LONDON – Title-holders India face arch-rivals Pakistan in the final of the Champions Trophy at The Oval in London on Sunday, with a television audience of millions set to be glued to the latest edition of world cricket’s most high-profile match.
Below, AFP Sport looks back at five memorable one-day international matches between the Asian cricket giants.
March 10, 1985 – Melbourne: India won by eight wickets
The first India-Pakistan ‘global’ final, albeit not at an ICC event, saw the two nations meet in the climax of the World Championship of Cricket. A forerunner of the Champions Trophy, the seven-team tournament featuring all of the then-Test playing was organised by the Victorian Cricket Association.
Kapil Dev, who led India to the 1983 World Cup, reduced Pakistan to 33/3. Javed Miandad and Imran Khan tried to revive the innings, but a double-strike by leg-spinner Laxman Sivaramakrishnan saw Pakistan held to a lowly 176/9.
India openers Ravid Shastri and Kris Srikkanth then shared a century stand on the way to a commanding victory.
April 18, 1986 – Sharjah: Pakistan won by one wicket
A match no fan on either side of the border will forget. Pakistan, needing four runs off the last ball to lift the Australasia Cup, sailed through as Miandad pulled a full toss from seamer Chetan Sharma for six. Instantly, Miandad became a national hero, and Sharma was reduced to facing barbs and insults on his return home.
March 1, 2003 – Centurion: India won by six wickets
The World Cup match featured a classic cricket confrontation between two global stars in India batsman Sachin Tendulkar and Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar. Tendulkar smashed a 75-ball 98 to help his team achieve a 274-run target.
Akhtar bagged just one wicket – Tendulkar – while conceding 72 runs in his 10 overs.
Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar (101) was the only batsman to score a century in the match.
Who are you backing to win #CT17 today then?
RT for India!
❤️ for Pakistan! #PAKvIND pic.twitter.com/uPE0ssrjgW
— ICC (@ICC) June 18, 2017
March 30, 2011 – Mohali: India won by 29 runs
A World Cup semi-final match that Pakistan ‘lost’ as much as India, on home soil, won, with the visitors dropping Tendulkar four times during an 85 that also saw him survive two close lbw calls.
Pakistan’s chase slowed to a halt in the face of a tight fielding effort, with Misbah-ul-Haq criticised for taking 76 balls to make 56.
March 2, 2014 – Dhaka: Pakistan won by one wicket
Pakistan appeared to be cruising to victory during this Asia Cup clash in Bangladesh when they needed 11 off the last 10 balls with four wickets in hand to overtake India’s 245/8.
Three wickets fell quickly, however, and it came down to nine runs off the last four deliveries from Ravichandran Ashwin.
But Shahid Afridi, living up to his big-hitting reputation, smashed the next two balls for sixes to seal victory.