Photo by Matt Roberts-ICC/ICC via Getty Images
USA BEATS PAKISTAN! USA BEATS PAKISTAN!
There is absolutely no planet in which the USA should be able to contend with Pakistan in cricket, let alone win — but the impossible became reality in Dallas on Thursday afternoon. It came thanks to Aaron Jones of Queens, New York who stood tall in the Super Over to post a score of 19, leading to a five run win.
The day began with Pakistan at the crease batting, and their order was shattered early. Three wickets fell in the first two overs, setting the tone for much of their innings. There were flashes of brilliance, but nothing truly consistent — ultimately setting the chase at 159 runs after 20 overs.
While 159 is hardly a big score in international cricket, it was unclear whether the United States had the batting to get past a heralded Pakistan attack that includes its big four bowlers of Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. Those questions were answered fairly quickly as U.S. captain Monank Patel and Andries Gous formed a steady partnership that saw Gous finish with 35 runs off 26 balls before being bowled, while Patel finished with a match-high 50 runs.
Then it became the Aaron Jones show.
Jones, being the biggest bat for USA left in the lineup, understood the need for a serious outing and he provided, scoring 36 runs off 25 balls — including two fours and sixes. Clutch plays just kept coming from Jones, and when it appeared that the United States would fail their chase, he came through with a clutch six in the final over to make everything about the final ball. From here USA’s Nitish Kumar scored a stunning four on the final ball to send the game to the Super Over, and the rest is history.
It cannot be overstated just how dramatic this victory for the USA was. Prior to the game win probability gave them less than a 1 percent chance of beating Pakistan, and even when the game looked firmly in USA’s hand, still gave Pakistan a 67 percent chance of winning based on their talent. This is one of the biggest upsets in this history of international cricket, and one of the biggest embarrassments Pakistan has ever had.
The T20 Cricket World Cup is currently being played with the United States and West Indies co-hosting the event.
