The United States made history on Thursday by upsetting former title-holders Pakistan in a tense Super Over, a match that many see as a reflection of the decline in Asian cricket. This victory put the USA in the lead of Group A with two straight wins, building on their previous blowout victory against Canada. The USA's strategy to bowl first paid off, as Nosthush Kenjige's efficient spell of 3/30 kept Pakistan's scoring in check, leaving them with a total of 159/7 after 20 overs.
Newcomers The United States of America (USA) stunned former champions Pakistan in the Super Over on Thursday, recording a historic win in a T20 World Cup contest that epitomized the shambolic state of Asian cricket. As a result, USA went to the top of Group A with two wins in a row before facing India. The USA trounced Canada by seven wickets in their opening fixture. Opting to field, left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige took three wickets for 30 runs as Pakistan struggled to press the accelerator and were restricted to 159/7 in 20 overs.
Chasing the target, the USA reached 159/3, thanks to captain Monank Patel's 50 and solid contributions from Aaron Jones and Andries Gous. The match was decided in a high-stakes Super Over; Pakistan's Mohammad Amir surrendered 18 runs, while the composed Saurabh Netravalkar limited the USA to just 13, securing a victory that will be remembered for years.
The USA's decision to field first proved correct early on when Netravalkar dismissed Mohammad Rizwan in the second over. Although Pakistan's captain Babar Azam tried to stabilize the innings with 44 runs, he was eventually beaten by Jasdeep Singh's LBW. While Usman Khan and Fakhar Zaman failed to make an impact, a quick-fire 40 from Shadab Khan off 25 balls kept Pakistan in the game.
However, Shadab Khan’s cameo of 25-ball 40 kept Pakistan alive in the encounter.
Pakistan's total was bolstered by contributions from Iftikhar Ahmed (18) and Shaheen Afridi (23), while the USA's bowling was led by Kenjige's three wickets and Netravalkar's two. The USA started their chase aggressively, racking up 44 runs in the powerplay. Captain Monank Patel set the tone with back-to-back boundaries against Afridi. Even after Naseem Shah dismissed Steven Taylor, Andries Gous stepped up immediately with two boundaries in the same over. The USA maintained a confident presence throughout, with Patel showcasing his skill by finding the boundary twice in the cover region against Iftikhar.
The USA began their chase on a positive note, scoring 44 runs on the powerplay. Patel led from the front, hitting successive boundaries off Afridi in the fourth over. Naseem Shah handed Pakistan the first breakthrough when Taylor nicked one to Rizwan behind the stumps. But new batter Gous meant business, scoring two fours in the same over. The USA’s body language was positive, with Patel and Gous leading the way. Patel demonstrated his ability on the off-side by scoring two successive boundaries off Iftikhar in the cover region.
Pakistan managed to fight back by taking key wickets, including the crucial dismissal of Patel, who edged a ball to Rizwan off Amir. However, Aaron Jones repeated his strong form from the Canada match, partnering with Nitish Kumar (14*) to push the game into the Super Over.