COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Opener Sahibzada Farhan’s blistering half-century, backed by a composed knock from Babar Azam, powered Pakistan to a competitive 190 for 9 against the United States in a Group A match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Tuesday.
Pakistan got off to a brisk start as Farhan and Saim Ayub added 54 runs for the opening wicket. Ayub contributed 19 off 17 balls before departing, but Farhan continued to dominate the USA attack. The left-hander smashed 73 runs off 41 deliveries, striking six fours and five sixes to set the tempo early.
After a brief slowdown following Ayub’s dismissal, Farhan found solid support in former captain Babar Azam. The pair stitched together an 81-run stand for the third wicket that stabilized the innings and kept the scoring rate above nine runs per over. Babar played the anchor role, scoring 46 off 32 balls, rotating the strike effectively while punishing loose deliveries.
Pakistan lost momentum in the middle and lower-middle order as wickets fell at regular intervals. Salman Agha and Mohammad Nawaz failed to make an impact, while Usman Khan and Abrar Ahmed were run out, disrupting the flow late in the innings. Shadab Khan, however, provided a late surge with a quickfire 30 off just 12 balls, striking at 250, while Shaheen Afridi chipped in with an unbeaten nine off four balls to push the total close to 190.
For the USA, Shadley van Schalkwyk was the standout bowler, finishing with four wickets for 25 runs in his four overs. His spell kept Pakistan in check at key moments. Saurabh Netravalkar, Mohammad Mohsin, and Harmeet Singh picked up one wicket each but were unable to contain Pakistan’s major partnerships.
Brief scores: Pakistan 190/9 in 20 overs (Sahibzada Farhan 73, Babar Azam 46; Shadley van Schalkwyk 4-25) vs USA (Source: IANS)
