All-round Pakistan outclass USA by 32 runs in T20 World Cup showdown

Pakistan beat the United States by 32 runs in their T20 World Cup Group A game at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Tuesday.

The win avenged Pakistan's shock defeat at the hands of USA in the T20 World Cup two years ago and handed them a second win in as many games following their close three-wicket win over the Netherlands on February 7.

Pakistan posted a target of 191, and in response, the United States managed a respectable 158-8 in their 20 overs, with strong performances from opener Shayan Jahangir (49 off 34) and middle-order batsman Shubham Ranjane (51 off 30).

Another win for Pakistan! Beat USA by 32 runs in Game 2 of ICC T20 World Cup 2026 🇵🇰🏏#PAKvUSA | #T20WorldCup | #BackTheBoysInGreen | #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/Dq2yM0337O

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 10, 2026

Usman Tariq was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, securing figures of 3-27 in his four overs, while Shadab Khan contributed with a decent 3-26 in his spell. Meanwhile, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi and spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed bagged a wicket each.

"It was a clinical performance as we batted really well to post 190 and we knew we could defend that," said Pakistan captain Salman Agha. "There is always room for improvement, we'd like to bowl better in the powerplay before the next game," he added.

USA captain Monank Patel said, "We were in the game in the powerplay but again in the middle overs we couldn't show intent and lost wickets."

Pakistan's next game is against arch-rivals India in Colombo on Sunday, a game only cleared by Pakistan government on Monday after initially announcing a boycott of it.

ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 🏏

Pakistan set a 191-run target for USA at SSC, Colombo🏏#PAKvUSA | #T20WorldCup | #BackTheBoysInGreen | #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/uwhvd7Qgpl

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 10, 2026

Earlier, Pakistan Opener Sahibzada Farhan hit a robust half-century, hitting five sixes and six fours in his 41-ball 73, and was aided by a brilliant 32-ball 46 by Babar Azam (four fours, one six) as Pakistan, who were sent in to bat, took advantage of a good batting pitch.

Farhan and fellow opener Saim Ayub, who scored 17-ball 19 with two sixes, put on 54 in five overs before Pakistan lost two wickets in the sixth over of the innings bowled by Shadley van Schalkwyk. Ayub was caught off a slower one while skipper Salman Agha holed out on the deep square-leg boundary for one.

Farhan and Azam then put on an 81-run third-wicket stand as Pakistan cut loose in the middle overs. Farhan passed 1,000 T20 international runs in his 41st match before he was caught in the covers off spinner Harmeet Singh in the 16th over.

😎 Runs keep flowing!

Opening batter Sahibzada Farhan completes 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ T20I runs 🏏✨#PAKvUSA | #T20WorldCup | #BackTheBoysInGreen | #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/bHxbucvfdR

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 10, 2026

Shadab launched an assault to score 30 off 12 balls before Pakistan lost five wickets for just 13 runs in the last two overs.

Schalkwyk was the best USA bowler with 4-25, following his four-wicket haul against India in the 29-run defeat on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Afridi became the seventh Pakistan player to complete the milestone of 100 T20I matches after playing against the USA.

Prior to the match, Afridi received a commemorative cap from fellow pacer Naseem Shah in recognition of the achievement.

.@iShaheenAfridi receives cap from fellow pacer @iNaseemShah on completing 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ T20I apperances 🇵🇰#PAKvUSA | #BackTheBoysInGreen | #T20WorldCup | #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/Zr4i7LtvmJ

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 10, 2026

The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, began on February 7 but was overshadowed after Bangladesh refused to play in India citing security concerns amid soured political relations between the neighbours.

Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the tournament after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected their request to move their matches to Sri Lanka. Pakistan expressed solidarity with Bangladesh and protested the ICC decision, subsequently announcing that the national team would not play against India.

The development to reverse Pakistan's boycott followed negotiations that included the ICC and the cricket boards of Pakistan and Bangladesh, along with consultations among national leaders nations such as Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.

On Sunday, ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam landed in Lahore and held marathon talks with Naqvi at Gaddafi Stadium.

During the meeting, Khawaja urged Pakistan to reconsider its decision not to play against India, saying the team should participate "in the broader interest of cricket". The BCB president thanked Pakistan for its support during the talks.

Subsequently, on Monday, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake urged Pakistan to play its T20 World Cup clash against India in a conversation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, recalling Pakistan's past solidarity with Sri Lankan cricket during difficult times.

The government late on Monday night directed the Pakistan national cricket team to take the field on February 15, with the decision taken to "protect the spirit of cricket".

The ICC also confirmed that no penalties or sanctions would be imposed on Bangladesh in relation to its non-participation in the T20 World Cup. In a joint statement with the PCB and BCB, the governing body noted that Bangladesh remains a valued full member with a rich cricketing history and a vital role in global cricket development.

Squads

Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Salman Ali Agha (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Shadab Khan, 6 Usman Khan (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Usman Tariq, 11 Abrar Ahmed

🚨 TOSS & PLAYING XI 🚨

USA win the toss and opt to field first 🏏

One change to our team today 🇵🇰#PAKvUSA | #BackTheBoysInGreen | #T20WorldCup | #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/O20b0DwyZz

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 10, 2026

US: Andries Gous (wk), 2 Shayan Jahangir, 3 Monank Patel (capt), 4 Milind Kumar, 5 Sanjay Krishnamurthi, 6 Shubham Ranjane, 7 Harmeet Singh, 8 Mohammad Mohsin, 9 Shadley van Schalkwyk, 10 Ehsan Adil, 11 Saurabh Netravalkar