Good comeback by Pakistan to make 159. They were struggling in the powerplay after being put in. There was movement and the seamers made full use of it. Netravalkar set the tone and Steven Taylor took an amazing catch to send Rizwan back. Usman Khan and Fakhar Zaman too did not last long. Shadab Khan was promoted to 5 and his partnership with Babar resurrected their side. 72 was the stand and it was Shadab Khan who was the aggressor. Babar was looking good when he fell and a handy cameo from Shaheen Shah Afridi at the end helped Pakistan. USA were excellent all-around with Kenjige and Netravalkar standing out. Ali Khan nailed his Yorkers at the death and ensured that runs did not leak. USA will think they have a chance in this game but it won’t be easy against the quartet of seamers from Pakistan.
♥Nosthush Kenjige: It is just half the job done. We are pretty pleased to restrict them to 155 on this wicket, it is a pretty good wicket. We know they are a dangerous side but we believe in our abilities and it is good that it reflected on the ground, the bowlers executed the plans perfectly. It is pretty hot and we would have taken 150 at the start of the day, we have to bat well but I have hope we will do well.
♦Pace vs spin in PAK innings
Pace: 3/64 in 8 overs (ER 8.00)
Spin: 5/91 in 12 overs (ER 7.58)
High-octane action! It doesn’t get much better than this. All the way through, you’d have thought USA had it in the bag. They bowled really well to restrict Pakistan to 159 and when they came out to chase, they started well. Skipper Monank Patel batted brilliantly and brought up fifty while sharing a crucial stand with Gous. It looked like the USA would cruise home as Pakistan looked rather rattled. Boundaries came at ease but the tide turned in the 14th over when Haris Rauf finally broke the partnership. Amir managed to dismiss the set Patel the very next over and the USA lost all their momentum. What followed was an exemplary display of death bowling as the Pakistani bowlers nailed the Yorker time after time. With USA needing 15 off the final over, it looked like Pakistan had staved off an embarrassing loss but Haris Rauf missed his mark twice and that was enough for Aaron Jones and Nitish Kumar to pick off 14 to send this into a super-over!
A win to savor for the USA! They’ve pulled off a massive upset here against the ever-mercurial Pakistan! That also means that the USA now have 2 wins from 2 games. That will be a very deflating loss for a Pakistan side that came into the tournament looking rather insipid. One can only admire the grit of the USA players, they held out and didn’t succumb under pressure like many inexperienced sides tend to do in such situations. They fought right till the end, managed to hang in there even when the chips were down. It went into the super-over and they were the ones who kept their calm much better in that super-over. Pakistan have only themselves to blame. They were extremely sloppy and clumsy with the ball, they were scattered and uncoordinated in the field and they ended up conceding 19. It was a bit too much to ask of the batters as USA claimed a famous win.
♣Monank Patel | Player of the Match: It is a big achievement, beating Pakistan and that too playing (them) for the first time. It was a complete team effort. We won the toss and we made sure we utilized the conditions well, we did really well to keep them under 160. I am happy with my contribution and happier that we won the game. We spoke about the top three contributing and happy that myself and Gous could do that. The plan was to play proper shots and he (Gous) took the pressure off me. Happy to get the two points. As a batter and player, you want to show off in the big games and I am happy that my knock came in a winning cause.
♦Tied matches in the T20 World Cup
IND vs PAK, Du♥rban, 2007
SL vs NZ, Pallekele, 2012
NZ vs WI, Pallekele, 2012
NAM vs OMAN, Bridgetown, 2024
USA vs PAK, Dallas, 2024*
This is the 3rd defeat for Pakistan in four tied games (super overs & bowl out) and two wins for USA in as many Super Overs.Pakistan is the second Test-playing nation after Bangladesh whom the USA beat in T20Is.This is the first time Pakistan lost to a non-full member side in T20Is.
♠Babar Azam | Pakistan captain: First 6 overs while batting we didn’t capitalize. Back to back wickets always put you on the back foot, as a batter you need to step up and build partnerships. We were not up to the mark in the first 6 overs with the ball. Our spinners also did not take wickets in the middle overs so these things cost us. Very hard, all credit to USA, they played better than us in all three departments. Little bit of moisture in the pitch, it was also two-paced. As a professional you need to assess the conditions.
♣Monank Patel | USA captain: Winning the toss and the way we bowled in the first 6 overs, we took wickets and kept them quiet. We knew they will take chances after their partnership. We knew we were in the game with 160 to chase, just needed a partnership. Playing in a World Cup, you don’t get a chance to do it every year. We were fully committed every single ball.