June 11 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Scarred by Rohit Sharma’s Team India at the grandest stage, Babar Azam’s Pakistan are fighting for survival in the T20 World Cup 2024 as the former champions are up against Canada in match No.22 of the ICC event on Tuesday. Winless Pakistan are eyeing a big win over Canada at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. With two defeats in their first two games, last edition’s runners-up are on the cusp of a shocking exit from the T20 World Cup co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies.
India extended Pakistan’s winless run in the marquee game by outclassing its arch-rivals in the marquee game at the 34,000-seater Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. In a contest where a 22-yard pitch was the major talking point, the Indian bowling unit, spearheaded by speedster Jasprit Bumrah handed Pakistan a sucker punch with a six-run defeat in the Group A showdown. While Rohit and Co. are tipped to top the group, a crestfallen Pakistan side is facing a premature exit from the T20 World Cup.
Before India’s meeting with Pakistan at the T20 World Cup, fans and followers of the Green Army observed a ‘black day’ as Babar and Co. were upstaged by co-hosts USA in a Super-Over thriller. The outcome of the Super Over encounter saw USA pull off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the World Cup. The co-hosts kickstarted their campaign with a win over Canada, who are also fighting with Pakistan for a place in the Super Eight stage of the ICC event.
After their seven-wicket defeat at the hands of the USA, the Canadian side led by Saad Bin Zafar overpowered Ireland by 12 runs in New York. Shreyas Movva and Nicholas Kirton played crucial knocks while Jeremy Gordon and Dillon Heyliger shared four wickets in the famous win. Group leaders India are followed by the USA and Canada while Pakistan are placed fourth on the points table of the ICC event. Can Pakistan bounce back with a win over Canada in New York?
T20 World Cup: How Pakistan can qualify with India from Group A
India will meet USA and Canada in its remaining games. Rohit and Co. are tipped to top Group A while Pakistan can finish second after back-to-back defeats. To remain in the hunt, Pakistan will have to beat Canada and Ireland. Since Pakistan can bridge the Net-Run-Rate gap with massive wins, the Green Army would require USA to register defeats in their remaining games to remain alive. If Pakistan win the last two games and USA record back-to-back defeats (with a total of 18 runs), Babar and Co. can join India from Group A for the Super Eight stage.
Here’s all you need to know about Pakistan’s must-win clash with Canada at T20 World Cup:
-Babar Azam has been embracing a lean patch in T20 World Cup since 2022.
-The powerplay run-rate of Pakistan is 5.41 – the lowest at T20 World Cup.
-Pakistan last suffered back-to-back defeats at T20 World Cup in 2022.
-Surpassing Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan, Aaron Johnson is striking the ball at 147.40 in powerplay.