Pakistan beat USA by 32 runs to avenge prior T20 World Cup upset

COLOMBO — Pakistan overpowered the United States by 32 runs in a T20 World Cup Group A match, riding a blistering 73 from opener Sahibzada Farhan and a disciplined spin display led by Usman Tariq to settle a score two years after a shock defeat.

Pakistan posted 190 for nine at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground before closing out the USA chase at 158 for eight. Farhan struck five sixes and six fours in a 41-ball innings that underpinned Pakistan’s total, sharing an 81-run third-wicket stand with Babar Azam, who contributed a brisk 46 off 32 deliveries with four fours and a six.

Pakistan’s start was rapid. Farhan and Saim Ayub hammered 54 in the first five overs, with Ayub clearing the ropes twice in a 17-ball 19. The USA hit back in the sixth over through Shadley van Schalkwyk, who removed Ayub with a slower ball and had skipper Salman Agha caught on the deep square-leg boundary for one.

Farhan and Azam rebuilt and then accelerated through the middle overs, wresting momentum with clean hitting and strike rotation. Farhan crossed 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 surge — 30 off 12 balls — appeared to set Pakistan up for a total beyond 200, but the innings stuttered at the death. Pakistan lost five wickets for 13 runs across the final two overs as the USA, led by van Schalkwyk’s precise variations, applied a late squeeze. Van Schalkwyk finished with 4-25, backing up his four-wicket haul from the USA’s defeat to India on Saturday.

Chasing 191, the USA stayed in touch through the top order before Pakistan’s spinners tilted the game. Shayan Jahangir muscled 49 off 34 balls with two sixes and five fours, while Milind Kumar added 29. The chase’s hinge point came after the USA reached 123 for three: wickets at regular intervals blunted the innings and stretched the required rate beyond reach.

Shubham Ranjane kept the contest alive with a 30-ball 51, striking three sixes and three fours, but he fell to Shaheen Shah Afridi, who marked his 100th T20 international with a key breakthrough. Tariq’s 3-27 and Shadab’s 2-26 strangled the middle overs, repeatedly forcing mishits as Pakistan controlled the field and lengths. The USA finished eight down, unable to ignite a final assault against the turning ball and pinpoint yorkers.

The victory gave Pakistan two wins from two, following a tense three-wicket result over the Netherlands on Saturday, and provided catharsis after their upset loss to the USA in the same tournament two years ago. It also showcased a balanced template: explosive powerplay batting, a stabilizing stand through the middle, and spin-led control when defending under lights in Colombo.

For the USA, van Schalkwyk’s incisive spell and the top-order contributions underlined progress, but the collapse from 123 for three and difficulty accelerating against spin exposed familiar finishing challenges. Pakistan, meanwhile, will take encouragement from Farhan’s form, Babar’s fluency, and the potency of a spin attack that turned a competitive chase into a comfortable margin.