T20I World Cup 2024: USA Upsets Pakistan In A Thrilling Super Over Contest

 



USA cricket team shock the cricketing world as they pull off one of the biggest upsets in world cup history. Pakistan seemed clueless in all three departments of the game as the USA dominated most of the game and earned a well deserved victory in the super over.

Toss:
USA won the toss and asked Pakistan to bat first on a good batting surface in Dallas. 

Pakistan's Batting:
Pakistani batters looked clueless in the middle, whereas USA came prepared and ready for a battle. The runners-up of the 2022 T20I world cup lost three wickets in the power play and got off to a slow start. The wickets didn't have many demons, it was just a timid outing and poor approach with the bat from the men in green. The Shadab-Babar partnership gave some hope to Pakistan as they finished the innings with a respectable yet below par total of 159. USA's fielding was equally good as their bowling.

USA's Batting:
When USA came out to bat, they looked more calm and composed, they didn't play any loose shots, waited for bad balls and punished them. They had a much better power play than Pakistan, where they scored 44 runs and only managed to lose one wicket. 

Twist:
The twist came in the last five to seven overs of the innings and the only phase of the match where Pakistan had an upper hand. Pakistani pacers showed some good death bowling skills, especially Naseem Shah and Muhammad Amir.

Death Bowling and Last Ball Finish:
The last two overs of the game were really nail-biting as Amir bowled a brilliant 19th over which put Pakistan in a much better position. The hosts required 15 from the last over, and they had to face Haris Rauf, who had bowled well in his first three overs. Haris bowled an inconsistent last over with some unfortunate deliveries. The hosts needed 5 from the last ball, Pakistani fans were all excited thinking their team was almost over the finishing line, but not to be as Nitish Kumar from the USA hit a boundary on the last ball and sent the game to super over.

Super Over:
Pakistan bowled first in the super over, where they handed the responsibility to Muhammad Amir, but he couldn't repeat his performance from earlier and gave away 18 runs. The 32-year-old looked exhausted as he gave away a few runs through extras. The body language of the green team wasn't looking great as this game slipped out of their hands. Fakhar and Iftikhar came out to chase the 19 runs posted by the USA, but they were a bit too much as Pakistan only managed to score 13 runs and lost the game.

History for the USA:
USA created history and earned a well deserved victory as their chances of going to super 8 got really bright. The upset made headlines amongst top media publications in the United States, here are stories on the game by ESPN and Bleacher Report:



What's Next for Pakistan?
Pakistan on the other hand have a lot of thinking to do as they face their arch rivals India next on Sunday, June 9th in New York. After today's loss, the game against India has become a must-win for Pakistan. The green team can't afford to lose on Sunday, as qualification to the next round will be really tough for them if that happens. This year, Pakistan has struggled in T20I format and it is not getting any better. They are playing good in patches, but not dominating games like they used to. 

Alas, they need to forget about this game as soon as they can and prepare for the big game on Sunday. India will start as favourites as they already secured a victory against Ireland. Pakistani players and fans will be hopeful, as they never know which Pakistan side shows up on Sunday against India. 
 

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