USA Stun Pakistan
To be honest, this match against the United States seemed like a tailor-made Pakistan stumbling block. USA were coming off a fun victory against Canada over the weekend, at this same venue. Pakistan were coming off a massively un-fun tour of the UK, in which several of their strategies were shown not to seriously work. The Grand Prairie pitch was a bit of an unknown as well.
But USA then turned up the heat in all departments. They bossed the Pakistan powerplay, kept a lid on the death overs hitting, then in their own innings set up an outstanding foundation, and willed themselves to a tie in regular play.
Pakistan then disintegrated in the Super Over. Mohammad Amir conceded a slightly unfortunate four first ball, then then went on to deliver three wide deliveries which cost seven runs. On all the wide balls, USA batters ran the bye. On the last one, Mohammad Rizwan's throw to the non-striker's end was wayward, and they took an extra one.
All up, the USA made 18 runs off that Super Over, despite having struck only one four.
In response, Pakistan's batting Super Over never got going. One four was hit second ball, but then Iftikhar Ahmed was given out caught third delivery - as Nitish Kumar barely got a finger under the falling ball, as he ran in from long off. Pakistan got four leg byes later in the over, but were always struggling. They needed a six to force the match into a second Super Over, but all Shadab Khan could manage was a shot to deep point.
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GIANT KILLING!
This is insane! Netravalkar (my candidate for player of the match) seals it with a super over in which he gave away a four off the bat, then had four leg byes go off the fourth ball, but keeps it together to allow only three runs off the last two balls, when Pakistan needed nine to win.
USA are now two wins from two games. What a story. Is this what will push cricket into the mainstream in the States?
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Pakistan falling apart in the field
This is pure meltdown from Pakistan. They gave away a four first ball, off the outside half of Aaron Jones' bat (forgivable). Then there was a two and a single.
And then Amir started flinging the wides. Two wides to start, as Rizwan failed to collect.
Two balls later, another two wides, as USA start running for everything.
What should have been the last ball became three wides, as they ran the bye, then ran an overthrow on Rizwan's wayward throw. Proper amateur stuff.
All up, USA have scored 18 runs in the Super Over, having hit just a single four. Incredible. This is down to bowling indiscipline from Pakistan's most experienced bowler, and panic in the field.
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It's going to a Super Over!
Aaron Jones slams a big six over deep midwicket off a low full toss, leaving USA needing six off the last two balls. Then Haris bowls an excellent yorker that Jones can only get a single off.
But then Haris misses the yorker last ball, and Nitish Kumar gets under the yorker and crashes it over mid off for four, to take the match to a Super Over.
This is already an insane chain of events for a USA v Pakistan match. And I'm still mad we haven't seen Corey Anderson bat.
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Why is Corey Anderson not out there?
Umm, are we aware that the batter with a 36-ball ODI century, at one time the owner of the fastest one-day hundred record, is in the dugout for USA with no chance to bat?
What is happening that Corey Anderson is being unused in this USA chase? Seems a massive waste.
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Amir's excellent 19th over
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He went for yorkers. And nailed them near enough so Aaron Jones could not get under them. He's left Haris Rauf 14 to defend in the last over.
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Match on a knife edge
Ordinarily in this situation you'd say the batting team is ahead. But then you don't often have bowlers of the quality of Mohammad Amir and Haris Rauf, bowling the last two overs.
Amir will bowl the 19th, and Haris he 20th.
USA are now in a position where they should win the match. Which for an Associate team, is a scary position to be in too.
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Amir, Shaheen, Haris have an over each
28 What USA need from the last three overs
Haris, Shaheen, and Amir are likely the three last bowlers. They have the goods to stop USA on their best days. But what kind of day is it? Aaron Jones is out there too - USA's in form batter.
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Jones gets moving
Already Jones gets some big shots under his belt. In this over, he went to his favoured slog sweep against Shadab Khan, and hit a six. Pressure back on Pakistan massively.
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Two wickets in seven balls
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Two wickets in seven balls, removing the set pair. Haris Rauf first bowled Andries Gous with a length ball that took out the top of off, as Gous played a leaden-footed inside-out shot.
Amir then had Monank Patel caught behind.
But it's only brought Aaron Jones to the crease, who is rocking already.
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Monank Patel reels off a fifty
He brings up his fifty with a 79-metre hit down the ground off Shaheen Afridi - a moment he will probably remember for the rest of his life. Monank Patel is giving the USA huge hope here. Are they headed to the first big upset of the tournament?
At the end of the 13th over, his partnership with Andries Gous is worth 68 off 47 balls.
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Pakistan need wickets... desperately
32 Pakistan's win probability percentage (according to ESPNcricinfo) at the end of nine overs
The required rate has crept up to a little over 8.5, but the US still have the hero of the match against Canada - Aaron Jones - to come, as well as Corey Anderson, who has been known to hit long balls in his day.
Pakistan are back to looking deflated. They need a spark here, or we could have a huge upset on our hands.
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Naseem strikes... phew
If you're a Pakistan fan, you'd have been worried. Almost seemed too easy for the USA batters, who weren't quite motoring their way through the powerplay, so much as working their way through it like factory staff on a Wednesday.
But Pakistan's bowling and fielding looked flat (one catchable chance had already passed by Iftikhar Ahmed at slip), and if the powerplay had been completed without a US wicket falling, USA would have grown in confidence.
Naseem gets the breakthrough though, getting Steven Taylor to nick off with a length ball just outside off stump. USA still have some big guns to come, but seeing the back of Taylor is a good first step for Pakistan.
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USA are away early
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USA haven't quite raced away, but they've struck four fours in the first three overs, and importantly, have not lost a wicket. They've got themselves to 24 for 0 after three. Compare this to Pakistan's 21 for 2 at the same stage.
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Asian-American Dreamboat
He's got a masters in computer science.
He works in a big tech company.
He took 2 for 18 in a World Cup match against Pakistan, having opened the bowling.
Don't tell your mum the Saurabh Netravalkar story. You'll be constantly compared to him.
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Kenjige and Netravalkar show
If USA can feel happy at the halfway mark, it's largely down to their left-arm bowlers, who opened the innings Nosthush Kenjige didn't play in the match against Canada, but made a huge impact here, taking the early wicket of Usman Khan, before breaking the big Shadab-Babar stand by having Shadab caught at short fine leg. Him nailing Azam Khan in front gave him his third wicket, and Kenjige finished with 3 for 30.
Netravalkar was incredibly disciplined from start to finish, making the initial breakthrough by getting Mohammad Rizwan caught nicely at slip, before later getting Iftikhar Ahmed lbw with a low full toss in his last over. Netravalkar's figures were 2 for 18.
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USA finish nicely
46 Runs Pakistan got off the last 30 balls, for two wickets
A middling finish for Pakistan. They would have struggled if not for a couple of Shaheen sixes in the last two overs.
It's one of those totals that will encourage both teams. USA know they are not out of this, having chased 195 a few nights ago at this stadium. But Pakistan know they have an outstanding pace attack, and now they have a decent total on the board, will back themselves to defend it.
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Was this a good innings?
Generally striking at around a 100 and using up 43 balls as an opener would constitute a poor innings. But these pitches in the USA have not been super conducive to run-scoring, and Pakistan were losing wickets at the other end anyway.
We'll have better evidence to judge Babar's innings after Pakistan have bowled on this surface. But with him out now, the death overs are down largely to Iftikhar. USA will back themselves to finish strong.
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Babar finally catches up
Firs ball of the sixteenth over, Babar slams a six over deep point off Jasdeep Singh, and for the first time in a difficult innings, gets his strike rate over 100.
Partly his going slow was down to Pakistan losing early wickets, and needing to rebuild. But on the flipside, you might argue that his teammates would not have had to take so many risks if Babar had been striking quickly from early in the innings.
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Shadab goes after big stand
62 How much the Shadab-Babar stand brought Pakistan, off 48 balls.
Just as it looked like Pakistan were getting themselves to a position from which they could explode in the last third of this innings, Shadab Khan sweeps Kenjige to short fine leg, where Saurabh Netravalkar takes an outstanding overhead catch.
And as soon as he comes in to the middle, Azam Khan is trapped lbw to give Kenjige his third wicket as well. Things were looking a whole lot better for Pakistan at the start of this over.
USA are jubilant.
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First big over for Pakistan
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Shadab Khan has decided he needs to make something happen here, and has taken Jasdeep Singh on in the 10th over.
Shadab bangs the first one over deep backward square for six, before running at the bowler, getting another short ball, and crashing it even higher over the same boundary.
Late in the over, even Babar Azam gets his first boundary, whipping through fine leg. It's the first four of Pakistan's innings, right at the end of the 10th over.
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Babar out of sorts
29 Babar Azam's strike rate in the powerplay
Having opened the innings, Babar was 4 off 14 by the time the fielding restrictions ended. He struggled against left-armer Netravalkar in particular, making only 3 off 11 off him.
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Taylor = Dwayne Leverock
Taylor, a gent with a little extra in the middle, taking a right-handed stunner at wide slip... he was always going to inspire comparisons to the legendary Dwayne Leverock (who played for Bermuda) catch from the 2007 World Cup.
Meanwhile Pakistan have lost another wicket and are struggling to go at a run-a-ball in the powerplay.
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Usman Khan also falls
2 Number of Pakistan wickets, and number of Pakistan sixes, by end of third over
Usman Khan could not have picked out Nitish Kumar at long off much more perfectly, off the bowling of Kenjige, who has made himself known in this match after having entered the XI today.
Pakistan are keeping their heads above water - just - with a couple of big hits, the second of which came off the bat of Fakhar Zaman, who slammed his first ball over square leg for six.
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Taylor takes a spectacular slip catch
Steven Taylor, USA's opening batter, takes what is likely the catch of the tournament so far, diving hard to his right to intercept an edge off the bat of Mohammad Rizwan, just centimetres (or should that be inches?) away from the turf.
Netravalkar the bowler is pumped. USA are away in this match. Pakistan yet to impose themselves.
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USA up against a top fast-bowling outfit
We've shared a bit of Pakistan pessimism so far, but just a reminder that when USA bat, they will be up against one of the brightest seam attacks of the competition.
For now, though, let's see how many Pakistan put up with the bat. We're all set for the start.
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Can 30-40 minutes define this match?
In the last game played at Dallas, Nepal had a terrible Powerplay and essentially lost the game in the first hour. Now they've won the toss, USA captain Monank Patel hopes they can replicate Netherlands' blueprint for success here. They've got Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to get through, though.
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Kenjige in for USA
Here's how the teams line up. Nosthush Kenjige, the left-arm spinner (who bats a bit), comes in for USA.
USA: Steven Taylor, Monank Patel (capt, wk), Andries Gous, Aaron Jones, Nitish Kumar, Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan
Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf
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ESPNcricinfo pre-match show
Our experts look ahead to this match here:
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Is there a little Pakistan nervousness?
Pakistan are infamously shaky starters in global tournaments, and USA are on a high after that first win over the weekend. Add to that the unpredictability of this Dallas surface, and the fact that USA have now won the toss and opted to put Pakistan in, in a morning match, and if you are a pessimistic Pakistan fan, you might have the recipe for an upset.
We'll have the full teams for you soon.
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Welcome
Hello folks, welcome to this World Cup clash all the way from Dallas Texas, between Pakistan and the USA.
USA of course won their first match of the tournament, against Canada, with Aaron Jones hitting an excellent 94* off 40. Pakistan, haven't had a great lead-in to the tournament, losing a T20 series 2-0 against England.
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