Pakistan, captained by Babar Azam, set a 160-run target against the United States in the 11th match of the worldwide event, which took place on Thursday at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas. The USA got off to a great start with the ball, as their bowlers sent Pakistan’s top three — Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, and Fakhar Zaman — back to the pavillion for only 26 runs.
Pakistan Sets 160-Run Target for US
After losing three wickets, skipper Babar Azam and Shadab Khan played cautiously and brought the struggling Pakistani team back into the game. Also, a 72-run partnership between Babar and Shadab helped Pakistan win again, but Shadab walked back to the pavillion after scoring 40 runs off 25 balls.
Therefore, the wickets kept falling after wicketkeeper-batsman Azam Khan was dismissed for a golden duck shortly after Shadab was removed from the game. Out of 43, Babar Azam got 44. Iftikhar Ahmed finished with eighteen runs. Thus, with 23 runs off of 16 balls, Shaheen Afridi gave Pakistan a much-needed boost down the order, helping them finish their innings at 159-7 in the allotted overs.
Before the toss, USA captain Monak Patel defended his choice to bowl first. So, citing that chasing is simpler and that they had already done it against Canada. Also, at the toss, USA captain Monak Patel reportedly remarked, “Chasing here is easier,” per an ESPN Cricinfo report. “Plus, it was fun to see how we tracked down total. possess momentum and wish to maintain it. Looking forward to the task.”
Playing XIs
USA: Steven Taylor, Monank Patel (capt, wk), Andries Gous, Aaron Jones, Nitish Kumar, Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan
Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf