Pakistan secured their first win in the ongoing T20 World Cup with a 7-wicket victory over Canada at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Tuesday. In another low-scoring chase, Pakistan earned two points, keeping their hopes of advancing to the Super 8 alive.
Mohammad Rizwan’s run-a-ball 53* guided Pakistan to chase down 107 in 17.3 overs, which boosted their net run rate to 0.19, compared to the USA’s 0.63. Pakistan must win their final game against Ireland, and other results need to favor them to qualify for the Super 8. India and co-hosts USA are the leading contenders to advance from Group A. For Pakistan to qualify, the USA must lose their remaining two games against India and Ireland, and Pakistan must defeat Ireland by a substantial margin to improve their net run rate beyond the USA’s.
While chasing 107, Saim Ayub fell early, contributing just 6(12). Skipper Babar Azam then formed a 63-run partnership, steering the game away from Canada. Babar fell near the finish line, but Rizwan and Usman Khan completed the chase, securing a 7-wicket win for Pakistan.
Earlier, Babar won the toss and chose to field, which proved to be a good decision given the pitch conditions. Canada was led by Aaron Johnson’s 44-ball 52. Despite some luck, Johnson capitalized on his opportunity, maintaining the scoreboard. However, Canada struggled to surpass the 130-run mark due to a lack of support from the other end.
Pakistan’s bowlers performed well in this must-win match for Babar’s team, with their four pacers taking wickets. The brief scores were: USA 106/7 (Aaron Johnson 52; Aaron Johnson 2-13, Haris Rauf 2-26) versus Pakistan 107/3 (Mohammad Rizwan 53*, Babar Azam 33; Dillon Heyliger 2-18).