USA’s cricket team beats Pakistan in stunning upset at T20 World Cup

The United States beat cricket heavyweights Pakistan to mark a huge turnaround in the T20 World Cup on Thursday – one historic victory to a country where most people barely understand the rules of the game.

The USA claimed a seven-wicket victory over Canada in their opening game. Aaron Jones, who smashed an unbeaten 40-ball 94 against Canada, once again starred as co-host of the tournament when he stretched the game into the super over with another vital knock of 36 not out from 26.

Jones hit a six off Haris Rauf and then a single before Nitish Kumar’s boundary off the final ball leveled the score at 159 at the end of regulation, while Pakistan’s experienced fast bowler gave away 14 runs from the final six balls.

Pakistan panicked in the super over when experienced fast bowler Mohammad Amir, preferred to Shaheen Shah Afridi, gave away 18 runs, including seven runs from wide balls, as Jones broke the wall against the left-arm seamer.

Left-arm fast bowler Saurabh Netravalkar, who previously bowled brilliantly and took 2-18 in his four overs, conceded just 13 runs in the super over to give the USA its most historic Twenty20 victory against Pakistan, the 2009 champions .

Iftikhar Ahmed hit the wall off Netravalkar’s second ball, before finishing from distance as the left-hand seamer kept his cool and claimed a famous victory for the USA

“It’s a great achievement,” says US captain

“It’s a great achievement to beat Pakistan playing (against them) for the first time,” said US captain Monank Patel. “We used the conditions well (and) kept them at 160, which was chaseable.”

It was a disastrous start for captain Babar Azam’s Pakistan, who are set to face arch-rivals India on Sunday in New York.

“All credit to the US who did well in all three departments and that is why they won,” Babar said. “We failed to capitalize during the first six overs. We built on the momentum but the back-to-back wickets hurt us.”

The Americans looked well on course to surprise Pakistan during regulation play when captain Patel hit 50 off 38 balls and, together with Andries Gous (35), took the home team to 104-1 in 13 overs before Pakistan recovered and dismiss both hitters from the set. in successive overs, with the USA finishing on 159-3.

Patel and Ghous added 68 runs for the second wicket as Pakistan’s four-man attack led by Shaheen Shah Afridi failed to trouble them and leg-spinner Shadab Khan also looked away, before Amir gave Pakistan a glimpse of hope.

Amir caught Patel behind a slow off-cutter and Ghous was bowled by Rauf. But Rauf, who bowled the last with a 15-run lead, could not stop Jones and Kumar from taking the game into super over with two big hits in the last three deliveries.

Pakistan’s batting, which has struggled for a year in the sport’s shortest format, was further exposed against some disciplined US bowling after Patel won the toss and opted to field and restricted the opposition to 159-7.

A perfect start in the USA

The reunion of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as the opening pair also failed to save them and the middle order stuttered on a slow wicket.

Steven Taylor gave the home side the perfect start when he made a brilliant one-handed catch inches from the pitch to dismiss Rizwan in the second over Netravalkar.

Nosthush Kenjige’s (3-30) left-arm spin also troubled Pakistan’s batsmen inside the power play as Usman Khan took an ill-advised shot and went wide, while Fakhar Zaman’s weak shot failed to clear the fielder at short leg and fine inside the 30 yard circle as Pakistan fell to 26-3 in the fifth over.

Babar (44) and Shadab Khan (40) tried to regain the momentum and lifted the 72-run stand before Kenjige broke the threatening stand in the 13th over when Shadab was brilliantly hit by Netravalkar at short fine leg and Azam Khan was pinned at leg before wicket off the first ball by the left-arm spinner.

Babar, who became the world leader in T20 runs and surpassed Virat Kohli’s tally of 4,038 runs, looked rough in his 43-ball knock that included two sixes and three boundaries before falling to Jasdeep Singh’s delivery in the 16th over, as Pakistan slipped to 125-6.

It was only due to Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 23 off 16 balls which included two final sixes that lifted Pakistan’s total in the qualifiers.