• Source:JND
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After the triple encounter last year, the arch-rivals India and Pakistan are set to lock horns in the high-octane match between the furious neighbours at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in New York on June 9.

Last year was filled with three blockbuster ODI encounters between India and Pakistan - two in the Asia Cup 2023 and one in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. Rohit Sharma-led side prevailed in two games while one saw a rain washout in the continental tournament.

Ahead of the upcoming T20 extravaganza, Australia legend Ricky Ponting expressed his excitement for the first-ever IND vs PAK clash in the United States.

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Due to strained bilateral relations between the countries since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, India and Pakistan only meet in multi-nation events hosted by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and International Cricket Council (ICC).

“I've seen it firsthand here in Australia, in Melbourne last time around, where there were 95,000 people in the stadium and another 50,000 people outside the stadium," Ponting said on ICC Review.

"You can imagine what it's going to be like in New York. So, really exciting times for the world game," he added.

Ponting foresees the encounter in New York as the growing base for the game in the different parts of the world which has its limited presence outside the subcontinent.

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“I think there's a great opportunity to continue to grow and promote the game in that part of the world. And that's a big part of the reason that I took the coaching job at Washington Freedom, to be a part of that sort of movement to grow the game in the US," he said.

“There's obviously so many expat Indians, West Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, and Afghans in that part of the world that we know that they will continue to promote the game. But what we have to do is get the Americans into loving and understanding the game of cricket."

“I'd like to think it can become really big and as I said, actually become really big quite quickly,” Ponting opined.

The T20 World Cup 2024 kicks off with the tournament opener between the USA and Canada in Texas on June 2.