Pakistan overpower USA by 32 runs to avenge prior T20 World Cup upset
Farhan’s blistering 73 and Tariq’s three-wicket spell steer Group A victory in Colombo.
Pakistan avenged their shock T20 World Cup defeat to the United States two years ago with a 32-run win in a Group A match in Colombo on Tuesday, riding a rapid half-century from Sahibzada Farhan and incisive spin bowling to close out the contest. Pakistan posted 190 for nine before restricting the USA to 158 for eight at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground.
Farhan set the platform with a 41-ball 73, clearing the ropes five times and striking six fours. He and fellow opener Saim Ayub launched briskly, putting on 54 in the first five overs. The momentum briefly shifted in the sixth over when Shadley van Schalkwyk removed Ayub for a 17-ball 19, caught off a slower ball, and then dismissed captain Salman Agha, who holed out on the deep square-leg boundary for one.
Babar Azam joined Farhan to restore control, adding an 81-run stand for the third wicket as Pakistan accelerated through the middle overs. Babar compiled a 32-ball 46 with four fours and a six, while Farhan passed 1,000 T20 international runs in his 41st match before falling in the 16th over, caught in the covers off spinner Harmeet Singh. Shadab Khan’s late assault yielded 30 off 12 balls, but Pakistan’s charge faltered at the finish as they lost five wickets for 13 runs in the last two overs, closing on 190 for nine. Van Schalkwyk led the USA attack with four for 25, backing up a four-wicket haul he took against India on Saturday.
The United States’ chase was anchored by Shayan Jahangir’s 34-ball 49, featuring two sixes and five fours, and a counterpunching 30-ball 51 from Shubham Ranjane that included three sixes and three fours. Milind Kumar added 29 as the USA reached 123 for three to keep the target within sight. Pakistan’s spinners then tightened the screws: Usman Tariq returned three for 27 and Shadab Khan two for 26 to stall the pursuit. Shaheen Shah Afridi, appearing in his 100th T20 international, dismissed Ranjane to puncture the middle-order resistance, and the USA finished 32 short at 158 for eight.
The result gives Pakistan a second win in as many games, following a narrow three-wicket victory over the Netherlands on Saturday. It also reverses the narrative from their defeat to the USA at the previous T20 World Cup, with Pakistan’s top order and spin attack combining to secure the group-stage points in Colombo.