Pakistan Zindabad!
There's time for Pakistan to lose another wicket, as Fakhar Zaman's wild hack ends up in the hands of backward point. But Rizwan, who went to a 52-ball fifty - the slowest by Pakistan batter in men's T20Is - in the previous over, was there to finish it off alongside Usman Khan. In their third Group A game, Pakistan finally register a win. They've got there with two-and-a-half overs to spare, which won't lift their NRR above that of USA just yet - but isn't a bad start in trying to turn the qualification equation in their favour.
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Babar falls with victory in sight
Pakistan have focused on getting the points, rather than worrying too much about NRR for now. The openers continue to knock singles around, with just one boundary - a flashing Babar cut - coming in overs 11-15. And Babar won't be there to finish the job, either, as he tickles Heyliger behind looking to run another single through third.
At that point, Pakistan need 24 from 32, and Rizwan immediately jumps down the pitch to smash the first ball of the 16th over for six over extra cover. The two points looking pretty secure now.
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Are Pakistan right in splitting RizBar?
Should Pakistan split RizBar?
547 votesYes, because the middle order is too brittle
No, you need to have the two best batters at the top
Yes, but open with Fakhar instead of Ayub
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RizBar steady Pakistan
After a struggling powerplay, Babar and Rizwan have taken Pakistan forward adding 31 runs in the next four overs, which is more than what they managed in the first six overs. Both Babar and Rizwan looked to up the ante. Rizwan swept Saad's full ball through deep backward square leg before Babar jumped down the track and walloped Junaid for a six straight down the ground. Junaid and Saad had dried the runs against Ireland in the previous game, but these two were not letting them set.
Pakistan need 48 runs to win off 60 balls
Overs 6 to 10:
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13.5 Overs in which Pakistan need to chase this total down to go past USA's NRR
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The Ayub inclusion does not pay off
Not the kind of start Pakistan would have been hoping for. Not a They need to only go at 5.4 runs per over, but haven't really started off well. Kaleem Sana gives away five wides in the first over, but apart from that Canada have been really tight with their lines. Saim Ayub tried a number of shots but could only manage 6 off 12 balls before edging Heyliger behind.
Babar then had a nervy moment when an appeal for a caught behind down leg was sent upstairs. But replays suggested the ball went off his pads. The only four off the bat in the Pakistan innings was struck by Rizwan in the final over of the powerplay. In comparison, Canada struck five fours in their first six overs.
Also, for all the Net Run Rate enthusiasts: Pakistan need to chase these runs in 19.1 overs to get into positive NRR. They need to do so in 13.5 overs to move ahead of USA's
Pakistan struggle in the powerplay.
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22 Short of a length balls bowled by the Canada quicks in the powerplay
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Canada finish with 106 for 7
Canada manage to breach the 100-mark with Kaleem Sana carving Naseem Shah over deep backward point. But this has been a stellar show from Pakistan. The fast bowlers kept their lines tight and never managed the batters to get away. It was the hard lengths that helped them do the trick.
Shaheen did not start off well going for two fours in his opening two balls. But, Mohammad Amir found the channels right away. He was backed up by Naseem Shah and soon Shaheen also found the lengths. Haris Rauf struck twice in the tenth over and Canada had not answers.
Aaron Johnson held his own with a superb 52 off 44 balls, but there was not much from the other batters. In the last five overs, Pakistan gave away only 29 runs. The forecaster reckons Pakistan are a 93% chance from here. But stranger things have happened in New York. Can Pakistan finally get a 'W' on the board?
Last five overs:
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76 Dot balls faced by Canada, the most in an innings at the men's T20 World Cup
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Feisty Johnson Canada's lone-ranger
The wickets keep tumbling at the other end, but Aaron Johnson has kept his cool all along. He deposits Imad Wasim for his third six, straight over long-on for a 76-metre six, and then gets to his fifty with another powerful down-the-ground shot. He pumps the air in delight and gets a hug from his captain Saad Bin Zafar.
Johnson had a slice of luck on 44 when Fakhar Zaman missed a chance running back from midwicket. He was soon bowled by Naseem Shah for 52 off 44 balls, but not before playing a lovely knock.
There have been a total of six fours and four sixes hit in this Canada innings. Out of them, four fours and four sixes were conked by Johnson.
52 of the first 73 runs of the Canada innings were scored by Aaron Johnson
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Milestone alert: Rauf and Rizwan
Haris Rauf has picked his 100th T20I wicket in just his 69th T20I innings, the third-fastest in T20I history. He gets Movva to edge behind to the keeper and two balls later gets Ravinderpal Singh caught at first slip. With the catch of Movva, Rizwan also completed 50 catches in T20I cricket.
69 Innings taken by Haris Rauf to complete 100 wickets in T20Is, the third-fastest in T20I history
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Rauf double-strike puts Canada in deep trouble
Nicholas Kirton has been the best batter for Canada so far this T20 World Cup. He had a fifty against Nepal in the warm-up game, then scored another half-century against Ireland and then a 49 against Ireland. So his run-out has caused a serious dent in Canada's march. Haris Rauf also removes Shreyas Movva and Ravinderpaul Singh to further put Canada in trouble.
Johnson keeps on going hard though. He pummels Rauf over the cover-point fence and then sends Shaheen Afridi over his head. This despite being deceived by the slower offcutter. Talking about the pitch, it is a fresh surface, and while it seems to be playing better than the others, there is still some purchase for the bowlers. The ball is turning as well. But
From overs four to ten, Canada have managed just two sixes and lost four wickets.
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Pakistan strike twice, but Johnson not holding back
Naseem Shah is convinced he has Johnson in his first over, caught behind. Replays, however, confirm the ball had missed the bat by almost a foot. Good thing, Babar didn't listen to him and opted for the review. Lots of plays and misses from Johnson, but one thing is clear: he is not holding back. He flays Naseem energetically over backward point and then drills him through point. Mohammad Amir is the only Pakistan bowler who has looked threatening. He's got his lengths spot on and made the ball talk.
And he gets rewarded, too. Gets the length ball to deviate sharply back into Navneet Dhaliwal and flattens his middle pole. Shaheen Shah Afridi then gets into the attack. He has a change of ends and strikes right away with a back-of-a-length ball that takes Pargat Singh's outside edge and flies to first slip.
Canada: 30 for 2 after six overs
14 Number of not-in-control shots for Canada in the first 36 balls
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Never-mind Shaheen, here's first-over Aaron Johnson
Not the best of starts from Pakistan's top fast bowler. Starts off with a shin-high full toss on middle and leg and Aaron Johnson has flicked him effortlessly through mid-on. The next ball, another low full toss on off stump and Johnson this time drives down the ground for two back-to-back fours. The third ball is again driven straight down and if not for the sluggish outfield, would have gone for four as well. Shaheen ends the over with another full toss.
Sampath Bandarupalli confirms this is the first time the first two balls of a men's T20 World Cup match were boundaries.
Some essential pre-match reading
This match will be played on a fresh surface, the fourth drop-in pitch at the Nassau County. If it plays like any of the other surfaces, Canada might well come into the game. Danyal Rasool in his preview notes why Pakistan needs more runs from the batters. After Pakistan's stumbling start to the tournament, head coach Gary Kirsten had a stern message for his senior batters: evolve or get left behind. Osman Samiuddin, meanwhile notes that Pakistan's batting is just not very good. Sidharth Monga has also written a lovely feature on the Punjabi flavour in this Canada side and why the Canada team fines players who don't speak English in the team environment.
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Pakistan bowl; Iftikhar dropped, Ayub comes in
The Pakistan fans have been coming in for this all-important clash. Babar Azam has the coin. He wins the toss and Pakistan will be bowling first. One change for them and it is a crucial one. Saim Ayub comes in and Iftikhar Ahmed has been dropped. The other bit Babar confirmed was that Ayub would be opening the batting. So RizBar has been split. Babar Azam notes the morning start and a "bit of grass" on the pitch. "We had a discussion yesterday," he says reflecting on the India loss. "In T20 you have to look at every game. We have no other option. I know a few of the [Canada] bowlers, we have played together".
Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar says, "I would have bowled first as well. Historically, teams batting second have found it hard to chase". He also confirms there is one change with Dilpreet Bajwa going out and Ravinderpal Singh coming in.
Playing XI
Pakistan: 1 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Fakhar Zaman, 5 Usman Khan, 6 Shadab Khan, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad Amir
Canada: 1 Aaron Johnson, 2 Navneet Dhaliwal, 3 Pargat Singh, 4 Ravinderpal Singh, 5 Nicholas Kirton, 6 Shreyas Movva (wk), 7 Dilon Heyliger, 8 Saad Bin Zafar (capt), 9 Kaleem Sana, 10 Junaid Siddiqui, 11 Jeremy Gordon
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Hey ho, let’s go!
Such is the nature of the scheduling at the T20 World Cup 2024, that Pakistan don't have much time for introspection. They need to move on. It can’t be easy. A loss against India is never. But they have to because there is a T20 World Cup campaign on the line. Pakistan always knew they had these two games in three days, but halfway through the chase on Sunday, that looked like a blessing rather than a curse. They looked strong contenders against India, who slipped from 89 for 3 to 119 all out. They started the chase well, too: 73 for 2 after 12.1 overs.
But then the whole narrative changed. A few reckless shots coupled with some effective Indian bowling saw them lose by a margin of six runs. After a loss against USA in their opening game of the tournament, Pakistan need to find a way to not just win, but win big and stay alive in the competition. A loss will mean the end of the road.
Canada find themselves in a situation where a win will make the Super Eight road a bright reality. They came back really well after a loss against USA and trounced Ireland. Out of the 14 innings played in New York, Canada have the highest score of 137 which they produced against Ireland. They know the kind of surface here and will want to put Pakistan in some early pressure.
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