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February 10, 2026
February 10, 2026
February 10, 2026
Pakistan 190 for 9 (Farhan 73, Babar 46, Shadab 30, van Schalkwyk 4-25) beat USA 158 for 8 (Ranjane 51, Jahangir 49, Tariq 3-27, Shadab 2-26) by 32 runs.
Shadab Khan belted 30 off 12 balls before stifling USA’s chase with 2 for 26 to spearhead Pakistan’s second win of the T20 World Cup. After sneaking past the Netherlands in a heart-stopping tournament opener on Saturday, this was a routine victory for Pakistan, highlighting the potency of their spin-dominated attack on Sri Lankan pitches.
Sahibzada Farhan underpinned Pakistan’s total of 190 for 9—their highest T20 World Cup score since 2016—with 73 off 41 balls, sharing partnerships worth 54 and 81 with Saim Ayub and Babar Azam, respectively. Shadab’s late surge from No. 6 helped reach a winning total despite a chaotic finish to the innings.urned identical figures of 4 for 25, relying heavily on his slower balls. However, the absence of the injured Ali Khan made repeating their famous 2024 Super Over victory unlikely.
The run chase started brightly thanks to Shayan Jahangir, one of three Pakistan-born players in the USA side, who made 49 off 34. Pakistan’s five spinners applied pressure in the middle overs, taking a combined 7 for 115 in 16 overs, supported by strong fielding.
Shubham Ranjane, still carrying an injury from the India match, hit consecutive sixes off Shaheen Shah Afridi but was dismissed lbw two balls after reaching a 28-ball half-century.
The result takes Pakistan to the top of Group A with two wins from two matches. After the government lifted its boycott order on Monday night, Pakistan’s next opponents will be India on Sunday.
Ayub made an instant statement by charging down the pitch, missing the first ball but clearing long-on for six two balls later to spark a boundary-laden opening stand with Farhan.
Farhan ran hard, hitting three fours in four balls from USA debutant and former Pakistan international Ehsan Adil and taking 16 runs off off-spinner Milind Kumar’s over, leaving Pakistan 54 for 0 after five overs despite 18 dot balls.
Van Schalkwyk’s slower balls struck twice in the final over of the Powerplay: Ayub was caught at short third while reaching for a wide one, and Salman Agha fell to a cutter to deep backward square.
The next five overs saw only a single boundary.
Babar Azam ground his way to 15 off 17 balls before accelerating in the 13th over, launching Harmeet Singh’s left-arm spin over midwicket for six and hitting back-to-back boundaries. He was caught at long-on for 46 off 32, finding rhythm after a scratchy start.
Farhan, who had scored a 27-ball half-century, was caught on the long-off boundary in Harmeet’s final over, prompting a reshuffle. Usman Khan slid to No. 8, below Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab, and Faheem Ashraf, with Shadab making the most of his promotion. He smashed Netravalkar’s slower ball for six, then hit three consecutive fours off Adil on his way to 30 off 12.
Shadab’s dismissal—caught behind off van Schalkwyk—was the first of five wickets to fall in the final 10 balls, including two run-outs, but Shaheen Shah Afridi’s late blow pushed Pakistan to 190.
Jahangir replaced Saiteja Mukkamalla at the top and made a fast start, hitting Shaheen for four and clearing Abrar Ahmed back over his head, taking USA to 50 in the Powerplay for the loss of Andries Gous. However, spin bogged them down in the middle overs, with Monank Patel scoring only 3 off 10 before being caught by Shadab. Jahangir eventually fell one run short of a T20 World Cup half-century after mistiming Shadab’s wrong’un.
Milind and Ranjane added 54 off 35 for the fourth wicket but couldn’t stop the asking rate from spiraling. Usman Tariq, replacing Salman Mirza, claimed Milind caught on the edge of the ring before taking two more wickets in successive balls to finish with 3 for 27 in his ICC debut. (ESPNcricinfo)
