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U.S. Cricket Team Beats Pakistan In Historic Upset At T20 World Cup

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The United States men’s national cricket team defeated cricket giant Pakistan by five runs in a massive upset victory Thursday, marking its second victory in the group stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Key Facts

The matchup between the U.S. and Pakistan, the latter of which was the finalist at the last T20 World Cup and won the title in 2009, ended in a tie during regulation, with both teams scoring 159 runs and sending the match to super over, an overtime period.

The U.S. scored 18 runs in the super over, defeating Pakistan by five runs.

The upset is the U.S.’s second win in the group stage of the T20 World Cup, increasing its chances of making the second round of the competition, known as the Super 8.

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Surprising Fact

Saurabh Netravalkar, who bowled the super over for the U.S., is a former under-19 player for India’s national team. Netravalkar moved to the U.S. after his time playing for India and now works a full-time job with Oracle, according to his LinkedIn profile.

What To Watch For

The U.S. still has two more matches remaining in the first round of the T20 World Cup, facing off against India and Ireland next weekend. India won the inaugural T20 World Cup.

Key Background

The T20 World Cup started in 2007, providing one of cricket’s shortest game formats and becoming one of sport’s major international competitions. This year’s installment is co-hosted by the U.S. and the West Indies, providing both teams with automatic qualification. This is the first time the U.S. has appeared at a T20 World Cup. While Australia, England and India have been designated as favorites for the title this year, the U.S. has remained firmly out of that conversation, ranking 18th in the T20 rankings—Pakistan is No. 6. However, given the Americans’ solid form throughout their April matchups and upset victory over Pakistan on Thursday, expectations about how far they can go in this year’s T20 World Cup could be changing.

Further Reading

How Competitive Will The U.S. Be In The T20 Cricket World Cup? (Forbes)

Cricket’s T20 World Cup Is More Inclusive As U.S. Team Makes History (Forbes)

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