A correction: until today Pakistan men’s team had never won a World Cup game of ANY kind, not just T20, to India. What a way to do it- a pummelling, a majestic, dismissive, stroll. A glorious pancaking. And a sucker-punch to the planned progression of the competition. Wonderful stuff.

Shaheen Afridi is given the player of the match award for his dismantling of the Indian top order.

And that’s it from me for today. Enjoy your celebrations/ an arm pat for your sorrows. Congratulations Pakistan. Good evening!

The cameras return to Dubai after infinite ads. Time to pick over the bones of Pakistan’s TEN WICKET victory, with 13 balls to spare.

Virat Kohli: “Credit should be given where it is due and Pakistan outplayed us with the ball, when you lose three wickets for 20 runs early on it is very hard to get back into the game. Pakistan were very very professional . The pitch was ok, it played slow in the first half, a little bit of dew made the ball come a bit quicker onto the bat in the second half. We needed to get off to a good start but Pakistan stopped that. We’re not a team that presses the panic button this is the start of the tournament not the end of the tournament. We need to stay composed.”

Babar Azam: “ We executed the plans very well. Overall the bowlers bowled really well. WE batted deep and made sure we kept up with the run-rate and got those boundaries. We still believe there is a long way to go.”

I can’t quite believe what I just watched! Babar and Rizwan are immediately congratulated by Virat Kohli, hand outstretched, and the rest of the Indian team. Pakistan descend into a joyful huddle. That’s Pakistan’s first T20 World Cup win over India and what style! India had no answer to the glorious conundrum that was Babar and Rizwan.

18th over: Pakistan 152-0 (Rizwan 79; Babar 68) Kohli looks like he’s going for the jugular with Bumrah, but plumps for Shami, whose first ball is a full-toss that Rizwan helps on its way fatly soaring over backward square for six. The next is powered for four through long-on, and the next through square leg! Babar zips to long-on, they charge back for the second, and that is that! Unbelievable scenes!

17th over: Pakistan 135-0 (Rizwan 64; Babar 64) Bhuvneshwar is on the money. Pakistan can only squeeze him for five, perhaps fatigue is setting in, but a couple of. marginal wides go Pakistan’s way. Babar is most perturbed when the sixth is not called wide. Bhuvneshwar merrily agrees with the umpire. 17 needed from 18.

16th over: Pakistan 128-0 (Rizwan 62; Babar 63) Shami’s first ball is snapped to the boundary by Rizwan who is all wristy hustle. A couple of singles then a leg bye. With four overs left, Pakistan now need a run a ball.

“Evening Tanya.” Evening Brian!

“I noticed a reference to El Classico earlier but it is looking like Pakistan are threatening to turn this into Liverpool vs Manchester United now.”

15th over: Pakistan 121-0 (Rizwan 56; Babar 62) Rizwan whips Bumrah for another boundary legside, then they scurry through for two, still pressing, still pushing, even with the game as good as folded and in their pocket. India have no answer to this perfectly-paced onslaught. 31 needed from 30 balls.

“Pakistan going for the Net Run Rate thing.” muses Romeo.

14th over: Pakistan 112-0 (Rizwan 48; Babar 61) Four more as Babar lets fly at Jadeja, then sweeps another past a dejected short fine leg. He’s flying now. 40 needed from 36. Kohli’s knotted eyebrows are not impressed.

13th over: Pakistan 101-0 (Rizwan 46; Babar 51) Rizwan squats and whips sending Chakaravarthy soaring for six over deep square leg. Babar’ fifty comes with a six of his own, a long-hop joyously dispatched over mid-wicket. Fifty off 40 balls. It’s a cakewalk.

12th over: Pakistan 85-0 (Rizwan 38; Babar 44) Virat persists with his Mr Reliable. Jadeja is on point, but no breakthrough. No-one tell Virat Kohli, but United are losing 5-0 to Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Romeo is pondering: “I’m wondering whether there’ll be any Afghan commentators for this tournament.Preston Mommsen is listed, representing Scotland, but no one from Namibia. The only Afghan I’ve ever come across on ICC commentary is Hamid Hassan, but he’s playing.”

“Niall O’Brien (love him) knows a lot about Afghan cricket so maybe
that’ll have to do. He very likely knows a lot about Namibia too.”

11th over: Pakistan 80-0 (Rizwan 35; Babar 43) Bumrah to start the second ten. His second ball is the slot, and lofted by Babar, wide over mid-off for four. Bumrah retaliates with a yorker. Two more down the ground, then an edge behind.

Pandya is off the field having a shoulder scan.

10th over: Pakistan 71-0 (Rizwan 35; Babar 34) At half way through, Pakistan are nearly half way there. A heart-in-mouth four from Babar to start Chakaravarthy’s over, bisecting point and third man. Then a series of tight runs, culminating in that near-run out; Rizwan saved by his flying bat just hitting the ground before Bhuvneshwar’s direct hit. Drinks! India need wickets.

Rizwan charging for the line, a direct hit, but the bat is somehow just in.

9th over: Pakistan 62-0 (Rizwan 32; Babar 28) The crowd are quiet, watching, waiting. Jadeja repeatedly dries the ball on his cloth. Three singles a, dot, then Babar goes full Babar, rocking onto his back foot and chugging the ball over deep midwicket for six.

8th over: Pakistan 52-0 (Rizwan 30; Babar 20) Pakistan need to breathe to survive the squeeze from Jadeja and, here, Chakaravarthy. Rizwan is almost stumped off a wide, stuttering forward. They plough singles.

7th over: Pakistan 46-0 (Rizwan 27; Babar 18) Kohli plays his trump card, Jadeja. Just a single and four dots off the first four. It’s damp out there, Jadeja slips fielding off his own bowling. Beautifully done, and whipped through almost before Pakistan had time to think.

6th over: Pakistan 43-0 (Rizwan 25; Babar 17) Bhuvneshwar is back, yellow rag hanging from the back of his trousers to dry off the dew. It looks like an old-style duster. No boundaries, but Rizwan and Babar pick off the singles with relative ease. The tip of Kohli’s beard scowls in disgust.

5th over: Pakistan 35-0 (Rizwan 21; Babar 14) The Shami bustle is so deceptive. He looks easy-pickings; he’s generally not. Babar eyes him up for one then purrs one, like a resting jaguar, over mid-on to the boundary. A slower ball is swivel-swept for four more by Rizwan.

“The fireworks of the one-handed Pant may have been extinguished by Pakistan’s excellent bowling and fielding but Kohli is playing a highly intelligent innings, playing classic cricket strokes and not getting flustered by the team’s relatively low score unlike the Windies yesterday,” writes Colum Fordham.

“I had a quick glimpse of Barcelona-Real Madrid but India-Pakistan is the real El Clasico today. It’s a wonderful contest.”

Too true, it’s glorious.

4th over: Pakistan 24-0 (Rizwan 15; Babar 9) Virat plumps for Chakaravarthy early. He’s tall, right arm releasing the ball close to his ear . There’s some smart fielding in the circle by Jadeja at backward point and Babar can’t get him away.

3rd over: Pakistan 22-0 (Rizwan 14; Babar 8) Bumrah throws a yorker in early. Rizwan is jittery, sending Babar back for a likely single. Babar flicks a full one square and a superb bit of one-handed fielding stops the boundary. Four from the over.

2nd over: Pakistan 18-0 (Rizwan 13; Babar 5) It’s Shami at the other end, shuffling in at speed. Rizwan is hustling, sprinting between the wickets. while Babar, that’s finger-kissing good, threading Shami through the covers for a satin-clad four.

1st over: Pakistan 10-0 (Rizwan 10; Babar 0) RIZ-WAN! He flicks Bhuvneshwar for four – a call made by the third umpire, then next ball pull-flicks him square for six off a ball just a thread too short. Bhuvneshwar retaliates with three successive dots.

India are in their huddle listening to a ferociously earnest Virat Kohli. And here we go again! Rizwan to face the first ball.

At half way, whose game is this? I don’t know! Superb by Pakistan in the opening overs, thwarted by Pant and Kohli, at his very best. That seventeen runs from Afridi’s final over could be costly – though he bowled like an absolute dream. Babar’s side were brilliant in the field, throwing themselves at everything. Time for a quick cup of tea.

An email! Tony Mason writes. “Tanya, thanks for these updates. I started watching the game but the screeching from the stadium announcer just turned me off so I switched to the football and have only you for cricket company. Has there been any dampening of the irritation since India were about 12-2?”

I was actually so engrossed with the game that I zoned out! The chase will be worth tuning in for.

20th over: India 151-7 (Shami 0; Bhuvneshwar 5) It’s the superb Rauf with the last over, and with Pandya gone, India can’t get him away. A sprinkling of twos,, a bye from the last, and just seven from it. And breathe.

A slower ball and Pandya powers high and picks out Babar.

19th over: India 144-6 (Pandya 11; Bhuvneshwar 1) After the glory of the Kohli wicket, Afridi is called for a waist-high no ball, and a free-hit. It’s beautifully bowled, India charge for one and a furious Afridi hurls the ball at the non-striker’s end, misses and the ball goes for four over throws. Carnage! Seventeen from the over.

Kohli swings at a slower ball and a diving Rizwan swoops to swallow in florescent green gauntlets.

18th over: India 127-5 (Pandya 0; Kohli 57)Kohli reaches fifty with a clip off Hasan Ali for two. The next goes high and handsome over extra-cover, hit on the up, impossibly good. Jadeja needs to motor and motor he does, swivelling and sending the ball flying to the fine-leg boundary, only to hole out next ball.

Jadeja is on the charge, but misreads the slower ball and sends it aerially.

17th over: India 114-4 (Jadeja 9; Kohli 48) Jadeja changes his bat – he’s not exploded into this game yet. Kohli drives, straight to the sweeper. Babar paces about, looking nervous. He has a green bandage on his hand – I wonder, do all the team first-aid kits match the jerseys? Rauf is canny, changing his pace cleverly, three slower balls in a row. Just four singles from the over.

16th over: India 110-4 (Jadeja 7; Kohli 46) Oh that’s clever from Kohli, who pulls Hasan in extreme wristiness, down to the fine-leg boundary. And another, pin-point timing, through extra-cover, beating a diving, tumbling, Shadab on the rope. Kohli is in sublime touch.

15th over: India 100-4 (Jadeja 6; Kohli 37) Shadab’s final over starts with two dots, then three singles, what is Kohli going to do with the sixth? Forcing a single is all he can manage. Well bowled Shadab! 1-22 in four. Six overs left.

14th over: India 96-4 (Jadeja 4; Kohli 35) Rauf rushes in, a beanpole on speed. Veteran Shoaib Malik patrols the outfield, throwing his body at hte skidding white ball and India can’t reach the boundary – till Virat eyes up a yorker, just inches wide, and turns it down to the rope. He punches the air in repressed passion.