India v Pakistan: T20 Cricket World Cup – live

17th over: India 106-7 (Pandya 9, Singh 1) Mohammad Amir to bowl his final over. Arshdeep hoicks away over the in-field for a very welcome boundary for India. He’s then clobbered on the shoulder by a short ball. A brief delay whilst he is checked over but he is good to keep going. Arshdeep is hopping around his crease like a lizard on a Balearic patio. Six runs off the over. Amir closes with 2-23 off his four overs. Three overs to go.

16th over: India 100-7 (Pandya 1, Singh 3) Naseem bowling his last – Pakistan going for the kill here. A play and a miss as Pandya is beaten outside off stump. Two singles, India have had all impetus ripped out in the last few overs. All eyes on Hardik to see if he can muscle some boundaries and get them to a more competitive score. Naseem goes yorker and bouncer combinayshun, Just three runs off the over and Naseem Shah finishes with 3-21 off his four overs. Excellent.

15th over: India 97-7 (Pandya 0, Singh 1) Arshdeep Singh manages to block out the hat-trick ball and then clips off his pads for a single. Just one run and two wickets off the over!

WICKET! Ravindra Jadeja c Imad Wasim b Mohammad Amir 0 (India 96-7)

WICKET! Rishabh Pant c Babar Azam b Mohammad Amir 42 (India 96-6)

14th over: India 96-4 (Pant 42, Pandya 0) Hardik Pandya is the new batter. He takes a step down and tries to bunt Naseem Shah on the up through the cover but it is straight to the fielder. A huge cheer as the NO BALL siren goes off – Naseem has overstepped. FREE HIT TIME. HoHo. Hardik throws the kitchen sink, kettle, fridge and toaster at the length ball and connects with a whole load of nothing. Just two runs and a wicket off the over.

WICKET! Dube c & b Naseem Shah 3 (India 95-5)

13th over: India 94-4 (Pant 41, Dube 3) Pakistan put the squeeze on. Imad Wasim trots in and whirls away, just four runs off the over as India can’t get him off the square. The game is in the balance and the sun is beating down on Long Island. Lovely stuff.

12th over: India 90-4 (Pant 40, Dube 1) Haris Rauf is amped up, he fields the ball off his own bowling as new man Shivam Dube pats one back, the bowler then gestures to throw the ball back at him/the stumps. A few boos and jeers from the Indian contingent, it’s a charged atmosphere. Great stuff. Just a single and the wicket off the over.

WICKET! Suryakumar Yadav c Mohammad Amir b Haris Rauf 7 (India 89-4)

11th over: India 89-3 (Pant 40, Yadav 7) Pant gets a reverse sweep away off Imad Wasim – the crowd go bananas. Four more singles are cheered almost as gleefully. Pakistan need to make another breakthrough here.

Magnus Blair is tuned in from the US.

“Seems like a lot of us US cricket emigres went to SA / Ned yesterday. Today was the game I wanted tickets to but one look at StubHub scotched that. Still, had a great time, and seriously thinking of throwing a sickie Wednesday for US India, tickets for that are a snip at, erm, $300”

Wow – those prices seem way too steep. ‘Grow the game’ eh!

“Hi James”

Hello Colum Fordham!

“Envy those lucky enough to see the game live as I write from a place with another largish South Asian diaspora – Naples – where there is a large Sri Lankan community. This should be a humdinger of a match and Pakistan have got the advantage of swing under cloud cover.

Shaheen Afridi is bowling magnificently. Kohli and Rohit may have departed but India have an incredible batting line-up. Pakistan will be desperate to win after their lacklustre performance against the USA.
Much enjoying the OBO and lovely to read enthusiastic emails from new cricket fans in the US.”

I’ll second that Colum. Jealous of Naples as I scribe this from a cloudy south London.

10th over: India 81-3 (Pant 34, Yadav 5) Haris Rauf into the attack. Pant slaps a slower ball over cover for four and then plays his no-look-fall-down-scoop shot for four more! He ends up sat on the turf but it is mightily effective, the ball flying away to the boundary at fine leg. Four more! A clip off the pads from Pant, he’s finding his touch now – ominously for Pakistan.

Ten overs done – time to restore the electrolytes. Mine’s a brew.

9th over: India 68-3 (Pant 21, Yadav 5) Imad Wasim to bowl his darts. Pant miscues but the ball drops short of the sprawling fielder at deep square leg. Well bowled. Wasim gets out of the over for just six runs with both Pant and SKY gunning for him.

He probably doesn’t need to…

8th over: India 62-3 (Pant 17, Yadav 4) Suryakuamar Yadav is the new batter. Bosh – he drives down the ground for four. Sparkling batting that takes the shine off Naseem’s over a little.

WICKET! Axar Patel b Naseem Shah 20 (India 58-3)

7th over: India 57-2 (Pant 16, Patel 20) Iftikhar is summoned for some right arm spin. Axar eases a single to bring Pant on strike. Ayayay – Pant drops to one knee and tries to ramp/scoop from outside off but serves only to very nearly paddle the ball into his own stumps. A leg side wide and a single to Pant follow. Shot! Axar uses his feet to get to the pitch and drives down the ground for four.

I’d wager 150/60 is a decent score on this deck with this outfield. There I said it. And I might delete it later.

6th over: India 50-2 (Pant 15, Patel 15) Amir continues – DROP! An edge flies through Iftikhar’s hands at slip. Tough chance but seen them taken. It went quickly and beat him for pace. ANOTHER DROP! Next ball Pant clubs away in the air and Usman Khan can’t cling on running back from point.

They could be costly misses – you don’t want to give a player as dangerous as Rishabh Pant a life, never mind two. Pant swings emphatically and gets a huge edge over the slips for four. Fifty up for Pakistan. Pant is flying by the seat of his name but the runs are coming for India.

That’s the power play done with. The field can spread a little.

5th over: India 38-2 (Pant 4, Patel 14) Shaheen is edged away for four by Axar but there is nothing dicey about the next shot. A shorter ball is ramped away beautifully over the slips and over the rope for SIX. A short delay as a punter ambles in front of the sight screen mid over. “It’s not Central Park, mate” purrs Ravi Shastri on comms. Close! An inside edge passes perilously close to the stumps – Pant gets a single from it. Axar cuts away for two as India re-build.

4th over: India 24-2 (Pant 3, Patel 1) Mohammed Amir to replace Naseem. He’ll likely still be licking his wounds still after conceding 18 off his super over against the US on Thursday. Starts with a dot but then goes too full, Pant clipping away for three – the outfield’s sluggishness preventing a four there. Swing and a miss x 3 by Axar Patel! Amir gets the ball to move off the seam and Axar tries to moose each delivery out of the ground but connects only with fresh air. Frustration creeping in. A single off the last ball sees him keep strike.

3rd over: India 20-2 (Pant 0, Patel 0) Pace from Shaheen. He fizzes one along the tramlines that Axar Patel is happy to let go by. In fact it is called a wide. Two slips in place, two left-handers at the crease. Shaheen looks dangerous and joins the dots. Just a single and the wicket off it. Are we in for another low scoring thriller here?

WICKET! Sharma c Haris Rauf b Shaheen Shah Afridi 13 (India 19-2)

2nd over: India 19-1 (Rohit 13, Pant 0) Rishabh Pant is the new man and he is beaten first ball by one that nips away sharply off a length from Naseem! The young bowler has got his dander up after pocketing Virat but is perhaps guilty of losing his concentration a little – a wide is sprayed down the leg side and he then strays onto Rohit’s pads with a half volley, he ain’t gonna miss out on those. Whipped away for four. Eleven runs and the wicket off the over. The sun is peeking out too!

WICKET! Kohli c Usman Khan b Naseem Shah 4 (India 12-1)

“Hey James, greetings from Brooklyn!”

Hello to you all – Paul, Hywel, Adelaide and Megan.

“Feeling for the fans today. We went to SA x NL yesterday, and it was brilliant to meet so many first-ever-game US fans who really loved it (at least based on my unscientific analysis of asking people wearing Mets hats). But as you say there is ZERO protection from the rain (or sun, as our first time friend Megan discovered…) Hoping the rain abates. Thanks for the great coverage!”

Paul also sends a photo of some epic wrist watch based sun burn. Poor Megan. Chance would be a fine thing in Nassau Stadium today though by the looks of the gun metal skies.

Saying that – here come the players!

“Could I just request a little help from yourself and you’re OBO colleagues? Can you please please please stop being so positive that there will be play… every time I read the OBO and one of you wonderful people starts talking about ‘when’ the play will begin, it (almost without fail) ends up being a washout. Just hold you’re horses and be a little more vague and I’m sure we’ll end up with some cricket at some point.”

Brendan Large is tuning in from Norway. Vagueness be damned – the match is due to resume in five minutes! Five Brendan, FIVE!

Hello to you David Bertram. Another OBOer in America.

“Morning! Interesting article on the pitch and stadium. I attended the game yesterday and transport is a bit annoying (welcome to NYC, getting to the MetLife is equally as annoying) but the outfield really stuck out. Very very slow and makes it difficult to score. Having said that, it was my friend’s first cricket game and he was hooked once the Dutch got SA 3-3. Despite the lack of scoring the drama was still there…”

Whisper it, but i’ve been enjoying the carnage the pitches have been offering up. Certainly keeps it interesting and is an antidote to the Sixageddon of the recent IPL.

I’m not the one having to bat on it though – OR AM I?

No – I’m not.

“I was at the SA vs Netherlands game yesterday” writes Andrew Cooper, “and the atmosphere was really nice, with many Indian and Pakistani fans among many other nationalities, hope the weather clears up for them today!”

“A pop-up stadium with a pitch that seems to have taken cricketing lessons from a trampoline. Cricket in New York – it’s like seeing a Bollywood musical on Broadway. Thanks to the vibrant South Asian diaspora, we’re witnessing this epic rivalry in the most unexpected of places.” Zain Malik amongst many others hoping this rain does the honourable thing and ****** off.

“Hey, ahm tryna play cricket here!”

A couple of things to note:

There are no floodlights at the Nassau Stadium so light could well become a factor.

The game will start to be reduced in overs in 30 minutes. 12.04pm local time.

Who’s got money on a five over smasheroo that captures America’s heart?

12:04 is the time my ov-ers were cut

Rain Stops Play. India are 8-0 after one over.

It looks clear in the distance so hopefully they aren’t off for long… As I type that it starts to hammer it down. Ah, so frustrating. Can everyone do a sun dance – on three? Ready?

1st over: India 8-0 (Sharma 8, Kohli 0) It’s gloomy and overcast in NYC but fine for now. Shaheen’s first ball is a (New) yorker that Rohit clips effortlessly for two. The crowd reach fever pitch – brilliant atmosphere. A dot ball follows. The outfield looked sluggish judging by the first ball. That’s one way to deal with that – S I X! Sharma picks Shaheen off his pads with panache and deposits the ball into the stands in front of square. What a shot. What a reaction from the crowd who are about 70/30 in India’s favour by rock of the eye and dent of the ear drum.

Shaheen pins Sharma on the pad with a full and swinging delivery, he appeals with arms outstretched but I think Rohit got a thick inside edge on this. Sure enough they don’t review and the replay shows it was slammed into the pad by the bat. Eight off the first over. And here comes the drizzle again…

Thanks for all your emails, great to hear from so many of you in far flung places. I’ll post more at the break, for now it is down to brass tacks. Rohit and Virat are scratching their guards and Shaheen Shah Afridi is prowling like a green lycra clad jaguar at the top of his mark. The countdown starts and Ravi Shastri SONICBOOMS on commentary. 5,4,3,2,1… Let’s PLAY!

Righto, the rain has relented and out come the players for the anthems!

“Greetings from Rainy Connecticut” – which could be the name of a Tom Waits song but is actually the title of an email from Ed in the US of A.

“Here in Connecticut this morning, I overheard a conversation between three India fans, one of whom claimed to have tickets to today’s match a hundred and fifty miles south of here but had decided not to go because of the rain. I am skeptical of this person’s honesty, but at least there were Americans talking about the World Cup, right?”

Let’s hope they were fibbing about the weather too!

“New US T20 fan watching from Corvallis, Oregon, where we’re used to rain delays! Perfect weather today though, maybe the next T20 World Cup here…”

Welcome aboard Christopher Hedstrom!

“Good afternoon James.”

Back atcha Krishnamoorthy V.

“India carries a psychological advantage over Pakistan. The poor record in World Cups will weigh heavily on them. In the end it is going to be a contest between who prevails Bumrah or Babar”

If the pitch is a snake pit then it becomes less about star performers and more about which side is able to adapt and cope best as a collective. Im intrigued to see those first few overs when they do make it out there.

The big question – how will the pitch play today?

The good news is it has stopped raining. The bad news – for those in the ground at least – is that there is barely any cover to shelter from the wet stuff when it does rain.

Gah. It is spitting again in NYC so the start has been delayed again. If you are out there and looking forward to this epic match up then do drop me a line, the OBO is nowt without its followers and correspondents from far and wide.

You can email me or send a missive on social media @Jimbo_Cricket.

*A wee bit of fruity language on this for a Sunday afternoon.

“Afternoon James”

Good afternoon to you Guy Hornsby!

“Ravi Shastri may be out in the middle right now giving it the Michael Buffer, as he will, but it’s not unfair to say that it’d be a shock if Pakistan win this. But it’s not impossible either, and that’s why T20 is always uncertain. What no one wants is a drubbing, except perhaps India and their fans. If Pakistan can get off to a good start, anything is possible. It’s not going to be 200 v 200 here. Bring on the big show!”

Pakistan will get first use of the ball and do have the bowlers to blow any side away on their day. They’ll need to be at their best though, India’s batting card is formidable. I’ve just spotted Virat doing keepy uppies on the outfield and then getting his Fresh Prince of Bel Air on with a white suited Chris Gayle. He’ll be going up against Shaheen Shah Afridi very shortly – loins well and truly girded for that.

Teams: India are unchanged and Pakistan have made one switch after their shock super over loss to the hosts – Imad Wasim replaces Azam Khan.

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Siraj

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir

Lot’s of pressure on Pakistan after their loss against the USA. India have dominated their ICC tournament head to heads thus far.

Pakistan win the toss and bowl!

GOOD NEWS: It has stopped raining. We’ll have the toss in a few minutes and are going to start at 11am – 4pm here in blighty.

So many intriguing aspects to this match. First of all the location – the ICC clearly want to bowl over the American’s and cement cricket in the states – a largely untapped market but an increasingly interested one since the Major League Cricket tournament was established a couple of years ago. They’ve just pulled off the big coup of snaring Pat Cummins’ presence for the next four years, the Australian men’s Test captain has signed a deal with the San Francisco Unicorns up until 2027.

And yet, the stadium that Cricket’s top brass have spent millions constructing in Long Island’s Eisenhower Park isn’t there to stay as a lasting and usable memento, it’s being taken down in a few weeks’ time. Grumbling about that aside – some won’t be sad to see it go, at least not the teams who have had to bat on the drop in wicket. The pitches used have been unpredictable and seem to have more spice than a scotch bonnet heavy jambalaya. Low scores and bruised batters have been the story of the surfaces so far, with the ICC announcing they are ‘looking into’ the issue.

Oh. OK. It is currently raining at Nassau Stadium. The toss is confirmed to be delayed. I think it’s a steady drizzle and isn’t too bad. In fact there’s an umpire inspection in a few minutes.

Preamble