Everyone wants an India-Pakistan final at the Oval: Shane Bond

Pakistan on Wednesday came on top against England in the first semi-final winning by eight wickets and nearly thirteen overs left. The win was an emphatic one for Pakistan whom many didn’t give much chance at the start of the tournament. Also, back spasms to their star bowler Mohammad Amir ruled him out of the semi-final and a win without him would give the Pakistan team a lot of confidence.

Now, talks are on for an India-Pakistan final to headline this year’s Champions Trophy, including former New Zealand fast bowler, Shane Bond a lot of experts are rooting for the mouth-watering clash as well.

An India-Pakistan final

Bond, who writes columns for the ICC has expressed that the margin of victory for Pakistan against England surprised him. “The margin of victory by eight wickets with nearly 13 overs to spare is as comprehensive as you can get, and is indicative of the quality of cricket the two sides portrayed on the day,” Bond wrote.

He continued stating that right from the start, he was puzzled with Pakistan’s tactics terming Sarfraz Ahmed‘s decision to bowl first ‘interesting’. “You would have thought the team winning the toss would be looking to bat first in Cardiff, and I am pretty sure Eoin Morgan would have batted first had he won the coin-toss. At this ground, the average score batting first is around 300 and while chasing is about 260,” he added.

The former Kiwi pacer praised England team terming their attacking approach the right way to go and labelling them a “dangerous side.” He also praised Pakistan for getting back up after the battering they took against India in the first match. He said that the Pakistan team “has shown steel and resolve to bounce back from that defeat.”

Bond wrote that now everyone will be hoping for an India-Pakistan final at the Oval on Sunday. “I think everyone, and especially the sponsors, now will be wanting an India-Pakistan final at The Oval on Sunday. That will be huge because there are large Indian as well as Pakistani communities in England,” he stated.

He rounded up by saying that India were the firm favourites going into the semi-final but said that Bangladesh has the talent and he is not going to commit to anything after being proved emphatically wrong by Pakistan.