Former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar said that he was hurt and disappointed after the Men in Green lost to the USA in the T20 World Cup 2024. The USA defeated Pakistan in the super over after the main match ended in a tie.
The loss, reminiscent of Pakistan's unexpected defeat to Bangladesh in the 1999 World Cup, has left fans and former players reeling.
"It was a disappointing loss for Pakistan. We are not off to a good start, losing to the USA. Unfortunately, Pakistan never deserved to win because the USA played well. They were always in the commanding position. (Mohammad) Amir saved the match. Shaheen (Afridi) and Amir tried, but USA were winning over Pakistan for 37 overs. And unfortunately, we couldn't pull it off," Akhtar said in a video posted on his social media handle.
Both sides scored 159 runs in their allotted 20 overs in the Group A encounter. The USA, the tournament's co-hosts, appeared to be on track for a simple victory but stumbled late in their innings.
They needed 12 runs from the final three balls, and Aaron Jones and Nitish Kumar came through as heroes. Jones hit Haris Rauf for a six before Nitish blasted a last-ball full toss for four, tying the game and forcing a Super Over.
The USA batted first in the Super Over, scoring 18 runs against Pakistan's experienced spinner Mohammad Amir. The over was plagued by wides and overthrows, which added to the USA's competitive total.
Saurabh Netravalkar, an India-born pacer, then bowled a disciplined Super Over for the United States, limiting Pakistan, the 2009 champions and 2022 runners-up, to 13-1 in response.
