Pakistan will be on high alert when they take on a determined USA in their second match of the ongoing T20 World Cup.
The US team gave India a mighty scare in their opening game before Suryakumar Yadav single-handedly turned the match. Had it not been for the India captain’s timely innings, USA could have stunned the defending champions in Mumbai.
Pakistan, who did not look convincing in their victory over the Netherlands in their first game, will be aware of their opponents’ abilities when they lock horns in Colombo on Tuesday. It was their batting which almost cost them the match against the Dutch, and given the American team’s impressive bowling against the mighty Indians, there’s reason why Pakistan should be worried.
It’s not just their present form that troubles Pakistan, Salman Ali Agha’s team will also be haunted by ghosts of the past. In the 2024 T20 World Cup, the US, on their tournament debut, had recorded a famous win over Pakistan. It will be difficult for Pakistan to shrug off memories of that nightmare.
Pakistan pacer Salman Mirza said they were focused on the job and did not want to look back.
“It is a past and we can only learn from it. Our focus is on the next match. The group is preparing well and we will be focused on that.
“All matches are important. I don’t think any team is weak or strong in T20 cricket. The team that plays good cricket on the given day will be good. Pakistan always tries to play good cricket and we will try to do the same in all the matches.”
In terms of positives, Pakistan hope that their decently strong bowling attack would be able to keep the US batters under pressure. Batting appears to be USA’s weak point and Pakistan must get them there.
The US bowling attack, which includes Saurabh Netravalkar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk and Ali Khan, has got Pakistan’s respect.
“They (USA) bowled brilliantly in the last game, but I think we have a strong batting line-up to tackle that bowling line-up and hopefully we’ll play good cricket and do the best,” Salman said.
The match has the potential of being a closely-contested game and it will be interesting to find out if Paksitan have learnt from the past.
In the other matches of the day, New Zealand take on the UAE in Chennai, while Namibia face the Netherlands.
Namibia, captained by Gerhard Erasmus, have Gary Kirtsen as their mentor.
