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Pakistan will face America tomorrow in the T20 World Cup. Read our in-depth preview here…
Pakistan Overcame a tough fixture at the weekend but go straight into the second in Colombo when they face defeat. United States tomorrow
The USA pulled off the biggest shock in T20 World Cup history two years ago when they beat Pakistan in a Super Over, and they were not far from an eclipse only to be denied by India captain Suryakumar Yadav in Mumbai on Saturday.
Yadav scored a brilliant unbeaten 84 before Mohammad Siraj damaged the tournament co-hosts with the ball before those around him failed.
The United States left with a huge amount of credit and Pakistan fast bowler Salman Mirza says no one should be surprised by the performance of the Associate Members.
“That’s the beauty of cricket; close games are great to watch,” he said. “The main objective is to win the match. We have won the game against Netherlands and will try to win the coming games as well.
“T20 cricket is a format where I believe there is very little difference between the two teams. One good innings or one good spell can make the difference and the way the matches have gone so far proves that.”
Tomorrow’s game at the Sinhalese Sports Club is the first day/night T20I at the venue, adding another layer of intrigue.
Mirza added, “Once we get on the field and assess the conditions, we will be able to plan properly. As the game progresses, we will continue to change our approach accordingly.”
“In night games, fast bowlers usually get some help. We will see tomorrow how the conditions are and whether there is fog.”
Pakistan’s win against the Netherlands was inspired by Faheem Ashraf’s lower-order heroics in an opening match that was too close for comfort for their legions of fans.
Assuming they boycott the game with India – talks are underway between the cricket boards of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh – there is no room for error again for Salman Agha’s team. A defeat here and qualification for the next stage will be very difficult.
Team News for Pakistan vs USA
Babar Azam came into the game against the Netherlands under pressure but his 15 off 18 balls did little to silence the former Pakistan captain’s critics. However, he will be given another chance to impress.
US bowler Ali Khan is likely to be without due to injury.
Predicted Line-ups for Pakistan vs USA
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (C), Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed
USA: Andries Gous (wk), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel (c), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Jasdeep Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar
How to watch Pakistan vs USA
The T20 World Cup will be shown live exclusively in the UK Sky Sports. You can stream it on the Sky Go app.
For coverage elsewhere in the world, click here For details of your local rights holder.
guess
Pakistan needs its most experienced players. Babar and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi have been inconsistent of late and their input is needed if Pakistan are to dig deep into the competition.
Before entertaining any thoughts of a Super Eights, Pakistan will face another nasty test against a USA team with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
A 2024 repeat seems a stretch but this could be another topsy-turvy encounter that could go all the way.
We want Pakistan to go beyond that as they have more matchwinners in their line-up. However, it is unlikely to be easy.
