Pakistan-India Champions Trophy final at The Oval London is the mother of all finals
Two Asian cricketing giants and arch-rivals Pakistan and India are set to put up a brilliant show in the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 on Sunday.
India-Pakistan matches over the years have been high-voltage clashes with tempers boiling over. The often tense political relations between the neighbouring nations add colour to the bitter yet intense rivalry.
The group match of ICC Champions Trophy 2017 between Pakistan and India was said to be the most awaited cricketing event of the year by cricket pundits, but the final clash has gone even one step ahead in terms of anticipation and excitement, as the battle is now for the championship along with the prestigious rivalry.
Pakistan qualified for the Champions Trophy final after successfully chased down a 212-run target with 8-wickets spared against England at Cardiff. On the other hand, India marched their way into the final after beating Bangladesh by 9 wickets in Birmingham.
Cricket enthusiasts are waiting eagerly for the final battle between the two Asian giants and arch-rivals, and tickets of the match have already been sold out. Spectators have already started reaching London for the match, and Pakistanis in large numbers are even reaching London from America to witness this epic moment.
It has also been reported that 80 percent of the tickets are owned by the Indian fans, and Pakistanis are facing difficulties in buying tickets. Pakistani fans are hopeful that unlike the group match, their team will conquer the defending champions and lift the trophy.
Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir, who missed semi-final against hosts England due to his back spasm, now believes of Being Fit for Title Clash.
Meanwhile, Pakistani spectators will be looking Fakhar Zaman’s skills in Champions Trophy 2017 final. Zaman grabbed the opportunity in the most emphatic manner.
The left-handed batsman spanked Wayne Parnell and Kagiso Rabada for three fours apiece off the backfoot early in the innings.
He scored 31 off 23 under a heavy cloud cover above the picturesque Edgbaston as Pakistan notched up a 40-run stand. His figures got better in the next two games: against Sri Lanka he scored 50 from 36, in the semi-final against England he struck 57 in 58 balls.
Pakistan and India are scheduled to lock horns with each other in the final of Champions Trophy on Sunday at The Oval. The match will start at 02:30 PM (PST).
The 15 men hoping to bring the #CT17 trophy home to Pakistan tomorrow! Are you backing them to shock India? #PAKvIND pic.twitter.com/IJ3MFAAwIq
— ICC (@ICC) June 17, 2017
Teams (likely):
Pakistan: Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan
India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (captain), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah.