Pakistan claimed their 2nd win of T20 World Cup 2026 after beating USA by 32 runs
Salman Agha admitted that they didn't bat well against Netherlands but they did today
Monank Patel said the runs conceded in the middle overs took the momentum away from them
Pakistan delivered an impressive performance in Group A of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 with a 32-run victory over the United States of America at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Men in Green posted a strong 190/9 in their 20 overs.
Sahibzada Farhan was the key batter, scoring a lively 73 off 41 balls, while Babar Azam played a supporting role with a well-timed 46-run knock. Pakistan’s middle order also contributed, with Shadab Khan’s rapid 30 off 12 providing late impetus to push the total past the 190-run mark.
In reply, USA began with intent but struggled to sustain consistent partnerships against disciplined Pakistani bowling. Shubham Ranjane offered resistance with a gritty 51 off 30 balls, and Shayan Jahangir was close behind with 49, but regular breakthroughs never allowed the chase to gain momentum.
Usman Tariq (3/27) and Shadab Khan (2/26) led the attack for Pakistan, slowing the scoring and picking up crucial wickets at key junctures. USA were eventually restricted to 158/8, well short of the target, as Pakistan controlled the match’s key phases to secure a convincing win.
Sahibzada Farhan Reacts On Winning POTM
"The way we practiced yesterday, the ball was coming onto my bat really well in the nets. I had already told our batting coach (Hanif Malik) 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."
Also Check: Pakistan Vs USA Highlights
USA Captain Monank Patel Reacts On The Loss
"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. We've been playing really good cricket since the last 12-15 months. Coming here for the second game, we were confident enough. Just small mistakes in the game. Want to make sure we finish this World Cup strong with two wins. It's not easy playing at different venues. Now we'll go to Chennai. We'll have one session there. Will work hard to come back stronger."
Pakistan Skipper Salman Ali Agha Reacts On The Win
"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 (about wanting to bat first). 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. We have finishers who can go early if we don't get too many wickets at first. But if you get early wickets, we still have a batter who can go and obviously take the game to the deep and then allow the finishers to come and finish the game as well. Always room for improvement. We like to bowl well in powerplay. In patches we were good, but we can be more clinical."
