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Cricket PlayersUSA plays mind games ahead of T20 World Cup clash: ‘We’ve already beaten Pakistan, pressure all on them'
USA all-rounder Mohammad Mohsin reminded Pakistan of the T20 World Cup in 2024 ahead of the upcoming match. Here's what he said.
The entire world is waiting for the T20 World Cup 2026 Group A match between the USA and Pakistan to begin. And what's not to be expected about? Who can forget the previous edition of the tournament where the USA stunned the almighty Pakistan in a Super Over? This result was the main reason the side led by Babar Azam failed to reach the next round, crashing out in the group stage. The rematch is here, and all eyes will be on whether the USA can do the double for Pakistan, who are playing the tournament with a new captain this time around, Salman Ali Agha.
USA's spin-bowling all-rounder Mohammad Mohsin played mind games with the opposition on the eve of the contest, reminding Pakistan of how they lost the last time, and hence the pressure would truly be on them to come up with a different result this time.
“We only discussed the positives that we gained from the last game and against Pakistan, because we have beaten them once. I think the pressure is all on them. Anyway, we don't have anything to lose in this World Cup. We are just enjoying our journey, and I think the way it started, it seems to be an exciting one, and hopefully, with tomorrow's win, it's going to be even better,” Mohsin told reporters in the pre-match press conference on Monday.
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Pakistan got over the line against the Netherlands in their opening match of the ongoing edition, and it took Faheem Ashraf to play a blinder to help the side register a three-wicket win and three balls to spare. The 2009 champions were cruising in the chase of 148, but a wobble in the middle overs phase led to the Dutch staging a comeback. Had Max ODowd not dropped Ashraf in the penultimate over, the result of the game could have been different.
The USA all-rounder also stated that his team is a little stronger than the previous edition, hence the side would back themselves in the contest against Pakistan.
“We have a lot more skilful team, even though the last team was skilful as well, but we have increased in skill level. So we are hoping to have a good game against them tomorrow and hopefully win again,” he said.
When asked whether the current group has discussed the previous win over Pakistan, he said, “We spoke about it in a way where we carry forward that confidence we gained from beating them in the last World Cup, and hopefully tomorrow we will be more confident than last time, and we'll have a good fight against them.”
USA run India close
The USA, led by Monank Patel, might have lost the opening match against India, but they really ran Suryakumar Yadav's side close. At one stage, the hosts were reeling at 77/6, and it took the skipper's brilliance to help India reach 161/9 in 20 overs. In the end, the total proved enough, as the USA fell 29 runs short. But there were many things to ride home about as far as their performance was concerned.
“Yeah, I think that first game was a massive one for us, even though we ended up losing, but we gained a lot of confidence, especially as a bowling unit,” he said.
“In the practice games as a bowling unit, we struggled a bit; our batting is our strong core, but that last game has given us a lot of confidence, and I think you will see in the future games - we as a bowling group will be doing better and better every game,” he added.
Speaking of Pakistan, the side received the permission to play against India on February 15 on the eve of the USA game. The Government of Pakistan did a U-turn shortly after the ICC's official statement, confirming that no sanctions would be imposed on Bangladesh for missing the T20 World Cup.
