The Kishan Sink

GH is underwhelmed

India v Pakistan was bound to be an anticlimax. To live up to the expectations borne of the fortnight’s high-stakes wrangling to ensure it took place would have required sixes off every other ball, twin hat-tricks and a Super Over won by a batter attached to a dialysis machine. As it was, Pakistan succumbed as quietly as its interior minister Mohsin Naqvi, looking on at Premadasa Stadium, had preened noisily.

Demolition job

The 61-run defeat is heavy enough, moreover, to set Pakistan a bit of a test in their next game. Their net run rate of -0.403 has them a run and more behind the 0.788 of the USA, who completed their complement of games a few hours earlier by squashing Namibia. Pakistan now must do the same and more on Wednesday to ensure their transit to the Super 8s, or rely on Donald Trump sending ICE after his country’s polyglot team.