In one of the upsets in cricket history, the United States defeated Pakistan at the T20 Cricket World Cup in Dallas, Texas.
The co-hosts, who had never competed in the T20 World Cup before, have now won their first two matches in a festival involving a shorter cricket format in which the team has buy-ins of up to 20 overs.
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The U. S. now has a chance to advance to the Super 8 round robin (another round robin avoided before the semifinals).
The scores were tied after 20 overs, meaning the adjustment came through a super over: a one-on-one shootout where the team with the highest score emerges victorious.
Pakistan faltered early in their set, a 72-game recovery partnership between Babar Azam and Shadab Khan saw the sixth-ranked team record a competitive score of 159-7.
The United States, ranked 18th in the world, reacted strongly: Monank Patel got an impressive 50 and Andries Gous a very convenient 35.
After Gous played Haris Rauf, came Aaron Jones, the guy who scored 94 points in the U. S. win over Canada on Sunday.
They fired a quick 36 points, adding two sixes, but despite their strong position, the U. S. did not have a strong position. UU. no managed to cross the baseline in the regulation 20 overs and the scores ended tied, leading to a super over for the winner.
The U. S. struck first and got a very clever 18, basically thanks to Mohammad Amir’s temperamental bowling and Jones’ harder shots.
Needing 19 to win, Pakistan worked with just 13, with Saurabh Netravalkar betting on a tense scenario for the United States.
The defeat leaves Pakistan struggling to qualify for the Super 8 stage, and a win against India, the world’s T20 team, likely needed to advance.
The U. S. will also face India in their next match, but a win in their final hosting match against Ireland on June 14 will be enough to qualify them for the Super 8.
The West Indies hosts matches, with matches throughout the Caribbean. They will then face Uganda at Guyana’s Providence Stadium on Sunday.
(ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP Getty Images)
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