As cricket moves to Texas, match no. 11 will take place between one of the best bowling units of this tournament. Pakistan will take on the co-host USA, which is coming with a winning momentum after thrashing Canada in a high-scoring encounter. Pakistan will look to start with a win before playing against the archrivals on 9 June.
Team Previews
Pakistan
Pakistan team, on paper, looks excellent, especially when you have the likes of Naseem, Shaheen, Amir, and Rauf in a single team with a smart bowler like Imad Wasim and T20 specialist Shadab Khan.
The problem for Pakistan will be the batting and leadership issues that they have been through before the tournament. Earlier, Shaheen Shah was leading the team after the World Cup 2023 as Babar Azam gave up captaincy in all three formats.
From then to now, it’s been a tough time for Pakistan as they drew a series at home against a second-string New Zealand side, got defeated against Ireland, and lost 2-0 in England. Rizwan and Babar will be key run accumulators for them.
USA
The United States of America, or simply the USA, is an associate nation that is currently an emerging cricketing nation. It is also the host of WT20 2024.
The USA qualified as the host nation and recently defeated a test-playing nation, Bangladesh, in a T20 series, a very surprising upset. Recently, the opener of the world T20 was also dominated by them; the USA has proved that you cannot take any opposition lightly in T20 cricket.
USA star batter Aaron Jones took the limelight in that match after scoring an explosive 94* off 40 balls with 10 sixes, along with his partnership with Gous. We all know that Corey Anderson, a former New Zealand white-ball specialist, also plays for this team. Anderson once held the record for the fastest ODI century, which was bettered by Ab de Villiers later. Captain Monk Patel and T20 league regular Ali Khan will also be the key for the USA.
Pitch Report
This match will take place at Texas’ Grand Prairie Stadium. Canada and the USA played a high-scoring game here, with the United States of America chasing 195 quite comfortably. Inconsistent bounce can trouble the batters, and we can expect the powerplay to help the seamers a bit.
Pacers are more likely to dominate here, whereas batsmen will look to target the shorter square boundaries. Using the pitch with cutters and slower ones outside off can be a good option if executed well.
Probable Playing XI
USA: Steven Taylor, Monak Patel (c) (wk), Andre Gous, Aaron Jones, Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Nitish Kumar, S Van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Jasdeep Singh, Saurabh Netravalkar
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmad, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah.
Players To Watch Out For
Shaheen Shah Afridi: Shaheen Shah will be the key for Pakistan as he will start the proceedings with a new ball and will look to set up the tone at the top. His sharp, inswinging Yorkers should be looked after, and US batters will look to protect their front pad. In the procedure, the one with the angle can do the damage. Afridi will form a good pair with Naseem.
Aaron Jones: The USA hard hitter will be the best bet for them as he has scored the most runs after Surya Kumar Yadav in T20 cricket in the last 12 months, averaging around 50 with an SR of 150. His hitting vs. spin will be the critical factor in countering Shadab or any other spinner that comes in front of him.
Babar Azam: When we talk about Pakistan, we have to talk about Babar Azam, who has scored so many T20 runs in the last six months or so. Babar had a horrendous WT20 2022, and he will look to forget it and come here with a fresh mindset. Most likely, he will open the innings and look to accumulate runs, and other batters will look to play around him.
USA vs PAK Dream11 Team for Match 11 of T20 WC 2024
Wicket Keeper: Mohammad Rizwan (c)
Batters: Babar Azam, Aaron Jones, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub
All-Rounders: Shadab Khan, Steven Taylor
Bowlers: Shaheen Shah Afridi (vc), Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result and Final Playing XI at this moment.
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