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What NJ cricket fans need to know before the much-anticipated India vs. Pakistan match

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What NJ cricket fans need to know before the much-anticipated India vs. Pakistan match

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There are 55 matches in the ICC T20 Men’s Cricket World Cup this month. But there’s one the schedule that has gotten the most buzz: India vs. Pakistan.

The much-anticipated matchup between these geographic neighbors and longtime rivals on the cricket field is coming to Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Here are some items New Jersey cricket fans need to know about this highly awaited faceoff.

India vs. Pakistan cricket history

India and Pakistan as counties have had longstanding tensions since the Partition of what was then-British India into India and Pakistan in 1947. The political tensions spread to sport, and the cricket fans putting great pressure on their respective teams to win.

India has dominated in head-to-head play with Pakistan. In the T20 format being played in this tournament, India has won 8 of 12 matches since 2000. Most recently, India beat Pakistan during the 2022 World Cup by 7 wickets, although Pakistan would go to play in the final, losing to England.

Coming into this Sunday’s match, India has a win under its belt with an easy one over Ireland on Wednesday. Pakistan was upset by the USA squad on Thursday.

Who plays on the India and Pakistan cricket teams?

The Indian team is led by its captain Rohit Sharma and features star players like Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bhumrah. The Pakistan team is led by its captain Babar Azam and some of its key players are Mohammed Rizwan, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi.

Former players on both sides had some thoughts about the outcome of the upcoming game.

Shahid Afridi, the father-in-law of Shaheen Afridi, who played for Pakistan from 1996 to 2016, said in a column published by the ICC on Wednesday that Pakistan playing India is like “our Super Bowl.”

ICC T20 Men’s Cricket World Cup: Want to get into cricket? These are the terms to know

“Against India, it is about handling the pressure of the occasion. There is so much talent in both teams, they just need to put it together on the day,” Afridi said.

Yuvraj Singh, who played for India from 2000 to 2017, said during the opening of the T20 World Cup Fan Park at World Trade Center on June 1 said that the match will be similar to previous encounters between the two teams where both teams will be emotional, but believes the more controlled team will prevail.

“It’s just that I always feel that the team who control their emotion on that day better and focus on the match situation, they will win the game. In the last couple of years, we’ve had a better record than Pakistan. And hopefully, we can continue that,” Singh said.

How to watch the India-Pakistan cricket World Cup match

There are still tickets available for the Sunday match, but it will cost dearly.

The ICC T20 Men’s World Cup webpage shows that tickets are available for seats only the premiere sections of the stadium with prices ranging from $1,500 in the Boundary Club area to $10,000 in the Diamond Club.

More: See first-hand what public transport to the Cricket World Cup on Long Island is like

The ticket broker Stubhub has tickets that are slightly cheaper. However, $628 is the lowest-price ticket seen on the website on Friday while there are seats costing as much as $4,050.

The gates for the cricket stadium open at 8:30 a.m.

The gates for the cricket stadium open at 8:30 a.m. Parking will be available near the stadium, but attendees must purchase a parking pass before game day to be allowed into the parking area.

The best way for New Jersey fans to avoid traffic is to take the Long Island Railroad train from Manhattan’s Penn Station to Huntington and get off at the Westbury stop (45-minute trip). 

Unfortunately, the public fan park at World Trade Center where the matches are broadcast on a giant screen is sold out for this match, although there will a watch party set up for this match in Cedar Creek Park in Seaford, not far from the stadium. Otherwise, cable will be your best opportunity.

Willow TV is the sole cable broadcaster of the World Cup in the United States and Canada. Television providers that carry Willow TV are DISH, Sling, FIOS, Spectrum, Xfinity, Optimum, and Optimum TV.

Security measures at the India-Pakistan World Cup cricket match

Nassau County officials said in a press conference on Thursday that there will be beefed-up security in Cedar Creek Park in Seaford for the India vs. Pakistan watch party.

According to officials, attendees are allowed to bring bags, coolers and chairs, but there will be security checkpoints throughout the park.

This is following up on the announcement before the start of the World Cup by Police Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder said during a press conference on Wednesday that a threat was issued against the World Cup by a group linked to the terrorist organization ISIS-K-linked threat in April. That was followed by more specific threats against the India vs. Pakistan match, calling for a “lone wolf” attack.

Ryder said on Thursday, ““We’re continuing to monitor what we do. We’re looking at, our partners are sharing information with us. We’re looking at the intel and I’ve got to say we’re really on top of it.”

At the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, the following security measures are still in place for all matches played there.

  • No bags allowed inside the stadium and no drones are allowed to be flown overhead.
  • Attendees will be required go through metal detectors when entering the stadium.
  • Eisenhower Park, where the stadium is located, will be closed off to the public from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the World Cup. Also, several streets around the park will be shut down as well.

Ricardo Kaulessar covers race, immigration, and culture for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kaulessar@northjersey.com

Twitter: @ricardokaul

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