The United States may be renowned across various sports, but cricket is not typically one of them.
However, an emerging team achieved a significant victory in Dallas on Thursday during the T20 World Cup, hosted in the U.S. for the first time. They upset cricketing powerhouse Pakistan, marking one of the biggest surprises in the tournament’s history.
Ranked sixth globally, Pakistan won the tournament in 2009 and was the runner-up two years ago, while the U.S. is positioned 18th out of 20 teams.
After both teams scored 159 runs in the regulation 20 overs, the game moved to a sudden-death super over. The U.S. scored 19 runs while holding Pakistan to just 13, clinching the victory.
“It’s a big achievement beating Pakistan and playing for the first time,” said U.S. captain and player of the match Monank Patel, who scored a half-century, contributing 50 of his team’s 159 runs.
Saurabh Netravalker was the hero in the super over, effectively limiting Pakistan’s score.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed disappointment over his team’s batting performance.
“We didn’t capitalize with the bat and they gained a lot of momentum. We lost back-to-back wickets in the middle overs. As a batting unit, you need to step up and create partnerships, and we didn’t do that,” Azam remarked.
With two wins from two games, the U.S. had previously defeated Canada in their opening match.
Pakistan will face their traditional rival India in New York on June 9. The tournament finals are set for June 29 in Barbados. The U.S. is co-hosting the event with the West Indies.
