ISLAMABAD: Led by skipper Monank Patel, the United States registered the first shock upset of this year’s T20 World Cup on Thursday when they defeated Pakistan by five runs in a thriller that went down to the Super Over. 

Pakistan were sent in to bat first after the US won the toss and elected to field against the 2009 T20 world champions in Dallas. Pakistan’s upper order failed them once again, with opener Muhammad Rizwan, Usman Khan and Fakhar Zaman departing for 9, 3 and 11 runs respectively. 

Skipper Babar Azam scored 44 runs from 43 balls while all-rounder Shadab Khan made 40 from 25 balls. Pinch-hitter Azam Khan went for a golden duck, while pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi scored an unbeaten 23 runs from 16 balls to ensure Pakistan finished at 159/7 from 20 overs. 

However, Pakistani bowlers were unable to defend the target, with the match ending in a tie that ultimately went to a Super Over. In T20 cricket, each team bats for an additional over when the match ends in a tie.

“HISTORY MADE,” the International Cricket Council (ICC) wrote on social media platform Instagram. “Stunning scenes in Dallas as USA pull off a remarkable Super Over win over against Pakistan.”

Nosthush Kenjige was the pick of the American bowlers, returning figures of 3/30 while Saurabh Netravalkar pitched in with 2/18 to keep the Pakistani batters at bay. 

In response, US captain Patel led from the front, scoring 50 runs from 38 balls. Pakistani pacers Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf returned figures of 1/25, 1/26 and 1/37 from their four overs. Afridi remained wicketless, returning figures of 0/33 as the US finished at 159/3 from 20 overs. 

Sent in to bat first, the US managed to score 18 runs courtesy of a boundary, some fielding mishaps from Pakistan and three wide deliveries from Amir. 

Pakistan sent in batters Zaman and Iftikhar Ahmed to chase the 19-run target from six balls. However, they lost the Super Over after finishing five runs short of the target at 13/1. 

With the latest win, the US move to the top of the table with four points from two matches. India are second-placed in the table while Pakistan, Canada and Ireland are yet to open their account in the World Cup.