Pakistan's handicapped cricket team will take on India in the first of the three-match ODI series match today (Thursday) at 10am here at Raja Nehar Singh Cricket Stadium, Fareedabad. The match will be of 35 overs a side and Indian provincial Sports Minister will honor the occasion as the chief guest.

Earlier, Pakistan handicapped cricket team reached India in the wee hours of Wednesday to play the ODI and T20 series. The Pakistani contigent was received by Physically Challenged Cricket Association of India (PCCAI) secretary Ravi Chauhan amid drum beats and dancing from the overjoyed crowd who raised slogans in favour of both the teams. Indian hadicapped cricket team had earlier visited Pakistan in June for a ODI and T20 series.

 “Indian handicapped players have potential to beat any side of the world with their determination and devotion. TO provide them healthy activity and opportunity, we have decided to send our team to Pakistan to have maximum international exposure. There was no suitable side than Pakistan to play against as they are one of the best sides and the most respected teams of the world and to play with them will also help in bridging gap between the people of both the countrie.” PCCAI chief believed.

Meanwhile, PCAPH chairman Abbas Hashmi said: “We are feeling proud with the respect and love we received here in India in such a short time. We are here to promote love, peace, harmony and to play positive cricket and we present love from the government and people of Pakistan to the Indian people.”

Pakistan team held their net practice session yesterday at Nihar Singh Cricket Stadium where first ODI to be played between the two countries. All the 16 players participated in the practice session conducted by coach M Tahir.

“We would give tough time to India to return as winners as our team is well-balanced and the players are capable of beating any given opposition,” said Pakistan's captain Fayyaz.

Team manager Nasir Mehmood said: “The boys are in high spirits and we have selected a very good squad comprising youth and experience while our spinners will be the key in the series. Nihal and Kashif Nawaz are our secret weapons having ability to destroy any opposition with their accurate and good spin bowling.”

The series should provide as a mean to bridge the gap between the two arch-rivals and promote healthy activities for the disabled. It is pertinent to mention here that neither the governments, PCB or BCCI are funding the hadicapped cricket boards.

The sight of West Indian players dancing to the tunes of Gangnam style was enough to know who the night belonged to. As Bravo took a running catch to end the Lankan innings, glory had made its way to the Caribbean Islands after three decades.

After being set 138 to win, Sri Lanka just couldn't get going.Dilshan, bringing back the memories of 2009 final at Lord's , had his off stump uprooted at the start of second over by Rampual to walk back for nought. Sangakara then walked in to join Mahela Jayawerdene and even though they kept they scorecard ticking, they never really threatened the Windies.

Sangakara got off the mark with an edge that went wide of first siip before Jayawerdene was dropped at deep backward square leg in the next over, as Bravo ran over the ball. Jayawardene then slashed at Badrees' half tracker to provide it a deserved treatment. No further risks were taken though by any batsmen in the last two overs of powerplay.

Gayle and Narine further subdued them with two quiet overs as the required run rate crept to 8.25 an over. Finally Sangakara improvised to hit Gayle, who followed him till the end only to be picked up exquisitely over the cover fence for four. Sangakara then perished trying to break the shackles further against Badree, as Pollard took a good low catch on deep midwicket.

By Ramiz S Khawar

After watching the first semi final both the teams would have prayed to win the toss and opt to bat first. West Indies were lucky enough to win it and elected to bat first. The pitch looked slow but a better from what we witnessed in the first semi final. Both teams made one change each. West Indies brought the slightly fit Dwayne Bravo in for his brother Darren Bravo, whereas Aussies brought the crowd beloved David Hussey in for Maxwell.

As Gayle and Charles walked in to bat, Charles was the one given the sense of duty to go hard at the bowlers. He hit a couple of boundaries before he was halted by Starc. Starc was express, hostile and efficient as he swung the ball viciously. Gayle kept himself quite, sensibly reading the pitch before unleashing in the fourth over. Samuels and Gayle made use of their long handle to hit some huge hits out of the ground. Samuels then perished as he was late in reading the slower ball from Cummins, deceived by a beautiful 116 kph delivery to go back in the hut.

Gayle once again reinstated his stance and let Bravo play some shots. His stance was apparent from the fact that he only played 14 deliveries in 9 overs. Bravo took some balls to settle down but then played some lofted inside out shots in an emphatic style. The idea from Windies was to rotate the strike and take an odd boundary in between. Gayle was himself the craftsman, realizing he was the key man in this innings.

Sri Lanka made it to the finals of the World T20 on a night that saw Pakistan imploding while chasing 140 on a tricky surface. Pakistan leaked 16 runs off their last over, which in the hindsight proved fatal as they went down by 15 runs at Colombo. While Sri Lanka battled for everything persistently, Pakistan had only themselves to blame for a horrendous shot selection at the worst of times.

Pakistan started the innings in a flamboyant fashion with Imran Nazir dropped first ball off an expansive cut shot at point by Dilshan, followed by a cracking drive towards cover from him off Mathews. In the next over, Kulusekara perplexed Nazir by briniging the ball into him. Pakistan rode onto Malinga's erratic start of 5 wides to move to 22 off 2.2 overs.

With Pakistan galloping, Kulusekara and Malinga hit back with an array of dot deliveries. Hafeez found it difficult to work away either of them and the run rate slumped from around 9 an over to just 6 by the end of the 4th over. Nazir then swept Mendis fine for a boundary to release the pressure in the 6th over, though Mendis got the better of him next ball with the one that rolled onto the stumps after hitting the bat.

Jayawardene played around with his bowlers, never letting Nasir Jamshed settle. Perera, Mendis, Herath and Mathews bowled from 7th to the 10th over. Hafeez tried to have a go at them and collected two boundaries off Perera and Mendis as Pakistan moved to 55/1 at the end of 9th over, the game still very much in their hands.

Mathews' over though turned the tide on Pakistan, as Nasir was given a dubious lbw decision and Kamran Akmal perished trying to chip a slower ball over the infield. Suddenly, Pakistan's task had gone stiffer with 58/3 at the halfway stage.

Things only got worse for Pakistan, as Shoaib Malik was squared up by a delivery from Herath that turned from off and middle. Hafeez, running out of partners went over Mathews only to be dropped at long on, as Malinga missed a sitter. Hafeez made them pay with 10 runs of Herath's next over which included the match's only six. Though, Herath got Hafeez stumped in the next over as the ball kept low.

He was young, he was a bolt, and he was the light at the end of the tunnel. Pakistan prides itself for being home to the game’s greatest bowlers of all time; Mohammad Amir was not an exception.Though, exceptional he was when it came to outwitting his counterparts at the other end of the wicket.

On 7th June 2009 when a young man at a tender age of 17 made his T20 debut at The Oval, drought of fast bowlers in Pakistan came to an end as they began to unearth a lethal combination that had been their hallmark in the 80’s,90’s and the early 2000’s. Bowling has never been a worry for Pakistan but after the two W’s retired, in spite of abundant talent, the bowling was either inconsistent to sustain at the top level or lacked the killer instinct. More importantly it lacked the traditional principle of Pakistani attacks hunting in packs.

Nobody knew the glistening teenager would leave the world’s best batsmen perplexed in the days to come. His debut marked the initiation of filling of an enormous space left after Wasim Akram’s retirement. Aamer had all the ingredients of being Akram’s successor. His first tournament in Pakistani colors culminated to an amazing climax as Pakistan lifted the World Twenty20 trophy at Lord’s.

Pakistan will be touring Sri Lanka from June 1st to July 8th this summer. Both the teams will face off in 2 T20I's before locking horns in a 5-match ODI series. The tour will culminate with a 3-Test battle. 

KheloPakistan.com are proud to present an exclusive interview with young Pakistani pacer Bilawal Bhatti. Bilawal, born in Muridke, is still 20 years of age. A Fast bowler by nature, Bilawal is also a handy batsman. He has picked up a handy 180 wickets in 39 first class games, and also recently was apart of the Sialkot Stallions squad that won the Faysal Bank Super eight T20.

Today, twenty years have passed since Pakistan’s historic triumph at Melbourne. It’s a day many Pakistanis look up to with pride. A day Pakistan beat their colonial masters to stake a claim on dominance of the cricketing world.

For many, the 1987 heartache at Lahore had been cured.Talents that would carry the mantle of Pakistan cricket in years to come had been unearthed. A glorious career of an able and charismatic leader had come to a befitting climax. 

Being Pakistan’s solitary world cup victory, makes it even more special for the Pakistani fans around the globe. Pakistan’s journey in this tournament epitomized their innate ability to leave the opposition flabbergasted with their inconsistency.

Even the most optimistic of opinions would have written them off halfway through the tournament. It was a safe bet against a team which had managed a solitary win in its first five games. Yet it took one man’s unshakeable resolve and a stroke of luck to drive Pakistan to top of the world.

A day after reports of India’s agitation over Saeed Ajmal’s action, the mesmerizing off-spinner has retorted to the allegations with sarcasm.