The Sahara Cup was a bilateral
ODI cricket series between
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
and
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, which was held annually in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. It was staged from 1996 to 1998 at the
Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Ground
Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Ground is a cricket ground in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
In 1827 the Toronto Cricket Club was established in part by the efforts of George Anthony Barber. Cricket was joined by the Curling Club in 1836, ...
, which was selected as one of the few North American locations that was deemed adequete at the time for international cricket.
[The Sahara Cup]
, (October 6, 2024), ''Stabroek News
The ''Stabroek News'' is a privately owned newspaper published in Guyana. It takes its name from ''Stabroek'' , the former name of Georgetown, Guyana.
It was first published in November 1986, first as a weekly but it later changed to a daily pri ...
'', Georgetown, Guyana. The series consisted of 5 ODIs, and all the matches were played in daylight.
Pakistan won the first series 3–2 in 1996. India won 4–1 in 1997. Pakistan again won 4–1 in 1998. 1998 was also the year that cricket was featured in the
Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games, leading to a situation where India had to field two separate teams in order to take part in the two competitions. A total of 15 matches were played over a span of 3 years. Pakistan have been more successful amongst the two, with a total of 8 victories. India have 7 victories.
The series was a five-year agreement by both the PCB and the BCCI, with the International Management Group (IMG). Trans World International (TWI) and ESPN had telecast rights. The series had gained good popularity in the cricketing arena, just like the Sharjah cup - where two arch-rivals met at a neutral venue. However, the series was later called off after Sahara India - the sponsors - pulled out in the wake of the Pakistani intrusion in Kashmir in 1999. Prior to the cancellation, an unsuccessful attempt was made to create a series with the West Indies as the third team, which would have allowed a three way competition where India and Pakistan would not directly compete with each other.
["West Indies's rescue act" (October 20, 2024) ''Stabroek News'' Georgetown, Guyana.] The diplomatic relations between the two countries considerably worsened during the Kargil war in 1999, and further, India suspended all cricketing ties with Pakistan from 2000 until 2004.
Following, is the summary of the match results.
Season 1 (1996)
* Match 1 – Sep 16, 1996 – India, 8 wickets
* Match 2 – Sep 17, 1996 – Pakistan, 2 wickets
* Match 3 – Sep 18, 1996 – India, 55 runs
* Match 4 – Sep 21, 1996 – Pakistan, 97 runs
* Match 5 – Sep 23, 1996 – Pakistan, 52 runs
Season 2 (1997)
* Match 1 – Sep 13, 1997 – India, 20 runs
* Match 2 – Sep 14, 1997 – India, 7 wickets
* Match 3 – Sep 17, 1997 – no result (Washed out due to rain)
* Match 3 – Sep 18, 1997 – India, 34 runs
* Match 4 – Sep 20, 1997 – India, 7 wickets
* Match 5 – Sep 21, 1997 – Pakistan, 5 wickets
Season 3 (1998)
* Match 1 – 12 Sep, 1998 - Ind, 6 wickets
* Match 2 – 13 Sep, 1998 - Pak, 51 runs
* Match 3 – 16 Sep, 1998 - Pak, 77 runs
* Match 4 – 19 Sep, 1998 - Pak, 134 runs
* Match 5 – 20 Sep, 1998 - Pak, 5 Wickets
References
{{reflist
International cricket competitions in Canada
Pakistan in international cricket
India in international cricket