Pakistan Vs USA Highlights, T20 World Cup 2026: Ranjane Fifty Goes In Vain As Pakistan Claim 32-Run Win

Welcome to our live coverage of Pakistan vs USA in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Stay tuned for ball-by-ball updates, key moments, milestones, and all the momentum swings as they happen.

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Naseem Shah, Khawaja Nafay, Usman Tariq

United States of America: Andries Gous(w), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Monank Patel(c), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar, Shehan Jayasuriya, Nosthush Kenjige, Shayan Jahangir, Ehsan Adil

Pakistan and the USA have crossed paths just once in T20 internationals, that meeting coming in the previous T20 World Cup in New York. The contest finished level in regulation play, but the Americans held their nerve in the Super Over to defeat the 2009 champions.

What time will the first ball of the Pakistan vs USA match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 be bowled? 

The first ball of the New Zealand vs UAE match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be bowled at 7 pm IST.

Where to watch the live telecast of the Pakistan vs USA match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India? 

The live telecast of the Pakistan vs USA match in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 will be available on the Star Sports Network in India, while the live streaming will be available on the JioHotstar app.

After their narrow victory over the Netherlands, there have been growing demands to leave star batter Babar Azam out of the XI for the crucial meeting with the USA. Babar struggled for fluency in the opener, scoring 15 from 18 balls in the three-wicket win. Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has since questioned whether Babar currently has the fitness required for T20 internationals.

USA won the toss and opted to bowl first.

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha(c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan(w), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed

United States of America: Andries Gous(w), Shayan Jahangir, Monank Patel(c), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ehsan Adil, Saurabh Netravalkar

Pakistan bring their controversial spinner Usman Tariq as Salman Mirza has been benched. Meanwhile, USA are playing without their star pacer Ali Mirza, who injured himself in the last match against India. Ehsan Adil replaces him for today's game.

Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan walk out to the middle, with Ayub set to face the first delivery. Saurabh Netravalkar has the new ball in hand and will get proceedings underway.

Pakistan move to 19/0, helped by a couple of crisp boundaries in the over. Sahibzada Farhan is looking positive early, racing to 12 from just six balls, finding the fence three times. Saim Ayub has been a touch quieter at the other end on 6 off 6, content to rotate and watch his partner take on the bowling.

Sahibzada Farhan is in destructive mood, smashing his way to 34 from just 14 balls with two towering sixes and a boundary in the over. Saim Ayub continues to hold firm at the other end on 19 off 16, allowing his partner to take the risks. The bowlers are under serious heat as Pakistan surge ahead with wickets in hand.

Shadley van Schalkwyk provides the breakthrough just when the opening stand was building nicely. He rolls his fingers over a back-of-a-length delivery outside off, and Saim Ayub goes hard at it, only to feather an edge. Saurabh Netravalkar at short third man makes no mistake with the catch. Ayub’s promising start ends at 19, and Pakistan lose their first wicket with the fielding side pulling things back.

The momentum has swung sharply. Shadley van Schalkwyk produces another clever change of pace, banging it in short and slower. Salman Agha goes for the pull but can’t keep it down, and Shayan Jahangir judges it well in the deep to complete the catch. Two wickets in the over, just two runs from it, and after a flying start, Pakistan suddenly have a rebuilding job on their hands.

The bowlers keep it tight, allowing only singles and a brace, forcing the batters to work hard. Babar Azam is settling in on 5 from 6, while Sahibzada Farhan remains the aggressor with 40 off 22, holding the innings together after the earlier setbacks. Pakistan will hope this pair can rebuild before looking to accelerate again.

Pakistan reach 85/2 at the halfway mark. It’s a productive over, helped by extras, and it also brings up a fine milestone for Sahibzada Farhan, who moves to a well-compiled fifty off 28 balls. Babar Azam continues to settle, nudging his way to 10 from 13 while Farhan keeps the tempo up.

The momentum has flipped back in a big way. The over goes for 21, packed with clean striking as Sahibzada Farhan leads the charge. He moves to 67 from 36, finding the fence repeatedly, while Babar Azam plays the perfect partner on 32 off 23, rotating strike and punishing the loose balls. After a brief slowdown earlier, Pakistan are accelerating rapidly and setting up a strong platform for the finish.

Babar Azam departs for a 32-ball 46, and the dangerous Sahibzada Farhan is snared by Harmeet Singh after hitting 73 off 41. But in comes Shadab Khan and smashes 26 off the first nine balls he faces to propel Pakistan towards a healthy total.

USA do admirably well at the back end, snaring five wickets in the last 10 balls as the Men In Green go looking for quick runs. Nevertheless, Pakistan post a 190-run total in their 20 overs, which would be a really challenging one for Monank Patel and Co to try and chase down.

PAK: 190/9 (20)

Andries Gous and Shayan Jahangir are in the middle, with Gous ready to face the first ball. Shaheen Afridi has it in hand and will begin the reply.

USA move to 20/0, and that’s a lively response. Shayan Jahangir provides the spark, smashing a six and then finishing the over with a boundary to race to 14 from just six balls. Andries Gous is steady at the other end on 6 off 6, giving support while Jahangir takes on the attack. After a watchful start, this over will give the batting side plenty of confidence.

The boundaries dry up, but the openers keep the board moving with smart running. Shayan Jahangir remains the aggressor on 24 from 14, while Andries Gous is watchful at 8 off 10, happy to rotate strike. Pakistan will be pleased with the tighter lines, yet the partnership is intact and the platform continues to build.

USA are 42/1, but Mohammad Nawaz has provided the breakthrough. He slows it up, tempts Andries Gous into the big swing, and the ball goes straight to Salman Agha who makes no mistake with the catch. Gous departs for 13, ending the opening stand just as it was starting to grow. Shayan Jahangir remains positive on 29 from 16, while Monank Patel is the new man at the crease as Pakistan look to build on this momentum shift.

USA slip to 60/2 after a tidy spell from Shadab Khan. The leg-spinner strikes in the middle of the over, drawing Monank Patel into the slog-sweep. The ball balloons off the top edge and Shadab settles under it himself, completing a sharp caught-and-bowled. Just three runs come from the over, with Milind Kumar nudging one and surviving a small scare first up, while Shayan Jahangir continues to tick along at the other end.

USA are 74/3, and Shadab Khan is right in the middle of the turnaround. He floats up the googly and Shayan Jahangir goes for the big hit, but can only send it flat towards long-on where Shaheen Afridi takes a comfortable catch. Jahangir falls one short of a fifty after giving the chase early momentum.

It’s a decent recovery after the earlier blows, with a boundary in the middle of the over easing some pressure. Milind Kumar is on 10 from 14, while Shubham Ranjane looks the more fluent at 21 off 14.

USA reach 123/4, but the over ends with a crucial blow. Usman Tariq mixes his pace cleverly and then fires one full outside off. Milind Kumar chases it, gets a faint edge, and Shaheen Afridi makes no mistake at short third. Milind departs for 29 just when the acceleration was coming.

USA are 130/5, and the pressure keeps building. Abrar Ahmed strikes with the quicker one, sneaking it through Sanjay Krishnamurthi’s attempted pull to rattle the stumps. A boundary from Shubham Ranjane via a neat sweep brings some relief, and he moves to 31, but the rest of the over is largely contained.

USA are in deep trouble at 152/7 after a superb over from Usman Tariq. He removes Harmeet Singh first, slicing one to Mohammad Nawaz in the deep, and then castles Mohammad Mohsin with a clever, quick adjustment as the batter shuffled across. The hat-trick ball doesn’t arrive, but the damage is done. Just three runs and two wickets from the over, and the chase has almost slipped away. Shubham Ranjane remains stranded on 47, running out of partners at the wrong time.

USA close on 158/8, falling short after a late squeeze. Shaheen Afridi lands the telling blow in the over, firing in a pinpoint yorker to trap Shubham Ranjane right in front. The review only delays the inevitable, and the half-centurion has to walk back. The rest of the over is about survival, with a couple of scrambled singles but no big finish. Pakistan will feel they pulled things back brilliantly at the death to seal control of the contest.

18 vs Aus Colombo RPS 2012
16 vs USA Colombo SSC 2026 *
15 vs SA Colombo RPS 2012
15 vs WI Kingstown 2013
15 vs Eng Manchester 2021
15 vs Afg Hangzhou 2023

"The way we practiced yesterday, the ball was coming onto my bat really well in the nets. I had already told yesterday that I was getting a good feeling for today’s match. I was confident. I even said, I will finish the match in a way that earns me the Player of the Match award. I’ve set a personal target for myself, to win at least two to three Player of the Match awards in this World Cup. I felt this pitch was much better. The ball was coming nicely onto the bat. As openers, the role for me and Saim Ayub is always to utilize the powerplay properly. I naturally play an attacking brand of cricket. Ayub got the start today but was a bit unlucky. My thinking was to continue playing my natural game because in T20 cricket, as an opener, you have to play that way. That’s the role given to us by the captain, to keep the attack on in the first six overs. We’ll go in with the same mindset as we did in our previous matches against India, including the Asia Cup. We’ll try to stay positive and play attacking cricket."

"We bowled decent in the powerplay but didn't bowl well in the middle overs. Came back in the last four overs where the pacers bowled well. We were still in the game with 190. Played well in the powerplay but couldn't show intent in the middle overs. While batting we didn't show intent. Their spinners were not giving enough pace and it was hard to hit the boundary options. We panicked a bit and that cost us the game."

"I always smile. When have you seen me not smile? (laughs). Clinical win. Last game we didn't bat well in the middle overs, but today we did. Once we scored 190, we knew we could defend that. I would've batted first after winning the toss. With the kind of bowling we have, we know we can win even with 160-170. We are Pakistan, we do things differently to the world. We're comfortable with chasing as well. Our batting order is flexible. First three will probably go in the same order but we're flexible after that. Always room for improvement. We like to bowl well in powerplay. In patches we were good, but we can be more clinical."

South Africa vs Afghanistan: 11:00 AM IST

Australia vs Ireland: 03:00 PM IST

England vs West Indies: 07:00 AM IST

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