Mutual respect between the teams is evident

As it was Pakistan triumphed by two wickets but the win was tinged with disappointment as the West Indies' victory over Sri Lanka terminated Pakistan's World Cup campaign.

Holders India had already qualified for the semi-finals.

Even though it was tense on the field, after the match both sides hugged each other, and parted as friends rather than enemies.

"Before the game we spoke to the boys and told them that they must play the game in the best traditions of cricket," said Pakistan manager Brigadier Javed Tipu.

"The point is that these boys are youngsters and they are the future of Pakistani and India cricket.

"Some of them will be meeting each other at international level throughout their lives and they have their whole careers ahead of them which is why wanted them to become friends now.

I always enjoyed playing against Pakistan during my career

Dilip Vengsarkar India's coach

Pakistan's manager and India's coach embrace

"There is so much interest in cricket in the sub-continent and it's a shame that we are not playing each other at the highest level.

"There is such a huge interest in matches between India and Pakistan in both countries and it was very important for us to win."

The match itself turned out to be a close game with India setting Pakistan a target of 182 for victory.

In order to earn a bonus point Pakistan needed to knock off that total within 41.1 overs, but they fell three runs short and victory was sealed two overs too late.

The delight of seeing Pakistan knocked out even though they won the match was evident on the faces of the Indian supporters.

Peculiar rivalry

It provided an insight into the peculiar rivalry that exists between the two countries.

With the situation in Kashmir showing no sign of improvement it could be a long time before these two teams meet again.

But when cricketing relations are eventually restored, there could be one or two players from the match in Christchurch lining-up against each other once again.

If that is the case then the bonds formed in New Zealand will stand them in good stead, and suspicion will have been replaced by a mutual respect for one another.