USA player Saurabh Netravalkar celebrates after the US defeated Pakistan in the Super Over during the USA vs Pakistan match in the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas on June 6, 2024.
Matt Roberts | ICC | Getty Images
Batting first in the Super Over, the USA increased the pressure on their opponents at 18 for 1, scoring 11 before Aaron Jones was run out and seven in extra time.
Iftikhar Ahmed then took Pakistan to 5-0 with three balls to spare but was brilliantly caught by Nitish Kumar near the boundary line and US bowler Saurabh Netravalkar was reduced to 13 for 1.
The United States, top of Group A, have a strong chance of progressing to the Super 8 round after beating Canada by seven wickets in their opening match last Sunday. The top two teams from each of the four groups will advance to the last eight of the tournament.
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USA captain Monank Patel, who won the official man of the match award, called the result a “great achievement.”
“It’s our first game since beating Pakistan and I’m really proud of how we played today,” he said.
“It was complete teamwork from the first ball to the last. Having won the toss, we made the most of the conditions and credit goes to our bowlers.”
“They held us under 160 points and we knew 160 was a goal we could chase.”
American Monank Patel celebrates scoring fifty during the USA vs Pakistan match in the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup West Indies & USA 2024 at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas on June 6, 2024.
Matt Roberts | ICC | Getty Images
Pakistan captain Babar Azam lamented his team’s batting performance.
“We didn’t capitalise on the runs with our batting and they took the momentum away from us,” the manager said. “We lost quick wickets in the middle. The batting line-up needs to step up and put in more effort and we didn’t do that.”
“The U.S. put in a great performance. They were better than us in every aspect of the game.”
How the US took the Super Over amid Pakistan’s fightback
Pakistan started slowly in their regulation innings, recovering from 26 for three in the fifth over to reach 159 for seven.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam scored 44 off 43 balls with two sixes, Shadab Khan scored 40 off 25 balls and number eight Shaheen Afridi scored 23 off 16 balls.
The USA reached 104 for 1 in the 14th over and appeared to be on track to fight back.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam plays a shot during the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2024 Group A cricket match between USA and Pakistan at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium on June 6, 2024 in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Andrew Caballero Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
Captain Patel scored 50 off 38 balls and Andries Guth scored 35 off 26 balls, so 56 runs from the remaining 44 balls was all it took to win.
But after Monanku’s dismissal in the 15th over, Jones needed a six off the third and final ball and Kumar a four off the final delivery to tie the game and take it to the Super Over.
How significant does this win mean for US cricket?
This will be the first time the ICC has hosted a major tournament in the United States, with the US sharing hosting duties with the West Indies.
Patel believes a win over Pakistan, the 2009 champions and two-time runners-up, would be a landmark moment for soccer in the United States.
“Obviously, beating Pakistan in the World Cup will open a lot of doors for us,” he said.
“And then people like the U.S. cricket community will know about it. And, of course, having the World Cup in the U.S. and being here as a team helps grow cricket in the U.S.”
The U.S. was already garnering attention ahead of the tournament after beating Bangladesh 2-1 in a warm-up match last month.
“We are not worried about what people will say,” Patel said when asked whether the high-profile series win over Bangladesh should now be considered a fluke.
“We know what we’ve worked on and what our capabilities are, and we’re just going to focus on that particular match.”
What’s next?
It is one of the fiercest rivalries in cricket. Pakistan will next face India The teams compete in Group A of the Men’s T20 World Cup on Sunday, with the match in New York kicking off at 3.30pm UK and Ireland time. Sky Sports Cricket It starts at 3pm.
of USA’s next match will also be against India.will be held at the same venue in New York on Wednesday, June 12th at 3:30pm.
Both matches will be played at the purpose-built Nassau County Cricket Stadium on Long Island, and the ICC has pledged to resolve the pitch’s issues following the Sri Lanka vs South Africa and India vs Ireland matches played there.
“T20 Inc and the ICC are aware that the pitch that has been used to date at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium has not performed as reliably as we would all have hoped,” an ICC statement said.
“Our world-class grounds team have been working hard since the match finished yesterday to improve the situation and provide the best possible surface for the remaining matches.”
