Champions Trophy: Imam run out as India regain confidence – Sport

Imam-ul-Haq got caught run out trying to steal a run by Patel from mid off, sending both Pakistani openers to the pavilion. The skipper was next to come to the crease and smashed Kuldeep Yadav — who replaced Patel — for a boundary towards midwicket. Five runs and a wicket from the over brought Pakistan’s total at 52 for the loss of two wickets after 10 overs.

Let’s break the tension shall we? An Indian spinner told a Pakistani batsman, ‘Hope you brought your specs today — my deliveries are so sharp they might just need a close-up!’

Babar got out to a Hardik Pandya delivery on the second ball of the over as he found the batter’s outside edge after getting dispatched for a boundary. Leg byes started Saud Shakeel’s innings as Hardik’s first three balls of his second over went for eight runs and a wicket. Two dots and a single to end the over for 10 runs with Pakistan’s poll at 47 for the loss of one wicket.

Analysis by Dawn correspondent Mir Shabbar Ali: Seems like India have constructed Babar Azam’s wicket if anything. Presenting him with opportunities to drive the ball through the covers every now and then and probably taking him to a level of overconfidence and complacency. One length ball in the channel and Babar falters. He looked in form, bad time for Pakistan to lose a wicket.

“India are so lucky to have Hardik Pandya. He’s good enough to take the new ball. He’s good enough to take out Pakistan’s main man. He’s good enough to change the complexion of this game,” ESPN Cricinfo on Babar’s wicket.

A few memorable games the last three times India and Pakistan met in Dubai, courtesy ESPN Cricinfo:

• T20 World Cup 2021: Pak won by 10 wickets
• T20 Asia Cup 2022: India won by 5 wickets
• T20 Asia Cup 2022: Pak won by 5 wickets

We see a clip from the players walking onto the pitch at the start of the match, Virat gives Babar an affectionate pat on the back. Good to see.

Patel replaced Rana in the eighth over, however, the flow of runs did not stop as Babar stepped out of the crease to dispatch the spinner for a four over long on. Babar decides to go for it. Lofts Axar above the fielders for a four. Boom! Two more singles from it brings Pakistan’s total to 37 for no loss.

Shami was replaced by all-rounder Hardik Pandya who bowled the eighth wide of the Indian side in the seventh over as the pacers struggled to maintain their line while searching for swing early on. Babar split the field on the fifth ball of the over, bringing five from it with five dots. Pakistan stood at 31 for the loss of no wicket after seven overs.

India tightened it significantly, giving just one off the over. Harshit picked up his pace to start his third as he beat Imam’s bat three times. A single from a wide ruins what could have been a maiden over, bringing Pakistan’s total to 26 for the loss of no wickets after six overs.

Analysis by Dawn correspondent Mir Shabbar Ali: Imam-ul-Haq has got scores of 158 (President’s Trophy match for PTV against OGDCL) and 98 (against South Africa in a Champions Trophy match for Pakistan Shaheens) in his last two matches. This is a batter in form at the crease and more importantly fate has done justice to his consistent form at the domestic level since being dropped from the Pakistan side in late 2023.

The ball travelled for another chase after Imam chipped it past right mid-off for a double as Shami looked for Imam’s edge outside the off stump. The ball doesn’t seem to be coming directly onto the bat in the early overs as Babar mistimes it to cover on the last ball of the over. Total is 25 for no loss after five overs.

Dawn sports correspondent Mir Shabbar Ali: Pakistan have equalled their powerplay score of the match against New Zealand.

Also, we ran a poll, and the boys in green are the underdogs.

We take you now to our robot friend ChatGPT.

How would you define ‘qudrat ka nizam’ in the context of Pakistani cricket?

ChatGPT: In short, “qudrat ka nizam” in Pakistani cricket highlights how the team’s journey, influenced by talent, unpredictability, and cycles of fortune, aligns with the natural flow of the game itself. There’s always something deeply fascinating about how the game unfolds in the Pakistani cricketing context — often when least expected, reflecting the larger forces at work.

And away we go! Babar Azam hit the first and second boundary of the innings. The newsroom is happy but cautious. We don’t want to jinx it. King Babar, this is your time to shine. A lifetime of monarchy awaits.

Babar in Rana’s second over smashed the pacer for two boundaries through the covers and long on, splitting the field on both occasions. Eight runs from it brings Pakistan’s total 22 after four overs without losing any wicket.

“Lovely shot from Babar Azam. Slightly off stump, he just shuffles the ball all the way. This is what I was talking about, finding the gaps and executing well,” says Alex Hartley, former England bowler, on BBC Radio 5 Sport.

Fourteen runs off 28 balls (including wides) pitched short or short of a length by India today. The seven balls they went full went for 12 runs including the two boundaries, as per ESPN Cricinfo.

Slowish outfield did not help Imam’s timed strokes reach the covers as two doubles bring four from the over with Pakistan’s total at 14 after three overs for the loss of no wicket.

The fans in the stadium are chanting: “India, India.”

“It’s a strange one for Pakistan, they have to put all the criticism at the back of their minds. All the pitches in this Champions Trophy are so different,” says Aatif Nawaz, special BBC correspondent, on BBC Radio 5 Sports.

Pakistan’s run-rate in the first 10 overs in ODIs since the 2023 World Cup final is 4.7. Only Afghanistan and Ireland, among Test playing nations, are slower, according to ESPN Cricinfo.

Indian seamer Harshit Rana began from the other end and gave away four runs in the over, two from Babar’s bat to start the Pakistani batters innings while Imam took a single. Another wide in the over brings the Pakistan total to 10 after two overs.

Today, we’re also going to be checking in with ChatGPT for cricketing input. When so much of the match for Pakistani fans depends on “qudrat ka nizam” (Saqlain said it, not us), we thought why not.

We started with the most obvious question:

Who will win the Champions Trophy 2025 Pak vs India match?

ChatGPT said:

I can’t predict the outcome of the 2025 Champions Trophy match between Pakistan and India, as the result will depend on various factors like team form, players’ performance, conditions, and tactics during the match. Both teams have a rich cricketing history and have produced thrilling contests in the past.

Pacer Mohammad Shami is going to bowl the fist over.

Shami was the pick of the bowlers for India in their last match against Bangladesh, picking up a five-wicket haul.

Imam is on strike. Godspeed team Green. As Shami was charging in for the first delivery, the crowd roars.

The nerves are getting the better of Shami, as he’s handed Pakistan three free runs through wides.

Imam is off the mark with that cut towards third-man, Babar will now face his first ball of the match.

A fourth and a fifth wide! Shami must be sweating bullets. They the first over is the longest, but we in the newsroom never realised it was literal.

A single from the bat brings Pakistan’s total to six in the over with 11 deliveries.

The national anthems are being played. The guests first, then the hosts. It’s a balmy 31C day, with humidity in the 40 per cent range. The temperature is high, and not least because of the heat that comes with a Pakistan-India match.

Pakistan have one change since their last match against New Zealand, with Imam-ul-Haq replacing Fakhar Zaman as the latter has been ruled out of the tournament after being injured in Pakistan’s opening match in Karachi.

The Rohit Sharma-led side are unchanged since their last encounter against Bangladesh at the same stadium, which they won by six wickets.