In a surprising turn of events, Pakistan suffered a stunning defeat against hosts USA at the Grand Prairie Stadium in their opening match of the T20 World Cup campaign.
USA won the toss and opted to bowl first at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, successfully chasing a target of 195 against their neighbors, Canada.
Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam anchored the innings with a steady 44 runs off 43 balls, while Shadab Khan provided a much-needed counter-attack, scoring a blistering 40 runs off 25 balls at a strike rate of 160. Shaheen Afridi contributed crucial runs towards the end, adding 23 off 16 deliveries, helping Pakistan reach a total of 159-7.
For USA, Nosthush Kenjige was the standout bowler, taking three key wickets—Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, and Usman Khan—finishing with figures of 3-30 from his 4 overs. Saurabh Metravalkar also bowled a splendid spell, picking up 2 wickets for just 18 runs with an impressive economy rate of 4.50.
In response, USA’s captain Monank Patel played a steady innings, scoring 50 runs off 38 balls before falling to Mohammad Amir. Andries Gous, who shared a 68-run partnership with Patel, lost his wicket to Haris Rauf. Aaron Jones, USA’s hero against Canada, added 36 off 26 balls in the dramatic run chase.
Nitish Kumar’s boundary off the last delivery forced the game into a Super Over, marking the second such instance in this T20 World Cup.
Mohammad Amir bowled the Super Over for Pakistan, conceding 18 runs, leaving Pakistan with a target of 19 to win. Saurabh Metravalkar bowled the decisive over for USA, emerging as the hero by securing a historic victory, USA’s first-ever win in T20 World Cup history.
Group A Points Table
| Team | M | W | L | N/R | PT | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| India | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3.065 |
| USA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1.451 |
| Pakistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 |
| Canada | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1.451 |
| Ireland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -3.065 |
