Win avenged Pakistan’s shock defeat by the hands of USA within the T20 World Cup two years in the past
Pakistan’s Shadab Khan celebrates with captain Salman Agha after taking the wicket of USA’s Shayan Jahangir throughout the 2026 ICC Males’s T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match between Pakistan and USA in Colombo on February 10, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
Pakistan beat the USA by 32 runs of their T20 World Cup Group A sport on the Sinhalese Sports activities Membership Floor in Colombo on Tuesday.
The win avenged Pakistan’s shock defeat by the hands of USA within the T20 World Cup two years in the past and handed them a second win in as many video games following their shut three-wicket win over the Netherlands on February 7.
Pakistan posted a goal of 191, and in response, the USA managed a good 158-8 of their 20 overs, with robust performances from opener Shayan Jahangir (49 off 34) and middle-order batsman Shubham Ranjane (51 off 30).
Usman Tariq was the choose of the bowlers for Pakistan, securing figures of 3-27 in his 4 overs, whereas Shadab Khan contributed with an honest 3-26 in his spell. In the meantime, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed bagged a wicket every.
“It was a scientific efficiency as we batted very well to submit 190 and we knew we may defend that,” mentioned Pakistan captain Salman Agha. “There’s at all times room for enchancment, we would wish to bowl higher within the powerplay earlier than the subsequent sport,” he added.
USA captain Monank Patel mentioned, “We have been within the sport within the powerplay however once more within the center overs we could not present intent and misplaced wickets.”
Pakistan’s subsequent sport is in opposition to arch-rivals India in Colombo on Sunday, a sport solely cleared by Pakistan authorities on Monday after initially asserting a boycott of it.
Earlier, Pakistan Opener Sahibzada Farhan hit a strong half-century, hitting 5 sixes and 6 fours in his 41-ball 73, and was aided by an excellent 32-ball 46 by Babar Azam (4 fours, one six) as Pakistan, who have been despatched in to bat, took benefit of a superb batting pitch.
Farhan and fellow opener Saim Ayub, who scored 17-ball 19 with two sixes, placed on 54 in 5 overs earlier than Pakistan misplaced two wickets within the sixth over of the innings bowled by Shadley van Schalkwyk. Ayub was caught off a slower one whereas skipper Salman Agha holed out on the deep square-leg boundary for one.
Farhan and Azam then placed on an 81-run third-wicket stand as Pakistan lower free within the center overs. Farhan handed 1,000 T20 worldwide runs in his forty first match earlier than he was caught within the covers off spinner Harmeet Singh within the sixteenth over.
Shadab launched an assault to attain 30 off 12 balls earlier than Pakistan misplaced 5 wickets for simply 13 runs within the final two overs.
Schalkwyk was the very best USA bowler with 4-25, following his four-wicket haul in opposition to India within the 29-run defeat on Saturday.
In the meantime, Afridi turned the seventh Pakistan participant to finish the milestone of 100 T20I matches after taking part in in opposition to the USA.
Previous to the match, Afridi acquired a commemorative cap from fellow pacer Naseem Shah in recognition of the achievement.
The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, started on February 7 however was overshadowed after Bangladesh refused to play in India citing safety issues amid soured political relations between the neighbours.
Bangladesh have been changed by Scotland within the event after the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC) rejected their request to maneuver their matches to Sri Lanka. Pakistan expressed solidarity with Bangladesh and protested the ICC determination, subsequently asserting that the nationwide workforce wouldn’t play in opposition to India.
The event to reverse Pakistan’s boycott adopted negotiations that included the ICC and the cricket boards of Pakistan and Bangladesh, together with consultations amongst nationwide leaders nations reminiscent of Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.
On Sunday, ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam landed in Lahore and held marathon talks with Naqvi at Gaddafi Stadium.
In the course of the assembly, Khawaja urged Pakistan to rethink its determination to not play in opposition to India, saying the workforce ought to take part “within the broader curiosity of cricket”. The BCB president thanked Pakistan for its assist throughout the talks.
Subsequently, on Monday, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake urged Pakistan to play its T20 World Cup conflict in opposition to India in a dialog with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, recalling Pakistan’s previous solidarity with Sri Lankan cricket throughout troublesome occasions.
The federal government late on Monday night time directed the Pakistan nationwide cricket workforce to take the sector on February 15, with the choice taken to “shield the spirit of cricket”.
The ICC additionally confirmed that no penalties or sanctions can be imposed on Bangladesh in relation to its non-participation within the T20 World Cup. In a joint assertion with the PCB and BCB, the governing physique famous that Bangladesh stays a valued full member with a wealthy cricketing historical past and an important position in world cricket growth.
Squads
Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Salman Ali Agha (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Shadab Khan, 6 Usman Khan (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Usman Tariq, 11 Abrar Ahmed
US: Andries Gous (wk), 2 Shayan Jahangir, 3 Monank Patel (capt), 4 Milind Kumar, 5 Sanjay Krishnamurthi, 6 Shubham Ranjane, 7 Harmeet Singh, 8 Mohammad Mohsin, 9 Shadley van Schalkwyk, 10 Ehsan Adil, 11 Saurabh Netravalkar
