Pakistan’s Batting Collapse in T20 World Cup Opener against USA: Waqar Younis Comments on Green Army’s Performance
Pakistan suffered a rare batting collapse in their ICC T20 World Cup 2024 opener against the United States of America (USA) in Dallas. The match, which marked the first meeting between the two teams in the shortest format of the game, saw Pakistan losing three wickets in the opening powerplay after USA skipper Monank Patel elected to bowl first.
Legendary Pakistan pacer Waqar Younis commented on the match, stating that Pakistan had lost the plot and that USA was dominating the game. The power-hitter Fakhar Zaman mistimed his shot and was dismissed for 11 runs, followed by Usman Khan (3) and Mohammad Rizwan (9) also falling cheaply to the USA bowlers.
Opening the innings with Babar Azam, Rizwan scored nine runs in the first over but was soon dismissed by a stunning catch from Steven Taylor. The USA bowlers, including Saurabh Netravalkar, Nosthush Kenjige, and Ali Khan, picked up crucial wickets to restrict Pakistan to 26-3 in 4.4 overs.
Despite Babar’s efforts to stabilize the innings, Pakistan could only manage to score 30-3 at the end of the powerplay, marking it as their fifth-lowest powerplay score in T20 World Cup history. The team’s lowest powerplay score was against the West Indies in 2009 when they scored only 13 runs in the first six overs.
The match highlighted USA’s dominance in the powerplay and put pressure on Babar Azam’s men as they look to bounce back in the tournament. Stay updated with the latest cricket news and T20 World Cup 2024 updates to follow the progress of both teams in this exciting competition.