Pakistan set 160-run target for USA in T20 World Cup match

Pakistan set a target of 160 runs for the United States (USA) in their opening match of the T20 World Cup 2024, held at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, on Thursday.

The USA's bowlers had an excellent start, quickly dismissing Pakistan's top-order batsmen — Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, and Fakhar Zaman — for just 26 runs.

Despite this early setback, skipper Babar Azam and Shadab Khan steadied the ship for Pakistan with a cautious approach. Their 72-run partnership brought Pakistan back into contention before Shadab was dismissed for 40 runs off 25 balls.

Following Shadab's departure, Azam Khan was out for a golden duck, leading to a continued loss of wickets. Babar Azam managed to score 44 runs off 43 balls, while Iftikhar Ahmed contributed 18 runs.

Lower down the order, Shaheen Afridi added a crucial 23 runs off 16 balls, helping Pakistan finish their innings at 159-7 in the allotted overs.

Earlier, at the toss, USA skipper Monank Patel justified his decision to bowl first, citing that chasing had been successful for them in their previous match against Canada.

Playing XI

Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf

USA: Steven Taylor, Monank Patel (capt, wk), Andries Gous, Aaron Jones, Nitish Kumar, Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan