Pakistan celebrated their return to home cricket with an emphatic win over World XI in the first T20 match on Tuesday. Now all eyes will be on the second match of the series, set to be played in Lahore on Wednesday.
The first match witnessed passionate Pakistan fans rejoicing at the sight of some international action as big stars were not keen on travelling to the country after a terror attack on Sri Lanka players in 2009.
Spectators were treated to some good cricket from the home side, who won the match by 20 runs.
Though both teams were competitive, there was joy among Pakistan cricketers who were relieved to come back home and entertain their fans.
With the first match over, Pakistan will look to seal the three-match series by clinching the second T20 on Tuesday. However, the World XI, which includes some big guns like Hashim Amla, Imran Tahir and Darren Sammy, will be eager to take the series to the decider, and that could set a dramatic final T20.
It is understood that it is never easy for a World XI team to beat a side that has been playing continuously for years. However, there is a serious need for Faf Du Plessis' side to play better cricket. This goes especially for the World XI batsmen, who cannot afford to give their wickets away after getting their eye in.
All the batsmen including Tamim Iqbal, Amla and Du Plessis looked good, but failed to convert their starts into meaningful scores. None of them could cross the 30-run mark, which is a problem that needs to be addressed ahead of the second T20. Their bowlers also need to get their act together too.
Pakistan, on the other hand, will be happy with their overall performance in the first match — especially Babar Azam, who scored 52-ball 86. Other key players like Shoaib Malik and Ahmed Shehzad also contributed to the team's total of 197 runs.
Wednesday will prove to be a different day, and the home players will be eager to start the match on a bright note. Irrespective of whether Pakistan opt to bat or bowl first in the second T20, there will be great support for the home team.
The crowd is just pleased to see its favourite cricketers in action and a win in the second ODI would act as the icing on the cake.
How to watch live
The match is scheduled for 7 pm local time, 7:30 pm IST and 2 pm GMT.
Global live streaming: cricketgateway.com
India: TV: DSport. Live streaming: Watch DSport
Pakistan: TV: Ten Sports, PTV Sport. Live streaming: PTV Sports Official
UK: TV: Prime TV. Live streaming: Watch Prime TV
Middle East: Live streaming: Yupp TV
Bangladesh: TV: Gazi TV
USA: TV: Willow TV
Sri Lanka: TV: Dialog
Africa: TV: SuperSport
