India and Pakistan fans flood Dubai for Asia Cup showdown - in pictures

India and Pakistan cricket fans brought a party atmosphere to Dubai as they prepared for their Asia Cup Twenty20 Super 4 showdown.

Thousands packed the Dubai International Cricket Stadium for the eagerly-anticipated encounter on Sunday between the great rivals.

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan says his side were striving to stay “brave and calm”.

Babar Azam's team crushed Hong Kong with a 155-run victory on Friday to seal their spot in the final four of the tournament, an entree to the T20 World Cup in October-November.

“Playing India is always a pressure game. The whole world, even beyond Asia, wait for it,” Rizwan, who hit an unbeaten 78 against Hong Kong, said.

“The pressure will be equally on India and us, but the result will be with whoever remains brave and keeps calm,” added the wicketkeeper-batsman.

Every India-Pakistan match draws packed stadiums and millions of viewers on TV and digital platforms.

Sri Lanka completed the highest run chase in a T20 international in Sharjah as they started the Asia Cup Super 4 with a rousing win against Afghanistan on Saturday.