Colombo, February 9 An unpredictable Pakistan will aim to overcome the ghosts of the past when they face a determined USA, 20 months after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of the same opponents, in the T20 World Cup here on Tuesday.
In their World Cup debut in 2024, USA made a memorable victory over Pakistan, announcing their arrival on the big stage.
Having lost to India in the opener, USA will be highly motivated to deliver a strong performance against Pakistan in an evening game at the Sinhalese Sports Club here.
Both teams face a challenging task in batting.
Pakistan were in a commanding position in their chase of 148 against The Netherlands before a disastrous middle-order collapse. Despite Faheem Ashraf's efforts, they managed to win, but the collapse left them shaken.
USA put defending champions India under pressure at Wankhede, but their batters could not capitalize on an impressive bowling performance.
For Pakistan, Babar Azam will be under scrutiny after his return to the shortest format. Expectations will also be high from opener Saim Ayub. Ayub has been more productive as a spinner recently.
Captain Salman Ali Agha believes his players need to handle pressure better than they did against The Netherlands.
"We played really well. And then they managed to take wickets. And then the pressure came in. And I think we need to handle pressure better in these kinds of games.
"It's not easy to start, but once you get in, it's a good batting wicket. When someone gets in, we need to make sure that person will finish," said Agha, who also needs to contribute with the bat after moving up the order.
USA will be looking for a better batting performance at the top of the order.
Captain Monank Patel admits that they played loose shots in the powerplay against India. Monank also got out cheaply.
Led by South Africa-born Shadley Van Schalkwyk, they had a good outing with the ball.
However, senior pacer Saurabh Netravalkar had a forgettable opening game and will be eager to make an impact against Pakistan.
USA practiced in Sri Lanka ahead of the ICC event and are familiar with the conditions.
Questions remain over the fitness of their pacer Ali Khan, who limped off the field against India.
"I thought the intent (with the bat) was a bit missing there because we lost a few wickets initially. But there are a lot of positives from this game, and it will definitely help us in the future," said Monank after the loss to India.
Squads:
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USA: Monank Patel (c), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane.
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.
Match starts at 7 PM.