COLOMBO: Sahibazada Farhan’s gutsy half-century and Usman Tariq’s three-wicket haul helped Pakistan beat the USA in the 12th fixture of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 here at the Sinhaleese Sports Club on Tuesday.
Set stiff 191, USA fell short by 32 runs despite Shubham Ranjane’s valiant half-century.
USA openers started positively with a 42 run parntership in 4.5 overs.
Andries Gous struck two boundaries before getting caught for 13. Meanwhile, Shayan Jahangir played briskly and took USA to a good score at the end of the PowerPlay.
However, the momentum shifted once fielding restrictions were lifted, as Pakistan’s spinners tightened the screws to slow down USA.
The pressure reaped high rewards in the form of skipper Monank Patel and Shayan Jahangir’s wickets. Patel managed only three while Jahangir departed for a well-made 49 from 34 balls, striking two sixes and five fours.
At this stage USA were 69-3 in 10.2 overs as Milind Kumar and Shubham Ranjane came to the fore.
The pair put on a 54-run partnership from 35 balls, with Ranjane playing the core aggressor’s role. However, the asking rate creeping up, it was not going to be an easy task for USA batters.
Consequently, USA fell wickets at regular intervals despite Ranjane reaching his half-century.
He was eventually trapped lbw in the final over, scoring 51 from 30 balls, striking three sixes and three fours.
Usman Tariq remained the pick of bowlers for Pakistan, returning with the figures of 3/27 in four overs.
Earlier, Sahibazada Farhan, Babar Azam, and a late cameo from Shadab Khan took Pakistan to a strong total.
Asked to bat first, Pakistan piled up 190-9 in their 20 overs.
Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan provided a strong start with a 54-run partnership in 5.1 overs.
However, USA quickly turned the momentum back with back-to-back wickets. Saim was the first to go, scoring 19 from 17 with the help of two sixes. The second one was skipper Salman Ali Agha, losing his wicket on the final ball of the powerplay.
The right-hander only managed one from three balls.
As a result, Pakistan were 56 at the end of the powerplay with Babar Azam and Sahibzada Farhan at the crease.
The pair launched a recovery as USA bowled a few tight overs to restrict the new batter Babar Azam from going big.
Pakistan’s scorecard read 85-2 at the halfway mark of the innings.
After a slowdown, Sahibzada and Babar soon took advantage of Harmeet Singh’s 12th over. The pair accumulated 21 runs from the over to boost the run-rate and took the score from 101 to 122.
Babar Azam finally finds his groove, hitting six and two boundaries in the over to take his runs tally to 32.
However, USA made a comeback in the 15th over as Babar departed after scoring 46 from 32 balls. In the next over, Harmeet nabbed Farhan as USA made a strong comeback.
Sahibzad top-scored with 73 from 41 balls, laced with six fours and five sixes.
Consequently, Pakistan were reduced to 145-4 in 16 overs.
After a brief slowdown, Shadab Khan played a blinder to lift their hopes of reaching the 200-run mark. He made 30 off just 12 balls with the help of four boundaries and a six.
USA bowled well in the final two overs as Pakistan slumped from 177-5 to 190-9 at the end of their innings.
For USA, Shadley van Schalkwyk remained the standout bowler with four wickets to his name.
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