T20 World Cup 2024: In the important match between Pakistan and Canada in Group A, Pakistan won against Canada: Pakistan were on the brink of elimination in Group A of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup due to losses in their first two matches in the T20 tournament, with three teams ranked above them in the race for Super 8 qualification – including today’s opponent Canada.
And they made slow progress towards their target, eventually reaching 107/3 after 17 and a half overs and winning by seven wickets. They now sit third in the group rankings behind India and the USA after putting on a great field effort that allowed them to achieve the win they knew they needed in order to advance.
But they may regret missing out on more glorious wins if they fail to seal their place in the next stage of the tournament. Canada made 106/7 in 20 overs, thanks largely to a superb half-century from Aaron Johnson.
Pakistan will go into this match knowing they need a win at the Nassau County International Stadium, and possibly by a significant margin, to get their campaign back on track and then play one more group match (against Ireland).
Losing to the USA in their first match was a setback, and a loss to rival India last time out has put Pakistan in a bit of a spot in a group that has seen plenty of drama so far.
Last week, Canada recorded a surprise but deserved win over Ireland, which will undoubtedly be remembered as a famous World Cup triumph.
But a second group-stage win for Canada here would undoubtedly be the team’s greatest result ever in this format. Pakistan made one change to their line-up, replacing Iftikhar Ahmed with Saim Ayub, while Canada replaced Dilpreet Bajwa with Ravinderpal Singh.
Pakistan Strong fielding
Mohammad Aamir uprooted Navneet Dhaliwal’s stumps with a superb delivery, leaving Canada at 20/1 in three overs. And Shaheen Shah Afridi – who conceded ten runs in the first over of the innings – took advantage of a change of ends, caught by Fakhar Zaman off Pargat Singh on the very first ball of the sixth over, leaving Canada at 29/2.
A flurry of wickets followed. Nicholas Kirton was run out for a single, thanks to quick thinking from Imad Wasim and ending a potentially fruitful partnership with Aaron Johnson.
And Haris Rauf took his 100th wicket in T20 internationals, having Shreyas Mowwa caught by wicketkeeper Rizwan.
The 101st over wasn’t too long either, as new batsman Ravinderpal Singh went to slip just two balls later, and by the end of the tenth over, Canada were 55/5. Johnson made somewhat of a comeback by scoring 52 runs off 44 balls, but was bowled by Naseem Shah.
Captain Saad Bin Zafar was the next batsman to get out, caught by Rizwan off Amir. Kaleem Sana and Dilon Heyliger carried Canada past the hundred mark, setting Pakistan a target of 107 for victory – although they will also know they will have to consider the net run-rate too if they are to make it to the next stage of the tournament.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: South Africa beat Bangladesh in another low-scoring thriller
Pakistan makes slow progress
After a slow first three overs, Sam Ayub attempted to push it further, and had a scare while playing a no-look shot towards Dhaliwal, who edged the ball away rather than locking it in with his fingers.
And Sam got his marching orders in the fifth over, with Heyliger’s delivery flying into the hands of wicketkeeper Mowa, who was dismissed for just 6 runs.
The experienced pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan looked all set to take Pakistan to victory, adding 63 runs off 62 balls. But Heyliger struck again to dismiss Babar for 33, making the final five overs even more difficult.
But with just three runs remaining, Rizwan completed the task with an undefeated 53 before Fakhar, his new partner, had Gordon caught by replacement fielder Dilpreet Bajwa.
T20 World Cup 2024: Pakistan vs Canada Match details
| MATCH | Match 22 |
| VENUE | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York |
| DATE & TIME | Tuesday 11th June, 20:00 |
| SERIES | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024 |
| TOSS | Pakistan elected to field |
| UMPIRES | Adrian Holdstock (SA), Kumar Dharmasena (SL), Sam Nogajski (AUS) |
| REFEREE | Ranjan Madugalle (SL) |
| Pakistan Score | 107/3 (17.3) |
| Canada Score | 106/7 (20.0) |
| Winner | Pakistan won by 7 wickets |
| PLAYER OF THE MATCH | Mohammad Amir 2/13 (4) |
Also Read: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Points Table Latest After West Indies vs Uganda
Source: ICC
