'Play Out of Your Skin, Not for Individual Records': Ex-PAK Pacer's Motivational Words Ahead of India vs Pakistan T20WC Match

As the marquee matchup between India and Pakistan is set to take place in a few hours, the former Pakistan speedster, Shoaib Akhtar has a simple message for his former side ahead of the massive clash between arch-rivals in the T20 World Cup 2024.

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The two sides are set to face off at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Sunday.

In a post on his official handle on X (formerly known as Twitter) said, “Pakistan, play out of your skin. Play for Pakistan. Don’t play for individual records”.

With the biggest rivalry in cricket set to take place in the Big Apple, the Pakistan side will look to make the best use of Akhtar’s message in terms of motivation. Pakistan have had a disastrous start to their tournament after losing to the co-hosts, USA in their opening game that took place in New York. A turnaround in form is necessary for the Men in Green to improve their chances of making it out of the group stages.

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma’s side has made a fine start to their tournament with a dominant win over Ireland to kickstart their campaign on a flying note with batters, bowlers and fielders firing on all cylinders and looking like contenders to finish at the top of their group.

But the arch-rival match-up will be levelled with the pitch playing a more prominent role. The tracks at Nassau County have proven to be a difficult contest against the batters with many sides struggling to score over 100 runs which is a massive cause for concern.

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India has had a fine start in New York having won a warm-up game against Bangladesh followed by the tournament opener against Ireland. Both the wins came in dominant fashion indicating their ability to adapt to the conditions.

Pakistan did not play any warm-up games before the tournament but opened the tournament in Texas and is yet to understand the conditions in New York which could prove to be a massive disadvantage coming into the IND vs PAK clash.

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But both sides have a formidable pace-attack whose performance could be the deciding factor in who takes home the win.

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