	Nov 8, 2007	Pak beat India by 4 wickets
		316	Dhaka	Jan 18, 1998	India beat Pak by 3 wickets
Most Runs In Career	Inzamam-ul-Haq				2403 runs
		Sachin Tendulkar			2389 runs
Highest Individual Score	Saeed Anwar				194 runs
		MS Dhoni			148 runs
Best Partnerships		Sachin Tendulkar & Sidhu	Sharjah		231 runs
	Saeed Anwar & Ijaz Ahmed		Dhaka		230 runs
Best Bowling		Saurav Ganguly	Toronto	1997	5 wickets for 16 runs
	Aaqib Javed		Sharjah		7 wickets for 37 runs
Major Victory Margins	150 run		Delhi	2005
		140 run	Dhaka	2008

World Cup History Between India And Pakistan

ICC World Cup 2011, the 10th Cricket World Cup ever to be played, is on fire with both Pakistan and India reaching the semi-finals. Pakistan beat West Indies and India beat Australia in the Quarterfinals to reach the World Cup Semi finals.

This is not the first time that India and Pakistan are playing against each other in a World Cup match. They played a total of 4 matches against each other, and India won all 4. The three “key players” to have played in all the four World Cups until now are Inzamam Ul Haq, Sachin Tendulkar and Javagal Srinath.  For Sachin, March 30, 2011 would be the fifth time he is going to play against Pakistan in a World Cup tournament.

ICC World CUP Wins

• India won the World Cup in 1983
• Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992

ICC World Cup 2011

Both Dhoni and Afridi managed to get their teams into the World Cup semi finals.

India booked their seat by defeating Australia, the defending champions in the quarter-final.  Pakistan gained theirs by defeating West Indies – who lost the match by 10 wickets.

The game at Mohali on Wednesday is going to be a high pressure game, like all India-Pakistan games are.  The onus will be on the more experienced and senior players to move their team ahead and motivate players.

The whole world has been keenly waiting for exciting semi-finals and their wish has come true, which brings me to a question. Who do you think will win?  Who will win the Semi-Final between India and Pak? India? Pak?

Tags: ICC World Cup, ICC World Cup 2011, India Versus Pakistan, World Cup