PAK vs USA: The Big Rematch! Can Pakistan Avenge the 2024 World Cup Upset?

The 12th match of the T20 World Cup will be played today between Pakistan and the United States at the SSC Stadium in Colombo. The match will begin at 7 pm, with the toss scheduled for 6:30 pm.

This will be the second match between the two teams in Group A. Pakistan won their first match against the Netherlands in the 20th over. The United States, after challenging the home team, India, lost a close match by 29 runs.

The USA has defeated Pakistan in the World Cup.
The two teams have met only once in T20 cricket. In the 2024 World Cup, they faced each other at the Grand Prairie Stadium. The United States, facing a target of 160 runs from Pakistan, scored 159 runs to force a tie. They then won the match in the Super Over. By winning this match, the United States eliminated Pakistan and entered the Super 8 stage.

Ayub is Pakistan's top run scorer
For Pakistan, opener Saim Ayub has scored the most runs since 2024, with 1,129 runs. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi remains the team's top bowler with 65 wickets.

Harmeet Singh, USA's top bowler
For USA, opener Andries Gaus has scored the most runs since 2024, with 757 runs. His best score was 81. Left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh is the team's top bowler with 26 wickets. He dismissed Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel against India.

Pitch Report
The pitch at SSC Colombo is spin-friendly. It's difficult to score big here. Scoring more than 150 runs in the first innings is considered a winning total. In the previous match, the Netherlands also showed fight against Pakistan after scoring 147 runs.

Weather Conditions
Rain is expected in 10% of Colombo on Tuesday. The match will start in the evening, but there is no dew here. Therefore, teams winning the toss will likely choose to bat first.

Possible Playing XI for Both Teams
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (captain), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, and Abrar Ahmed.

America: Andries Gaus, Saitheja Mukkamala, Monank Patel (captain and wicketkeeper), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthy, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadlee van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, and Saurabh Netravalkar.