USA opt to bowl against Pakistan

June 6, 2024 08:16 PM

The hosts United States of America (USA) Thursday won the toss and put Pakistan into the bat in their Group A clash of the T20 World Cup 2024 at Dallas.

USA captain Monak Patel said chasing at this venue is easier.

"The way we chased down total was entertaining. We have momentum, want to continue that.”

He said they were excited about this challenge.

Pakistan have opted for four pacers as Babar Azam likened this to "Test match conditions" and said he would've loved to bowl first as well.

"Good to see the sun is out, last 3-4 days, haven't seen the sunshine. We're playing four quicks," said the Pakistan captain.

Pakistan chose Muhammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah to spearhead their bowling attack. Out-of-form Shadab Khan will lead the spin department with Iftikhar Ahmed another spin option for the team.

Babar and Muhammad Rizwan will open for Pakistan followed by Usman Khan and Fakhar Zaman. Azam Khan will keep the wickets despite a horror show in the last match against England.

Both sides have had contrasting build-ups.

USA are riding high after their stunning 2-1 series win over Bangladesh in the build-up to the tournament. They also beat Canada in the opening game right here in Dallas.

Pakistan have struggled to get a proper training session in, let alone an actual game, warm-up or official. Rain in Dallas for much of the past week forced Pakistan to move two practice sessions to makeshift indoor facilities.

They also arrived late into the USA, because they chose to play Ireland and England in six T20Is in the UK instead. And those games didn't exactly go to plan.

Now, adding to their woes, they'll take the field without the injured Imad Wasim, who was brought out of retirement specifically for his experience of having played here in the Caribbean, particularly, through the CPL. Seven members of the current squad have inside information courtesy of their extensive knowledge of the conditions in the Caribbean.

Squads:

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf

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