The United States defeated cricket heavyweights Pakistan, scoring a major defeat in the T20 World Cup there – a historic win for a country that most people hardly know the rules of the game.
The USA had won by seven wickets against Canada in the opening game. Aaron Jones, who smashed a 40-ball unbeaten 94 against Canada, once again starred for the tournament’s co-hosts as he turned the game into a super over with a crucial 36 not out off 26.
Jones hit a six off Haris Rauf and then a single before Nitish Kumar’s boundary off the final ball tied the score at 159 at the end of regulation as Pakistan’s experienced fast bowler gave away 14 runs from the last six balls.
Tony Gutierrez / AP
Pakistan panicked in the super over when the much experienced fast bowler Mohammad Amir, preferred over Shaheen Shah Afridi, gave away 18 runs that included seven open off wide balls as Jones hit the boundary against the left arm seamer.
Left-arm fast bowler Saurabh Netravalkar, who had earlier bowled well and taken 2-18 from four overs, conceded just 13 runs in the super over to earn USA their most historic Twenty20 win against Pakistan, the 2009 champions.
Iftikhar Ahmed smashed a boundary off Netravalkar’s second ball, before going out at long-on as the left-arm seamer kept his cool and clinched a famous victory for the US.
“It’s a great achievement,” said the US captain
“It’s a big achievement, beating Pakistan in the first game (against them),” US captain Monank Patel said. “We used the situation well (and) kept it to 160, which we could chase.”
It was a disastrous start for Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who will meet arch-rivals India on Sunday in New York.
“All credit to the United States who did well in all three departments and that’s why they won,” Babar said. “We couldn’t capitalize in the first six overs. We took the momentum, but back-to-back wickets hurt us.”
The Americans looked well on their way to stun Pakistan in the regulation game when captain Patel hit 50 off 38 balls and along with Andries Gous (35) took the home team to 104-1 in 13 overs before Pakistan staged a comeback and dismissed both batters in the set. in successful overs as USA finished on 159-3.
Tony Gutierrez / AP
Patel and Ghous added 68 runs for the second wicket as Pakistan’s four-man pace attack led by Shaheen Shah Afridi failed to trouble them and leg-spinner Shadab Khan also looked dead, before Amir gave Pakistan hope.
Amir had Patel caught behind a slow off-cutter and Ghous was clean bowled by Rauf. But Rauf, who bowled the last over with a cushion of 15 runs, could not stop Jones and Kumar from taking the game to a super over with two big hits from the last three deliveries.
Pakistan’s batting, which has been struggling for years in the shortest format of the sport, got more exposure to some US bowling seam discipline after Patel won the toss and elected to field and limited the opposition to 159-7.
A perfect US start
The reunion of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as the opening pair also failed to save them and the middle order stuttered on slow wickets.
Steven Taylor gave the home team the perfect start when he plucked a brilliant one-handed catch inches from the turf to dismiss Rizwan in the second over off Netravalkar.
Left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige (3-30) also troubled the Pakistan batters in the power play when Usman Khan played a careless shot and was out while Fakhar Zaman’s weak ramp shot failed to clear the fielder at short leg in the 30-yard circle as Pakistan slipped 26-3 in the fifth over.
Tony Gutierrez / AP
Babar (44) and Shadab Khan (40) tried to regain the momentum and raise a 72-run stand before Kenjige broke the threat stand in the 13th over when Shadab was brilliantly snapped by Netravalkar at short fine leg and Azam Khan pinned leg before the wicket. off the first ball by the left arm spinner.
Babar, who is the world’s leading T20 run-getter and surpassed Virat Kohli’s tally of 4,038 runs, looked scratched in a 43-ball knock that included two sixes and three boundaries before falling lbw to Jasdeep Singh’s delivery in the 16th over as Pakistan slipped to 125-6 .
It was only because of Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 23 off 16 balls that included the last two sixes that lifted Pakistan’s total in the death overs.
