‘I hope ICC has prepared a good wicket’: Madan Lal ahead of India-Pak match

New Delhi: Former India pacer Madan Lal is hoping that ICC has prepared a “good wicket” for Sunday’s marquee clash between India and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.

The New York pitch has been the talking point of the tournament for its unpredictable bounce and extra swing to pacers. The recent encounters at the venue have also been low-scoring. The ICC had also acknowledged the fact and assured of delivering “the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches”.

“It’s quite a big challenge and I hope the ICC has prepared a good wicket for this match because this is a big match. If it is going to be like other games then it’ll be difficult for both sides but you have to carry on,” the 1983 World Cup winner told IANS.

When asked if India have an advantage having already played in New York against Bangladesh (in warm-up) and against Ireland in their tournament opener, “Not really because if the wicket is bad then it’ll be bad for both sides but if you’ve played there before then you’ll know what sort of bounce and variation is there. But it’s a new game, a new surface and a different bowling attack, they are much better than the other side that played against India.”

India and Pakistan have met seven times in the T20 World Cup with Men in Blue emerging victorious in six games and Pakistan winning only one. The two sides once again gear up to battle it out and write another chapter in this storied rivalry. The 73-year-old legend went on to talk about how the players prepare for this huge occasion.

“I have played against Pakistan a lot and whenever I played I gave 200% because you don’t want to do something and be blamed later on so we used to make sure everything is intact. You concentrate, your process is right, you’re bowling in the right direction, you’re batting whenever you get the chance to bat and you’re doing well,” the veteran said.

On the cricket rivalry between the two neighbouring nations, the former pacer said, “There definitely is a difference (India-Pakistan matchup) because India-Pakistan is a high-pressure game. Most of the players try to do well because there is a lot of notice on this game. The whole world is watching, whole of India is watching but definitely, we have a better side,”

(IANS)