Pakistan vs USA Highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: PAK avenge 2024 loss, beat USA by 32 runs in Colombo

42 needed off 12. Usman Tariq to bowl the second last over. He bowls three top deliveries to give three singles. OUT! Harmeet Singh departs. He lofts inside out and finds Mohammad Nawaz, who completes a clean catch. Mohammad Mohsin is the new batter. OUT! Cleaned up! Two in two for Tariq, and he is on a hat trick. Mohsin is out for a golden duck. Shadley van Schalkwyk swings but Tariq darts outside off, swing and a miss. No hat trick for Tariq but the fate of this game has been sealed.

Harmeet Singh c Mohammad Nawaz b Usman Tariq 6(5); Mohammad Mohsin b Usman Tariq 0(1)

USA: 152/7 in 19 overs; Need 39 runs from 6 balls

OUT! Pakistan spinners have taken complete control of the game. Sanjay Krishnamuthi is the next one to fall. He has been cleaned up by Abrar Ahmed.

USA: 130/5 in 17 overs; Need 61 runs from 18 balls

Usman Tariq again. FOUR! Drags on down the leg and Shubman sweeps it fine to get a boundary at deep backward square leg. Only seven from this over.

USA: 99/3 in 14 overs

Usman Tariq into the attack. Just six from this over as the asking rate has climbed to almost 14 r.p.o.

Shadab Khan again. OUT! This was coming. With the impending pressure, the wicket was right around the corner. Monank Patel's struggle comes to an end as he holes out to Shadab. He departs for a 10-ball 3.

Monank Patel c and b Shadab Khan 3(10)

USA: 60/2 in 9 overs

Spinners are taking over the proceedings. Shadab Khan now in the attack. Just four singles from his over.

USA: 54/1 in 7 overs

Mohammad Nawaz for the first tonight. FOUR! Jahangir is doing all the hard work for USA and getting crucial early runs. Streaky this time, though, as an edge gives a boundary this time. FOUR! Gous this time. Second boundary for him as a flat hit at mid-on fetches him four runs. OUT! Nawaz strikes in his first over! Slower one, Gous lofts it but finds Salman Ali Agha at covers. Skipper Monank Patel is the new batter in at No. 3. 10 runs from the over.

Andries Gous c Salman Agha b Mohammad Nawaz 13(13)

USA: 42/1 in 5 overs

Shaheen Afridi continues. Gous plays smart, gets a single off the first delivery to give Jahangir the strike. FOUR! Fortune favours the brave! Jahangir with a boundary off an edge. 8 runs from the over.

Pakistan: 28/0 in 3 overs

Right then. Welcome back for the second phase of this game. USA need a big 191-run total if they need to repeat the feat of 2024. Left-armer Afridi starts against Gous. CHANCE! Off the first delivery. Nipper backer hits the pads and Pakistan with a confident LBW appeal. The umpire denies it and rightly so, as the ball was visibly missing the stumps. FOUR! Some shot to get off the mark. Textbook cover drive open the mark for Gous. He gets a single off the fifth delivery. FOUR! A boundary to get off the mark for Shayan as well. Full toss on leg, easy pickings for Jahangir, who flicks it for a boundary. Nine from the first over.

USA: 9/0 in 1 over

Saurabh Netravalkar to bowl the final over of the innings. OUT! Wickets falling in quick succession now. Mohammad Nawaz departs now. Puff of dust after the delivery pitches in, Nawaz finds the man on deep mid-wicket. RUN OUT! Quintessential Pakistan run out. A clueless Usman Khan watches as Shaheen runs to the striker's end, and Khan is run out. SIX! Afridi was responsible for the runout but he says, don't you worry. Clears the front leg and goes down the ground for a big powerpull shot for a six. RUN OUT! Pakistan manage two, but Abrar Ahmed was run out while looking for a third off the last delivery. 190 on the board.

Mohammad Nawaz c Shayan Jahangir b Saurabh Netravalkar 5(10); Usman Khan run out (Andries Gous/Shadley van Schalkwyk) 0(1); Abrar Ahmed run out (Shayan Jahangir/Andries Gous) 0(0)

Pakistan: 190/9 in 20 overs

Ehsan Adil returns. FOUR! Too many freebies from Adil. Another poor delivery as he sprays again down the leg, inviting a sweep from Shadab, who makes full use of it. FOUR! Low full toss, not a poor ball this time, but a top-notch shot from Shadab. Slaps it through the covers for a second boundary in a row. FOUR! Three in three for Shadab and Adil is leaking crucial runs. Short, wide outside off and Shadab slashes it for his third boundary. 16 from this over as Pakistan look to cross 200.

Pakistan: 173/4 in 18 overs

Harmeet Singh with his last over. FOUR! Slaps it straight down the ground for a boundary to start the over. OUT! Plays away from the body, looks to clear the straight boundary but finds Sanjay Krishnamurthi at long-off. Dangerous Farhan departs. Shadab Khan is in at No. 6, and he gets off the mark with a couple. 8 runs from this over.

Sahibzada Farhan c Sanjay Krishnamurthi b Harmeet Singh 73(41)

Pakistan: 145/4 in 16 overs

Shadley van Schalkwyk returns to the attack. Azam starts the over with a couple, followed by a single. Farhan gets a single off the following delivery. FOUR! Azam with another well-timed pull shot. He has looked in a different touch ever since getting his first maximum. Short, outside off, and he pulls it at deep mid-wicket. 11 from this over as Pakistan are racing to a big total at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.

Pakistan: 133/2 in 14 overs

Mohammad Mohsin with his third over. SIX! Fifth maximum for Farhan. Overpitched delivery from Mohsin, in the middle, in the slot for Farhan, who goes down on his knees, brings out his slogsweep and clears the long deep mid-wicket fence. A dot followed by three things brings up 100 for Pakistan in the 12th over.

Pakistan: 101/2 in 12 overs

Ehsan Adil returns to the strike. He oversteps to start with a NO BALL. Farhan gets a couple off the third ball, completing a fine half-century in just 27 deliveries. He has looked in fine touch from ball one and has kept together his innings crucial innings for Pakistan. Adil bowls a WIDE as well. Singles and doubles alongside two extras from Adil helps Pakistan fetch 10 off the 10th over.

Pakistan: 85/2 in 10 overs

Spin from both ends as Harmeet Singh comes into the attack. Four singles and a two make this a 6-run over.

Pakistan: 66/2 in 7 overs

Shadley van Schalkwyk continues. OUT! Saim Ayub falls, and the USA strikes first! A much-needed wicket for the Americans as they break the dangerous-looking partnership. Pitched up delivery by van Schalkwyk and Ayub slashes it once again, as he did in van Schalkwyk's first over, but USA, learning from their mistake, had placed a fielder there to complete his catch this time.

Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha is the new man in. He is off the mark with a single. Farhan returns the strike back to Agha. OUT! Double delight for the USA! Second strike in this over as van Schalkwyk continues to impress in the tournament. Agha pulls straight to Shayan Jahangir at deep backward square leg. The USA has pulled back in the PowerPlay.

Saim Ayub c Saurabh Netravalkar b Shadley van Schalkwyk 19(17); Salman Agha c Shayan Jahangir b Shadley van Schalkwyk 1(3)

Pakistan: 56/2 in 6 overs

Shadley van Schalkwyk comes into the attack for the first time tonight. He replaces debutant Ehsan Adil. FOUR! Ah, lucky boundary for Ayub. van Schalkwyk pitches up, Ayub slashes it hard, and an inside edge runs toward the third man fence. CHANCE! Length delivery, Ayub lofts in the air, and Monank Patel runs backwards but fails to get near the ball. Six from the over.

Pakistan: 38/0 in 4 overs

The debutant Ehsan Adil to bowl his first over. He has the new ball from the other end. He sprays one down the leg to bowl a WIDE after Sahibzada Farhan starts with a dot. FOUR! Pace off, back-of-the-length and Farhan is late on his pull but manages to get past the deep mid-wicket fence. FOUR! Two in two for Farhan as he plays through the short third man region for another boundary. FOUR! He ends the over with a third boundary, taking 13 off Adil's first over.

Pakistan: 19/0 in 2 overs

We are moments away from the live action. Pakistan openers Saim Ayub and Shahibzada Farhan are in the middle. USA players have also dispersed from their huddle.

Pakistan (Playing XI): Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed.

USA (Playing XI): Andries Gous(w), Shayan Jahangir, Monank Patel(c), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ehsan Adil, Saurabh Netravalkar.

The lack of intent has been a big question surrounding Babar Azam. The former World No. 1 T20I batter is struggling to score runs in the international circuit. Pakistan had even dropped him alongside Mohammed Rizwan a few months back, but Azam made a comeback for the T20 World Cup team.

The game against the USA would be a big opportunity for Babar to get back to form. He even looked rusty in the recently concluded Big Bash League and Pakistan's bilateral series against Australia. He managed 15 off 18 against Netherlands.

Inspired by Dhoni, tempered by struggle: The rise of Pakistan’s sling-arm surprise, Usman Tariq

The inspiration to give cricket another shot arrived for Pakistan’s new spin sensation, Usman Tariq, while watching MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. To be precise, it was the scene where Sushant Singh Rajput, who portrayed Dhoni in the film, takes the train from Kharagpur, abandoning a monotonous job — the moment that sparked Usman’s resolve.

The connection is understandable. If being a TTE didn’t allow Dhoni to focus on cricket, for Usman, working in an automobile factory handling logistics and procurement meant much the same. In the coming days, Usman would pack his bags and head to Karachi, and nearly 10 years later would feature in his maiden T20 World Cup — just three months after making his debut for Pakistan.

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