Ahead of their highly anticipated Group 1 clash at Edgbaston on June 14, former England captain Nasser Hussain offered a frank and unsparing assessment of where India and Pakistan currently stand relative to each other in the realm of women's cricket. In his analysis, Hussain pointed directly to the Women's Premier League (WPL) as the primary driving force behind India's rapid ascent in the sport.
India will be too strong against Pakistan: Nasser Hussain
He noted that the combination of India's recent ODI World Cup triumph and the intensely competitive environment fostered by the WPL has accelerated the team's development, a blistering pace that Pakistan has unfortunately not been able to match.
"I think India will be too strong. The way Indian women's cricket has grown, with the 50-over World Cup win and the WPL, compared to Pakistan cricket, where their players don't play in all the franchise tournaments around the world, India have jumped at least a level or two, if not," Hussain said ahead of the India versus Pakistan showdown.
Pakistan cannot play timid cricket against India: Hussain
Despite his strong confidence in India's overall quality and depth, Hussain did flag one specific area where he believes the team might crack under the unique pressure of the World Cup. Turning his focus to their opponents, Hussain insisted that Pakistan cannot afford to play with caution if they want to truly compete. He noted that this applies not just to their match against India, but also when facing any of the tournament's other elite sides, such as England, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.
Ultimately, he stressed that timid cricket simply will not produce results at this level. If Pakistan hope to put India under any real pressure on Sunday, they must fully commit to an aggressive and fearless approach.
"Their (India) formula with the ball is the concern. If you are asking me what is happening in team meetings, it is the combination with the ball that they will be thinking about the most. To beat India, and to beat sides like England, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, you (Pakistan) have to play above your par level. They cannot play timid cricket. They have to play fearless cricket and put India under a bit of pressure," he concluded.