* Once again Aaron Jones was USA’s knight in shining armour (Match 11)
By Dwayne Ferreira
The United States shocked the world by defeating Pakistan in their first ever T20 encounter, winning over the hearts of thousands of home supporters present at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
Pakistan failed to defend their score of 159, missing out on an easy victory against the underdogs the United States. The home team skillfully scored an equal 159, tying the match and then winning by 5 runs in a Super Over.
Aaron Jones was yet again America’s knight in shining armour, leading the charge in the second innings with an unbeaten 35 and a crucial 11 in extra time.
With the help of 7 extras from Mohammad Amir, Jones was able to give America a reasonable total of 19 runs to defend, a score that proved too much for mighty Pakistan.
Pakistan, having been runners-up in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup were the favorites going into the match, but unfortunately failed to live up to the hype. Their poor performances with both the bat and ball were costly to say the least.
Having been sent into bat after losing the toss, the Pakistani batsmen struggled to get going, and losing three crucial wickets in the powerplay did not help their cause one bit.
The ability to bat freely took the fun out of the game, pacing themselves through the remaining overs with a few slight hiccups along the way.
If it had not been for stubborn contributions from newly appointed skipper Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, and Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan would not have been able to post an above average total of 159 for 7 wickets.
This gave the Americans a steep mountain to climb, given Pakistan’s aggressive and intimidating fast bowler setup.
However, The United States proved unfazed by the analysis and took on the visitors with ease, proving to the world that they do deserve to be in the competition.
Their power hitting top order handled everything the fiery Pakistani bowlers threw at them, and with slight caution stayed on par up with the required run rate.
By staying at the crease and not throwing wickets away, opener Monank Patel was able to muster a needed half century. This followed by a late flurry of boundaries from Aaron Jones in the final over, taking the game straight into a Super Over or as the Americans call it into “Over Time”.
Pakistan had stumbled once again, failing to defend 15 runs in the final over, even after a brilliant penultimate over from superstar Haris Rauf.
Pakistan’s day at the Grand Prairie went from bad to worse, with Mohammad Amir gifting 7 extras to the Americans in their only over. Aaron Jones did his part with the bat by scoring 11 runs in it, ending with an outstanding 19 run target for the Pakistanis to chase.
With the fate of Group B hanging in the balance, and the newly appointed gods of cricket watching on, America trusted Saurabh Netrvalkar with the ball.
Netravalkar was determined and it showed, his bowling was outstanding under the immense pressure built up after hours of persistent competition. The American of Indian descent stormed through the final over, allowing just 13 runs from it and secured his side’s second consecutive victory in the competition against all odds and against some of the most destructive batters in the modern game.
Pakistan was left devastated at the hand of the Americans. A shocking end that poses detrimental repercussions for the fate of Group B.
Chief Scores :
Pakistan – 159 for 7 in 20 overs (Babar Azam 44, Shadab Khan 40, Shaheen Afridi 23*, Nothush Kenjige 3 for 30, Saurabh Netravalkar 2 for 18)
Unites States – 159 for 3 in 20 overs (Monank Patel 50, Aaron Jones 35*, Andries Gous 35, Mohammad Amir 1 for 25, Naseem Shah 1 for 26)
United States – 18 for 1 in Super Over (Aaron Jones 11, Mohammad Amir 0 for 18)
Pakistan – 13 for 1 in Super Over (Ifthikar Ahmed 4, Shadab Khan 3*, Saurabh Netravalkar 9 for 1)
Player of the Match – Monak Patel
