Photo: ICC
Pakistan beat Canada by seven wickets in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at New York’s Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. Canada were restricted to 106-7 having been asked to bat first. Mohammad Amir won the Player of the Match award for his three-wicket haul, while Muhammad Rizwan registered a fifty in the chase.
“It’s good for us, we needed this win,” Babar told the post-match ceremony. “We started well with the bowling. The first six overs need to be up to the mark, and if you take wickets it’s very difficult to get a big total. “In the back of the mind we had a thought of a chase of 13 or 14 overs [to significantly improve the net run rate], but on these pitches, the ball is sometimes coming low or at a different pace. “We are going to change our mindset [against Ireland]. We will try to take our best cricket there [to Lauderhill, Florida]. The conditions are much better there.”
Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar admits disappointment. “It was a bit disappointing we wanted to play a positive brand of cricket,” he told the post-match ceremony. “The wicket was not very helpful and was tricky early on. The Pakistan bowlers bowled well and we were never able to pick up the pace. “We needed to pick up some early wickets through to the Pakistan middle order and I think that’s where we lost the game. “We don’t get to play high calibre teams very often, so that is a positive for us.”
Pakistan must win their remaining game against Ireland to have any chance of reaching the Super Eights. Canada also need to win their remaining game but their negative net run rate makes progress unlikely.
Messenger/Hasan
