(AP Photo)
Facing the United States of America (USA) for the first time in T20 cricket, Babar Azam’s Pakistan encountered an unexpected batting downturn during the initial powerplay period in Dallas on Thursday. Commencing their journey in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 against a formidable USA team, Babar and his squad faced adversity early on as they lost three wickets within the first six overs. This setback occurred after USA captain Monank Patel chose to field first in match number 11 at the Grand Prairie Stadium.
Reflecting on the opening match of the 2009 world champions, iconic Pakistani fast bowler Waqar Younis provided insight into the lackluster batting performance of the Pakistani team on live television. “Pakistan seems to be faltering; the USA is dominating them at the moment,” remarked the former Pakistan captain during the live broadcast of the T20 World Cup clash.
Younis’ observation followed a pivotal moment when power-hitter Fakhar Zaman mistimed his shot, leading to USA’s Ali Khan claiming his initial wicket of the match. Zaman’s dismissal for 11 runs off 7 deliveries marked the beginning of Pakistan’s troubles. Subsequently, both Usman Khan (3 runs) and superstar Mohammad Rizwan (9 runs) faced disappointing performances, struggling against the dominant bowling display by the USA team during the powerplay phase.
In Pakistan’s T20 World Cup debut match against the co-hosts, the USA team dominated the powerplay. Opening the innings alongside Babar, wicketkeeper-batsman Rizwan started aggressively, scoring nine runs in the first over. However, his innings was short-lived as Steven Taylor took an exceptional catch off Saurabh Netravalkar’s bowling, resulting in Rizwan’s dismissal in the following over. The USA bowlers, including Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige, and Khan, showcased their prowess by each claiming three wickets, thus limiting Pakistan to 26-3 in just 4.4 overs.
In the recent match, Babar managed to steer Pakistan to 30-3 by the conclusion of the powerplay, in what turned out to be a match with a modest total. This marked Pakistan’s fifth-lowest powerplay score in T20 World Cup history. Their lowest ever powerplay score came against the West Indies in Mirpur, where they could only accumulate 13 runs in the initial six overs—an uncharacteristically low start for the 2009 champions.
