The 18th-ranked USA pulled off an unforgettable World Cup upset with a dramatic five-run victory in the super over against the 2022 T20 World Cup runners-up, Pakistan, on Thursday, marking their biggest win ever.
Pakistan had a shaky start with the bat, losing two wickets in the first three overs. Captain Babar Azam top-scored with 44, though it was a slow innings after a cautious Powerplay. Despite this, the US bowlers, especially Nosthush Kenjige, maintained pressure. Kenjige finished with figures of 3-30. Shadab Khan’s rapid 40 helped Pakistan reach 159-7.
In response, Monank Patel’s composed 50 off 38 balls fuelled the hopes of home fans, making the possibility of a major upset seem within reach. Although two quick wickets briefly dampened spirits, the US closed the second innings strongly. Aaron Jones’s 36 and Nitish Kumar’s boundary on the final ball tied the scores, pushing the game into a super over.
In the super over, the USA edged out Pakistan, securing a historic win in front of a large contingent of Pakistani supporters. The shocking loss has left Pakistani fans and former players bitterly disappointed and vocal on social media.
The pressing question following the match is whether Pakistan, the 2022 runners-up, underestimated the first-time World Cup participants.
“See, whenever you come to any tournament, you do the best preparation always,” Babar said in the press-conference. “You can say it’s a kind of mindset. When you come up against a team like this, you relax a little. If you don’t execute your plan against any team, then whatever team it is, they will make you pay. So I believe that our execution was not up to the mark. We were doing well in the preparation, but in the match, we did not execute our plans as a team.”
Babar blamed his bowlers for the defeat for not defending the target.
“We did not take wickets in the first six overs. In the middle overs, if your spinner is not taking wickets, then the pressure is on you. After ten overs, we did come back but I think the way they finished the game in the super over, the credit goes to the US team,” Babar added.
Former World Cup winner, Irfan Pathan, instead of putting the blame on Pakistan bowlers, slammed the Pakistan skipper for his turtle-paced knock of 44 off 43. “On a fairly decent batting condition as a captain if you are playing a 40-plus ball innings with a 100 strike rate, you aren’t helping your team’s cause,” Pathan wrote on X.
“Pathetic performance. Winning and losing is part of the game. But you need to fight till the last ball. It was bad for Pakistan cricket,” Wasim Akram told Star Sports. “Pakistan will struggle from here onwards to qualify for the Super Eight because they have to play India (on June 9) and two more good teams (Ireland and Canada),” he added.
“Disappointing loss for Pakistan. Not off to a good start. Losing to the USA, we repeated history after the loss to Bangladesh in the 1999 ODI World Cup. Unfortunately, Pakistan never deserved to win as the USA played really well and were in a commanding position right from the beginning,” said Shoaib Akhtar in a video uploaded on his X account.
“USA grounded Pakistan in their opening game. History’s been registered. Pakistan looked exhausted and helpless in the field. Congrats USA for a thumping victory,” Waqar Younis wrote on X.