Pakistan ready to ‘change history’ against India

AFP: Pakistan are ready to change the course of history in a clash that’s “bigger than the Ashes” when they face arch-rivals India in the Champions Trophy final. 

Some estimates suggest Sunday’s match between the sub-continental cricket giants at the Oval in south London could attract a worldwide television audience of more than a billion viewers.

Title-holders India will be firm favourites against a Pakistan side who were the lowest ranked of all the teams taking part in a tournament featuring the world’s top-eight one-day international sides.

It was only on 4 June that India launched their title defence with a 124-run rout of Pakistan at Edgbaston.

Yet even by their own “unpredictable” standards, Pakistan’s transformation since that reverse has been remarkable and on Wednesday they knocked previously unbeaten tournament hosts England out of the competition with a comprehensive eight-wicket win in Cardiff.

Pakistan have yet to play a match at the Oval this tournament but in bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, who spent several seasons at his “second home” playing for Surrey, they have someone familiar with all the vagaries of the London ground.

And the former Pakistan all-rounder insisted all the burden of expectation was now on India’s shoulders.

“We’ve got nothing to lose -- the pressure is more on them,” Azhar told reporters at the Oval on Friday.

“They are ranked higher than us - so everyone is talking about India, India. But I can tell you one thing -- we have come to win.”

India have won all three of their previous matches with Pakistan in the knockout stages of International Cricket Council tournaments to date but Azhar, 42, said there was no reason why the sequence had to be extended this weekend as well.

“India have the upper hand in ICC tournaments,” he admitted before adding: “But things can change, and this is the time for us to change the tag that we don’t perform well at ICC events. “History can change, and I hope we can (change it).”

Meanwhile Azhar said there was no hiding from the scale of a fixture which, mainly because of political pressure, rarely takes place outside of a major international tournament.

“It is massive,” said Azhar. “India refuse to play against us (in Pakistan’s adopted home of the United Arab Emirates).”

“But (now) on the biggest stage it is India v Pakistan. It is like the Ashes ... it is bigger than the Ashes -- and expectation is high from both nations, crazy about cricket.

“The pressure is high for both sides and their countries ... it is a dream final for the sponsors and the broadcasters,” he added.

“This is the game they want, but it is up to us how we handle the pressure on the day.”

And he insisted a Pakistan victory would be no great surprise. “It wouldn’t be a shock if we won. “No one gave us a hope when we got here. We were the number eight ranked side, and no one gave us any credit.

“But someone asked me before the tournament who would be in the final and I said Pakistan,” Azhar insisted.

“I believe in my boys ... if we win it would be a great gift to the whole nation.”

TV ad rates rocket ahead of India, Pakistan final

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Television advertising rates for Sunday’s cricket final between India and Pakistan are 10 times the normal price, industry sources said, as millions of fans are expected to tune in for a clash that last time ranked among the six most-watched sporting events.

Pakistan, the lowest-ranked team at the Champions Trophy tournament, upset host and favourites England to set up a final with defending champions India, feeding a frenzy for a game that commands a fanatical following in the region and among its diaspora.

A 30-second spot during the final to be broadcast by Rupert Murdoch’s Star Sports is expected to cost nearly INR 10 million ($155,267), far higher than the INR 1 million that advertisers pay on average for most Indian shows, said a person involved in buying ads.

Most of the TV spots for the final, to be played in London, were pre-booked with firms such as Nissan Motor, Intel Corp, Emirates, Chinese mobile maker Oppo and Indian tyre maker MRF signed up as commercial partners for the tournament.

Fewer than 10 percent of the slots are left for the final, a person in the sports broadcasting industry said.

Companies still wanting to air their ads will be paying a higher rate than those who pre-booked, said the person, who did not want to be named, citing business confidentiality.

“India v Pakistan Final... !!!!!!!! All TV execs around the world are now cracking a nice bottle open to celebrate,” tweeted former England captain Michael Vaughan.

India captain Virat Kohli is the only cricketer among the world’s 100 highest-paid sportsmen, ranking 89th with annual income of $22 million, according to a list compiled by Forbes.

Before the Champions Trophy, the last time India and Pakistan played a one-day international was during the 2015 World Cup. That game, won by India, was one of the top-six most viewed sporting events, along with the soccer World Cup final and Usain Bolt’s 100-metre sprint at the 2012 Olympic Games, the sports broadcasting industry source said.

“That was a league game, this is the final,” the person said. “You can expect this to be even bigger.”

India and Pakistan have already met during the tournament’s group stage, with India winning easily. More than 200 million people watched that game, according to Indian media, citing BARC India. For Sunday’s final, viewership is expected to be 30-40 percent higher.

TROUBLED HISTORY

Cricket between the neighbours and rivals has been limited because of their longstanding political problems.

They last played a bilateral series in 2012-13, when Pakistan toured India for two Twenty20 games and three one-day internationals.

It was their first series since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, when Pakistani militants went on a killing spree that left 166 people dead in India’s financial capital. India has since refused to play Pakistan outside International Cricket Council events.

In disputed Kashmir, claimed by both India and Pakistan, the cricket tournament has already caused discord.

Residents of Indian Kashmir, many of whom support the Pakistani team, lit fire-crackers to celebrate Pakistan’s victory over Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament.

Later that night, residents in a village in south Kashmir accused Indian army soldiers of beating them and smashing their cars and windows to punish them for celebrating.