T20 World Cup 2024: USA's Historic Win Over Pakistan Highlights Team Effort

Monank Patel praised the United States' "complete performance" after securing a dramatic upset against Pakistan in Dallas on Thursday, June 6.

In their T20 World Cup debut, the US has two wins from two matches, topping Group A. They initially defeated Canada and followed it up with another significant victory.

The US chose to let Pakistan bat first, restricting them to 159-7. The US chased down the target effectively, with Nitish Kumar hitting a four on the final ball to force a super over.

Pakistan had no answers, falling to a five-run defeat in their opening game of the tournament. Patel did not play in the opener against Canada but scored 50 off 38 balls, including two fours and two boundaries, in this match. He quickly shifted focus to the team's overall effort.

"Playing in the World Cup is a rare opportunity," he said. "We knew we had to be fully committed to every single ball against Pakistan. It was a complete effort from the team."

"It's a significant achievement—beating Pakistan while playing for the first time. We used the conditions well and kept them to 160, which was chaseable. I'm happy with my contribution but happier that we won."

"The plan was to have a big partnership among the top three and then take it deep. [Andries] Gous played cricketing shots and took pressure away. As a player and captain, you want to show your talent on big occasions. I wanted to score in a winning cause."

Leading his nation to a historic victory

USA captain, Monank Patel, is awarded the @aramco POTM after his half-century laid the foundation for an extraordinary #T20WorldCup upset #USAvPAK pic.twitter.com/MdFuOLRCHI

— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 6, 2024

Pakistan struggled to get going, with captain Babar Azam finishing on 44 after a slow start saw them struggle to build momentum.

Despite finishing the first innings strongly, Pakistan struggled to limit the US' chase, with errors creeping into their game.

Azam highlighted their slow starts in both innings as their shortcomings in the loss.

"In the first six overs while batting, we couldn't capitalise. We gained momentum but back-to-back wickets hurt us," he said.

"We were not up to the mark in the first six overs while bowling. We didn't take wickets; spinners didn't either. We came back in the end but couldn't finish well. Hope to do better in future games."

"The result makes it very hard. All credit to USA who excelled in all three departments. That's why they won. There was moisture in the pitch; it was two-paced. As professionals, we had to assess conditions better."