The USA caused a huge, historic shock in the T20 World Cup with a thrilling Super Over win over Pakistan in Texas.
The game went to the extra over after both sides made 159 in their 20 overs at Grand Prairie Stadium, with tournament co-hosts and debutants USA scoring 14 in the final over to tie Pakistan’s total.
Batting first in the Super Over, the USA then ramped up the pressure on their opponents by making 18 for one, with Aaron Jones on 11 before being run out and seven runs coming via extras.
Iftikhar Ahmed then took Pakistan to five for none off three balls before he was brilliantly caught by Nitish Kumar close to the boundary and USA bowler Saurabh Netravalkar restricted them to 13 for one.
Having already beaten Canada in their opener last Sunday by seven wickets, Group A leaders USA now have a great chance of making the Super 8s round. The top two from the four groups progress to the last eight of the tournament.
How it stands in the Group A table
USA captain Monank Patel, who won the official player of the match award, described the result as a “big achievement”.
“Beating Pakistan, and playing for the first time, the way we played today I’m really proud of the boys,” he said.
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USA’s Steven Taylor surprises Pakistan with a stunning catch to claim the wicket of Mohammad Rizwan at the ICC T20 World Cup
“It was a complete team effort from first ball until the last ball. Winning the toss, we made sure that we utilised the conditions and credit to the bowlers.
“They kept them under 160 and we knew that 160 was chaseable target.”
Pakistan captain Babar Azam bemoaned his side’s batting performance.
“We didn’t capitalise with the bat and they took a lot of momentum,” he said. “We lost back-to-back wickets in the middle overs. As a batting unit you need to step up, you need to create partnerships and we didn’t do that.
“Credit to USA, they performed so well. They were better than us in all aspects of the game.”
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USA’s Nitish Kumar takes a brilliant catch in his team’s super over against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup
How the USA got to the Super Over amid Pakistan fight back
In their regulation innings, Pakistan made a slow start, recovering from 26 for three in the fifth over to reach 159 for seven.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam hit two sixes in his 43-ball 44, Shadab Khan struck 40 off 25 deliveries and number eight Shaheen Afridi plundered 23 not out off 16.
The USA appeared to be cruising in reply, as they reached 104 for one in the 14th over.
Skipper Patel’s 38-ball 50 and Andries Gous’ 35 off 26 deliveries left them needing 56 to win off 44 balls.
But after Monank was dismissed in the 15th over it needed a six from Jones off the third last ball and a four from Kumar off the final delivery to tie the match and force the Super Over.
How significant is the win for cricket in the United States?
This is the first time that the ICC has staged a major tournament in the United States, who are sharing hosting duties with the West Indies.
Patel is confident their win over Pakistan, the 2009 champions and two-time runners-up, will prove a milestone moment for the game in the USA.
“Of course, beating Pakistan in a World Cup is going to open many doors for us,” he said.
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Pakistan are denied the seven required runs off the last ball to suffer a shock defeat to the USA in the T20 World Cup
“And people, like the USA cricket community, (will) be aware of it. Obviously hosting the World Cup in the USA and performing here as a team, it helps us to grow cricket in the USA.”
The United States had already turned heads ahead of the tournament by beating Bangladesh 2-1 in their warm-up series last month.
When asked if his side’s eye-catching series win over Bangladesh should no longer be considered a fluke, Patel said: “We are not worried about what people are saying.
“We know what we have worked (on) and what capability we have. And we just focus on the particular game.”
What’s next?
In one of the most famous rivalries in cricket, Pakistan next meet India meet in Group A of the Men’s T20 World Cup on Sunday, with the match in New York getting under way at 3.30pm UK and Ireland time. Build-up on Sky Sports Cricket begins at 3pm.
The USA’s next match is also against India, at the same New York venue, on Wednesday June 12 at 3.30pm.
Both matches are being played at the specially-constructed Nassau County Cricket Stadium on Long Island, where the ICC has promised to resolve issues with the pitch following the initial Sri Lanka-South Africa and then India-Ireland matches at the ground.
“T20 Inc and the ICC recognise that the pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have not played as consistently as we would have all wanted,” read an ICC statement.
“The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday’s game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches.”
Watch every match of the Men’s ICC T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports, right up until the final on Sunday June 29.