There’s no way the United States could ever match up to, let alone beat, Pakistan in cricket, but the impossible became a reality in Dallas on Thursday afternoon, thanks to Aaron Jones of Queens, New York, who scored 19 runs in the super over to secure a five-run victory.
Pakistan started the day with bat but their batting order quickly fell apart, taking three wickets in the first two overs which set the tone for much of their innings. They had some bright moments but no real consistency and were eventually trailing by 159 runs at the end of 20 overs.
While 159 is not a big score in international cricket, it was unclear whether the US had the batting prowess to overcome Pakistan’s renowned attack, which included the big four bowlers of Shaheen Afridi, Mohammed Amir, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. That doubt was soon answered when US captain Monankh Patel and Andries Goose forged a solid partnership, with Goose scoring 35 runs off 26 balls before being run out and Patel scoring a match-high 50.
Then it became the Aaron Jones show.
Jones, the biggest batsman remaining in the US batting line-up, knew he had to get serious and scored 36 off 25 balls, including two fours and a six. Jones kept playing hard to beat and just when it looked like the US were going to fail in their chase, he hit a crucial six in the final over, with the final ball deciding it all. From there, America’s Nitish Kumar hit a brilliant four off the last ball to send the game into a Super Over and the rest is history.
It is difficult to overstate how dramatic this US victory was. Pre-match odds gave the US less than a 1 percent chance of beating Pakistan, but even as the game seemed to go in the US’s hands, Pakistan’s performance gave them a 67 percent chance of winning. It remains one of the biggest upsets in the history of international cricket and one of the biggest humiliations Pakistan has ever experienced.
The T20 Cricket World Cup is currently being hosted jointly by the United States and the West Indies.
