After India, Pakistan beat USA in T20 World Cup

Opener Sahibzada Farhan’s explosive fifty and the accuracy of Pakistan’s spinners propelled the team to a comfortable victory. Farhan scored 73 runs off 41 balls, helping Pakistan post a total of 190 for nine. The spin quartet, consisting of Abrar Ahmed (1/30), Mohammad Nawaz (1/21), Shadab Khan (2/26), and Usman Tariq (3/27), stifled the US batters, limiting them to 158 for eight.

This marked Pakistan's second consecutive win in the tournament, placing them at the top of Group A with four points. Shubham Ranjane made a notable contribution to the US innings with a brisk fifty (51 runs off 30 balls), yet it was mainly to lessen the margin of defeat.

The USA's chase began with openers Shayan Jahangir (49 off 34) and Andries Gous (13 off 13) providing a solid start, as they reached 42 runs by the fifth over. However, the introduction of spin dramatically changed the match's dynamics. Gous was dismissed by Nawaz, caught by Salman Agha in the deep. The USA, who had defeated Pakistan in the previous T20 World Cup edition, ended the power play at 50 for one.

From that point on, the USA struggled, losing seven of their eight wickets to Pakistan's spinners. The next four overs saw the US batters adding only 18 runs, with skipper Monank Patel falling to a return catch from leg-spinner Shadab Khan. Jahangir soon followed, attempting a heave off Shadab that resulted in a catch by Shaheen Shah Afridi at mid-wicket.

Ranjane and Milind Kumar (23) formed a partnership of 66 runs for the fourth wicket, but the required run rate was too steep to overcome, even with some aggressive hits. 

Earlier, Pakistan started strong, reaching 56 runs for no loss in just five overs but experienced a setback when pacer Shadley van Schalkwyk (4/25) took two quick wickets in the sixth over, dismissing both Saim Ayub and skipper Agha.

Farhan was in exceptional form, hitting sixes at will, particularly showcasing his power against spinner Milind. His aggressive play allowed Babar Azam (46 runs off 32 balls) to settle in and play his shots. Babar, known for having the lowest strike rate of 110 among all T20 World Cup batters, took 20 balls to hit his first six. However, once he found his rhythm, he played classically, using cross-batted shots for boundaries.

He took advantage of left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh in the 12th over, smashing a six and two fours as Pakistan’s run rate climbed towards ten per over. Farhan also reached his ninth T20 fifty, his first in an ICC major event, off just 27 balls.

Unfortunately, Babar’s lack of power in batting eventually led to his dismissal, as Milind made a remarkable diving catch off spinner Mohammad Mohsin. Similarly, Farhan could not last long after being caught by Sanjay Krishnamurthi at long-off when facing Harmeet.

In the death overs, all-rounder Shadab (30 runs off 12 balls) hit some massive shots, allowing Pakistan to build a solid total despite losing wickets in quick succession.