The USA could not have asked for more. After a winning start in the first-ever T20 World Cup on its soil, the home team continues to produce historic moments as it stunned Pakistan with a splendid nail-biting finish in the super over. Earlier, a boundary of the last ball had helped the home team to extend the game to the super over. The decisive super-over saw the USA batsmen put up 18 runs on the board before taking a wicket and restricting Pakistani batsmen to 13 in one of the major upsets in instant cricket.
Pertinently, the USA had defeated its neighbor and arch-rival Canada in the opener in what was termed the revival of the 188-year-old cricket rivalry between two North American nations.
With two wins from as many matches, the USA now stands at the top of the pool.
Once again, Grand Prairie Stadium has proved lucky for the US team. Two games played at a 7,000-capacity stadium have ended in impressive wins for the hosts.
The USA owes its triumphs – both against Canada and Pakistan today – to kits players of Indian origin as skipper Monank Patel made a well-deserved 50 in a game that saw Pakistan put up 159 for seven. The USA responded well finishing at the same total with a boundary coming off the last ball of their 20 overs innings.
While the USA is playing its first-ever T20 World Cup, Pakistan has reached at least the semi-finals in six of the eight editions of the T20 World Cups, including a runners-up finish in the 2022 edition. But today, it was not the day of one of the Asian cricket giants. They were up against a USA team that did everything right on the day to pull off one of the biggest results in the history of the game.
Pakistan relied on Mohammed Amir for the super over. Three wides and a couple of overthrows saw the home team put up an impressive score of 18 with Aaron Jones contributing the only boundary in the decisive over. And when Pakistan returned to bat, Netravalkar, also a player of South Asian origin, held his nerve and verve to restrict Pakistan to 13 for one. It was another migrant of South Asian descent, Nitin Kumar, who scored a boundary of the last ball to force the game to the super over.
The match would go down in the annals of US cricket as the most stunning win ever recorded on American soil in this ancient game seeking a comeback.
Chasing 160 for an outright win, the US lost its opener for 12. It brought in skipper Monank Patel who chipped in with a classy 50 and stood like a rock as the Pakistani bowlers toiled hard to keep the Americans from reaching anywhere near the victory target. He put in 68 with Gaus in a game-changing partnership.
Set 160 to win in regulation time, the USA very nearly won the game in their initial allocated overs as their top order dealt well with a high-caliber Pakistan attack.
Opener Steven Taylor departed for 12 (16) in the final over of the Powerplay, but Monank Patel and Andries Gous put Pakistan on the back foot with a brilliant partnership that moved the tournament co-hosts into treble figures and seemingly in control of the run chase.
Monank was particularly impressive, hitting a classy half-century to give his side hope, putting on 68 in a crucial stand with Gous.
Now, Pakistan faces India on Sunday. After its shock defeat at the hands of the USA, demand for tickets for the India-Pakistan game has dropped significantly.
Though the ICC stated that all efforts are being made to make the drop in pitches at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium to produce some excellent cricket on Sunday, the US has put a spanner with its superb showing at Dallas, one of two other venues of the T20 World Cup.