T20 WC: Pakistan keep Super 8 hope alive, trounce Canada by 7-wickets
Jun 11, 2024
New York [USA], June 12 : Pakistan clinched their first win in the ongoing T20 World Cup with a 7-wicket triumph over Canada at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, on Tuesday.
In another low-scoring chase, Pakistan managed to get their hands on two points and keep their hopes of making it into the Super 8 alive.
Buttressed by Mohammad Rizwan's run-a-ball 53*, Pakistan chased down 107 in 17.3 overs, which helped them bag two points and improve their net run rate. The seven-wicket win has taken their NRR to 0.19, while USA's is at 0.63.
Pakistan need to win their final game against Ireland, while other results also need to fall in their favour. India and co-hosts USA are the most likely teams to qualify for the Super 8 from Group A.
If the Babar-led side needs to qualify, then the USA need to lose their remaining two games against India and Ireland. Pakistan need to defeat Ireland by a big margin, which makes their NRR better than that of the USA.
While chasing 107, Saim Ayub fell early in the chase without making much of an impact. His struggle on the field ended with a knock of 6(12).
Skipper Babar Azam arrived at the crease and forged a 63-run stand to take the game away from Canada.
Babar fell when Pakistan were close to victory as Rizwan and Usman Khan provided the finishing touches to seal a 7-wicket win for the Men in Green.
Earlier in the innings, Babar won the toss and opted to field, which was the perfect decision according to the surface.
Canada's attack was spearheaded by Aaron Johnson's 44-ball 52. Luck certainly played a part in helping Aaron throughout his knock. But he made most of the opportunity and kept the scoreboard ticking throughout his time on the crease.
Canada, at a point, could have gone past the 130-run mark, but Aaron needed support from the other end and that never came.
Pakistan, on the other hand, had a decent outing with the ball. Their four pacers finished with wickets in a do-or-die contest for Babar-led team.
Brief Score: USA 106/7 (Aaron Johnson 52; Aaron Johnson 2-13, Haris Rauf 2-26) vs Pakistan 107/3 (Mohammad Rizwan 53*, Babar Azam 33; Dillon Heyliger 2-18).
