Pakistan national cricket team
The Pakistan men's national cricket team (Urdu: پاکستان قومی کرکٹ ٹیم), popularly referred to as the Shaheens (Urdu: شاہین, lit. Falcons),[12][13] Green Shirts[14] and Men in Green,[15][16][17] is administered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council, and participates in Test, ODI and Twenty20 International cricket matches.
Pakistan has played 423 Test matches, winning 136, losing 128 and drawing 159.[18] Pakistan was given Test status on 28 July 1952, following a recommendation by India, and made its Test debut against India at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi, in October 1952, with India winning by an innings and 70 runs.[19] In the 1930s and 40s, several Pakistani Test players had played Test cricket for the Indian cricket team before the creation of Pakistan in 1947.
The team has played 920 ODIs, winning 480, losing 412, tying 8 with 20 ending in no-result.[20] Pakistan was the 1992 World Cup champion, and was the runner-up in the 1999 tournament. Pakistan, in conjunction with other countries in South Asia, has hosted the 1987 and 1996 World Cups, with the 1996 final being hosted at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
The team has also played 142 Twenty20 Internationals, the most of any team, winning 90 losing 49 and tying 3.[21] Pakistan won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 and were runners-up in the inaugural tournament in 2007.
Pakistan also won the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy for the first time, defeating India. Pakistan has the distinct achievement of having won each of the major ICC international cricket tournaments: ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC World Twenty20, and ICC Champions Trophy; as well as the ICC Test Championship.[22][23]
As of 25 March 2019, the Pakistani cricket team is ranked seventh in Tests, sixth in ODIs and first in T20Is by the ICC.[24]
In the past, Pakistan has suffered a lot from terrorism which prevented foreign teams from visiting Pakistan primarily due to the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team.[25] As a result, their home matches have been mostly held in the United Arab Emirates since then.[26] However, due to a decrease in terrorism in Pakistan over the past few years, as well as a sharp increase in security, many teams have toured Pakistan since 2015 and the situation appears to be getting better.[27] These teams include Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies, and an ICC World XI. In addition, the PSL has seen games hosted in Pakistan.
India national cricket team
The India national cricket team, also known as Team India and Men in Blue, is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status.
Although cricket was introduced to India by European merchant sailors in the 18th century, and the first cricket club was established in Calcutta (currently known as Kolkata) in 1792, India's national cricket team did not play its first Test match until 25 June 1932 at Lord's, becoming the sixth team to be granted Test cricket status. In its first fifty years of international cricket, India was one of the weaker teams, winning only 35 of the first 196 Test matches it played. From 1932 India had to wait until 1952, almost 20 years for its first Test victory. The team, however, gained strength in the 1970s with the emergence of players such as batsmen Sunil Gavaskar and Gundappa Viswanath, all-rounder Kapil Dev and the Indian spin quartet of Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Bishen Singh Bedi.
Traditionally much stronger at home than abroad, the Indian team has improved its overseas form, especially in limited-overs cricket, since the start of the 21st century, winning Test matches in Australia, England and South Africa. It has won the Cricket World Cup twice – in 1983 under the captaincy of Kapil Dev and in 2011 under the captaincy of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. After winning the 2011 World Cup, India became only the third team after West Indies and Australia to have won the World Cupmore than once,[8] and the first cricket team to win the World Cup at home. It also won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 and 2013 ICC Champions Trophy, under the captaincy of MS Dhoni. It was also the joint champions of 2002 ICC Champions Trophy, along with Sri Lanka.
As of 19 October 2018, India is ranked first in Tests, second in ODIs and second in T20Is by the ICC.[9] Virat Kohli is the current captain of the team across all formats, while the head coach is Ravi Shastri.[10] The Indian cricket team has rivalries with other Test-playing nations, most notably with Pakistan, the political arch-rival of India. However, in recent times, rivalries with nations like Australia, South Africa and England have also gained prominence.
