India defended 119 in low-scoring thriller to beat Pakistan in T20 World Cup

WESTBURY, NY — India managed just 119 runs to beat rival Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring cricket thriller on Sunday and remained perfect in the Twenty20 World Cup.

After becoming surprised by the American co-host In the Super Over in Dallas on Thursday, Pakistan recovered well to bowl out India for 119 in 19 overs on another tricky wicket at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Long Island.

But Babar Azam-led Pakistan stuttered to 113-7 in 20 overs against India's fast-paced attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah's match-winning figures of 3-14 in four overs and Hardik Pandya's 2-24 then as India finished strongly.

Pakistan looked to be reaching 80-4 in 14 overs, but Bumrah then had Pakistan top-scorer Mohammad Rizwan for 31 and Iftikhar Ahmed burrowed into the deep for the final ball of a superb spell.

Needing 18 runs in the final over, Naseem Shah (10 not out) bowled Arshdeep Singh for two boundaries before leaving the field with tears in his eyes and was consoled by his batting partner Shaheen Shah Afridi as Pakistan lost their second consecutive Group A match.

India beat Ireland by eight wickets in their opening match at the same venue.

Earlier, the Indian team collapsed against Shah and Haris Rauf, who both finished with 3-21, while Mohammad Amir, who came out of retirement for the World Cup, took 2-23.

Pakistan lost to tournament hosts the United States in a resounding defeat in Dallas on Thursday and will next face Canada on Tuesday.

Canada lost to the United States in its first match, but bounced back with a victory against Ireland.

Cheryl Tenny

"Thinker. Food advocate. Incurable coffee enthusiast. Communicator. Proud student. Zombie buff. Tv fanatic. Extreme troublemaker."

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *