Durban drama to Dubai drubbing: Five memorable India-Pakistan T20s

DUBAI: Fierce rivals India and Pakistan will clash in the Asia Cup Twenty20 tournament in Dubai later on Sunday for only the 10th time in cricket’s shortest format.

Political tensions mean they now only face each other in international tournaments, with their last meeting a 2021 T20 World Cup encounter at the same venue, when Pakistan romped to victory.

AFP Sport recalls five memorable India-Pakistan matches in the shortest format.

India and Pakistan’s first T20 encounter at Durban in 2007 ended in a dramatic tie before being decided in a bowl-out — cricket’s equivalent of football’s penalty shootout.

Pakistan elected to field in the inaugural T20 World Cup league match and restricted India to 141-9.

With the scores level at the end of Pakistan’s reply India skipper MS Dhoni then outfoxed the opposition with his choice of bowlers in the hit-the-wicket decider.

Part-time bowlers Virender Sehwag, Robin Uthappa and premier spinner HarbHajjan Singh all hit the stumps, while Pakistan’s Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi all missed.

The 2007 final in Johannesburg saw them meet again and chasing 158 for victory, Pakistan’s reply was hampered by the regular fall of wickets.

But Misbah-ul-Haq kept the target in sight with his gritty batting and took the game into the final over with Pakistan needing 13 against an unlikely Indian bowling option in Joginder Sharma.

Misbah hit a six after a wide and a dot ball, only to opt for a scoop shot that got more height than distance and landed in the hands of S. Sreesanth at short fine-leg to trigger wild Indian celebrations as they won the World Cup by five runs.

Pakistan beat India for the first time in T20s on Christmas Day 2012 in the opener of a two-match series with