Pakistan posted a comfortable 32-run win over USA in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Colombo on Tuesday evening.
The USA openers kickstarted their chase of 191 on a positive note inside the powerplay against Pakistan. The duo added 42 runs for the opening wicket. However, Mohammad Nawaz ended their partnership, breaking the deadlock for Pakistan in his first over.
Shadab Khan then struck twice in quick succession. First, he nabbed the all-important catch of USA skipper Monank Patel off his own bowling. The wicket was swiftly followed by the dismissal of Shayan Jahangir, who was looking in rhythm during his knock of 49.
Shubham Ranjane and Milind Kumar then combined to add a crucial 54-run stand for the fourth wicket. However, just as the two seemed in position to switch gears, Usman Tariq brought Pakistan right back into the game with his first wicket.
The wicket was swiftly followed by the dismissal of Shayan Jahangir, who was looking in rhythm during his knock of 49. Shubham Ranjane and Milind Kumar then combined to add a crucial 54-run stand for the fourth wicket. However, just as the two seemed in position to switch gears, Usman Tariq brought Pakistan right back into the game with his first wicket.
However, Tariq went on to snap two wickets off two deliveries as Pakistan tightened their grip. Losing wickets at one end, Ranjane went on to score a resilient half-century. But the bowlers ensured there wasn’t any late twist in the tale as Pakistan sealed the deal by 32 runs.
Earlier, put into bat, Pakistan were quick off the blocks quickly. Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan chose their moments well, taking Pakistan past the 50-mark in the fifth over.
Shadley van Schalkwyk not only slowed down the scoring rate, but also provided USA with the breakthrough. He had Ayub miscue a shot to Saurabh Netravalkar, cutting short a promising innings, and then sent back captain Salman Agha five balls later. Pakistan ended powerplay at 56/2.
Farhan’s presence was crucial to the Pakistan rebuild. He stitched an 81-run partnership with Babar Azam with some sensible batting and brilliant running between the wickets. Though Azam was dismissed for a well-paced 46, Farhan brought up his first half-century in T20 World Cups, scoring 73 off just 41 balls with the help of six fours and five sixes.
While a smart catch by Sanjay Krishnamurthi, off Harmeet Singh, sent Farhan packing, Shadab Khan ensured that Pakistan’s scoring rate didn’t drop too much, scoring 30 off 12. In an attempt to score quick runs at the end, Pakistan ended up losing five wickets in the space of 10 balls to finish at 190/9.
In his second spell, Van Schalkwyk claimed two wickets in an over once again to finish with figures of 4/25.
Brief scores: Pakistan 190/9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 73, Babar Azam 46, Shadab Khan 30; Shadley van Schalkwyk 4/25) beat USA 158/8 in 20 overs (Shayan Jahangir 49, Milind Kumar 29, Shubham Ranjane 51; Usman Tariq 3/27, Shadab Khan 2/26).
