USA’s victory over Pakistan in the T20 World Cup was considered the shock of the tournament.©AFP
USA pacer Ali Khan has suggested that the victory over Pakistan in the group stage of the T20 World Cup was not a fluke. Pakistan-born Ali revealed that between India and Pakistan, the US always wanted to beat the latter due to its history. The USA defeated Pakistan in the group stage and the result was considered the shock of the tournament as the T20 World Cup co-hosts managed to qualify for the Super 8 stage on the basis of this result. The USA needed a Super Over to record a famous victory over Pakistan, with Ali labeling the game as exciting for obvious reasons.
“The whole of Pakistan would have been angry with me if I had bowled the Super Over. But they didn’t give me the ball. It was actually a very good decision, otherwise my entry into Pakistan would have been banned. The game against Pakistan was exciting , as we had never played against such a big team before. So, they faced Pakistan in the World Cup, especially with the kind of players they have, like Babar Azam, Rizwan, Fakhar and Shaheen Afridi, it was a big thing. Canada in the opening match, but we play against them regularly,” Ali said during a discussion on Caught Behind.
India Aur Pakistan Mai Sy Hum Nay Pakistan Choose Ki Jis Ko Hum Gira Saktay Hain, says US fast bowler Ali Khan@IamAlikhan23 @iRashidLatif68 @DrNaumanNiaz @krick3r #CaughtBehimd #RashidLatif #AliKhan #PAKvUSA #T20WorldCup2024 pic.twitter.com/0ppK1GLnpK
— Times of Karachi (@TOKCityOfLights) June 22, 2024
Speaking about the USA’s rise in the tournament, Ali insisted that the series win over Bangladesh ahead of the T20 World Cup gave them great confidence ahead of the tournament.
“But the series against Bangladesh before the World Cup was a big confidence booster. We beat them and it was the first time we won a series against a Test-playing country. It gave us a lot of confidence in the future. We knew we could easily beat the Canada and Ireland. Then it was a matter of picking a team between India and Pakistan that we could beat. We were confident that we could beat Pakistan at the stage when Babar and Shadab were batting, otherwise we dominated Pakistan.” he added.
Ali labeled Pakistan as an unpredictable side, saying either they will hit you hard or vice versa.
“If you look at the history of Pakistan, they will either destroy you or themselves. Fortunately, the latter happened. It was a lucky day for us and the victory was important,” he concluded.
The USA finished second in Group A behind India with five points from four games.
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