The 12th match of the ongoing T20I World Cup will feature the clash between Pakistan and the USA on Tuesday in Colombo, with Pakistan eyeing back-to-back wins after overcoming the Netherlands in their opening clash on 7th February. Pakistan, however, will head into this match with more than just two points at stake, as they have memories of an infamous defeat against the USA in the 2024 edition of the tournament.
Back in 2024, during their World Cup debut, the USA announced themselves on the global stage in dominant fashion, giving Pakistan a huge shock with a statement win. Now, in this edition of the tournament, the USA come into this fixture having lost narrowly to defending champions India in their tournament opener. Despite the defeat, their performance against India would have boosted their belief.
Pakistan, meanwhile, are still searching for rhythm. The batting unit remains under the microscope, with consistency proving elusive. In their World Cup opener against the Netherlands, they struggled to chase a modest target of 148, with their experienced batters failing to live up to the expectation. But all-rounder Faheem Ashraf stepped up with a match-winning 29 unbeaten to take the side to victory with three balls to spare.
Much of the spotlight will fall on Babar Azam, who has returned to the shortest format amid high expectations. He could only score 15 off 18 deliveries against the Netherlands, which put him under immense criticism. Nevertheless, Pakistan will hope that their batting unit overcomes challenges and gives a tough fight to the USA.
Head-to-head
Matches - 1
PAK won - 0
USA won - 1
Pakistan likely XI: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (C), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed
USA likely XI: Monank Patel (c), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Andries Gous, Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar, Mohsin, van Schalkwyk