The USA cricket team registered the biggest upset of this T20 World Cup by defeating a star-studded Pakistan in a Group A fixture in Dallas on June 6. Having lost the campaign opener, Babar Azam and his men now find themselves in a tricky situation. They will face arch-rivals India in the next assignment and must win the match to keep their hopes alive for the Super Eight round. Ahead of the big-ticket clash, India legend Yavraj Singh dissected Pakistan’s performance against the USA, highlighting their poor show across departments.
Yuvraj feels Pakistan captain Babar Azam made a tactical error in the Super Over which led his team to suffer a five-run defeat in the thrilling encounter. Both teams posted 159 runs in their designated 20 overs. The USA batted first in the Super Over and set a target of 19 runs. Mohammed Amir, who bowled those six balls for Pakistan, struggled to maintain his line against a left-handed batter and gave three wide, giving away seven extra runs.
The USA sent left-arm pacer Saurabh Netravalkar to defend the Super Over target. Fakhar Zaman and Iftikhar Ahmed took over the charge for Pakistan. Netravalkar conceded a boundary in the second ball before dismissing Iftikhar. Next came all-rounder Shadab Khan who faced the remaining deliveries but failed to take Pakistan across the line.
Yuvraj felt the Fakhar Zaman should have opened the innings and being a left-hander, would have found it easy to take down Saurabh Netravalkar. “I don’t understand why didn’t Fakhar Zaman take a strike to a lefty seamer – when it is easier for a left-hander to hit through the angle that the bowler is trying to create. Nonetheless, have to give it to Team USA for making smart decisions under pressure, especially the captain Monark Patel,” the T20 World Cup winner wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
I don’t understand why dint @FakharZamanLive take strike to a lefty seamer – when it is easier for a left hander to hit through the angle that bowler is tryin to createNonetheless have to give it #TeamUSA @usacricket for making smart decisions under pressure specially the…
— Yuvraj Singh (@YUVSTRONG12) June 6, 2024
Yuvraj further underlined the importance of Pakistan’s next group-league game against India. “Now, Pakistan needs a must-win against India & they surely need to bat & field better! With India’s strong start, it’s gonna be hard to beat us!” the legendary all-rounder added.
The USA currently hold the top position in the Group A table, having beaten Canada and Pakistan in the first two matches. Meanwhile, India began their campaign with a win over Ireland and is now second in the group standings. The Men in Blue will take on Pakistan on June 9 in New York.
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