Farhan, Tariq star as Pakistan avenge USA upset with 32-run T20 World Cup win

Pakistan reclaimed control of their T20 World Cup campaign with a 32-run victory over the United States in a Group A match in Colombo, a result that avenged their shock defeat to the same opponents two years ago.

Sahibzada Farhan set up Pakistan’s 190 for nine with a forceful 73 off 41 balls, striking five sixes and six fours. He was supported by Babar Azam’s 46 off 32 (four fours, one six) in an 81-run third-wicket stand that rebuilt the innings after an early wobble. Pakistan’s spinners then tightened the screws as Usman Tariq took 3 for 27 and Shadab Khan 2 for 26 to restrict the USA to 158 for eight.

After being sent in at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground on Tuesday, Pakistan’s openers flew out of the blocks. Farhan and Saim Ayub added 54 in five overs, with Ayub striking two sixes in a brisk 17-ball 19. Momentum briefly swung when Shadley van Schalkwyk delivered a double strike in the sixth over, removing Ayub with a slower ball and having skipper Salman Agha caught on the deep square-leg boundary for one.

Farhan and Babar steadied and then accelerated through the middle, Farhan crossing 1,000 T20 international runs in his 41st match during the stand. The opener was eventually caught in the covers off Harmeet Singh in the 16th over, but Shadab’s 30 off 12 provided a late surge before Pakistan stumbled at the death, losing five wickets for 13 runs in the final two overs. Van Schalkwyk finished with 4 for 25, backing up his four-wicket haul against India in the USA’s previous outing.

The chase began with promise. Shayan Jahangir muscled 49 off 34 balls with two sixes and five fours, and Milind Kumar added 29 as the USA kept pace with the rate. Shubham Ranjane then top-scored with a 30-ball 51 that featured three sixes and three fours, lifting the USA to 123 for 3 and within range entering the closing overs.

Pakistan’s spinners halted the pursuit. Tariq struck regularly through the middle stages and Shadab’s control forced mistakes, before Shaheen Shah Afridi — playing his 100th T20 international — removed Ranjane to puncture the chase. The USA managed only 35 runs for the loss of five wickets from that strong position, finishing well short.

The result gave Pakistan a second win in as many games, following a narrow three-wicket victory over the Netherlands, and restored balance to a campaign that had carried the weight of their prior upset. For the USA, van Schalkwyk’s incisive new-ball burst and Ranjane’s counterpunch stood out, but the middle-overs squeeze proved decisive on a surface that rewarded spin and changes of pace.