Underperforming Pakistan is facing another do or die match in ongoing T20 World Cup against Canada today at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. To remain alive in tournament, Pakistan must win both high-stakes group matches.
Pakistan’s journey in World Cup could end in the first stage if USA secures just one more point. The situation is so precarious for Green Shirts that a single rain-affected match would eliminate them, as the US need only one point to advance to the second round.
Babar XI has already faced back to back woes in their first two World Cup matches. First, they were smacked by US in Super Over in their opening match, and then fell short against India by six runs while chasing a 120-run target.
If you look back at history, or head to head, Pakistan and Canada locked horns against each other in T20Is, back in the early days of format. In that match, Salman Butt led Pakistan to a 35-run victory over Canada in 2008.
Squad Updates
After shocking loss against India, it is uncertain what changes Green Shirts will make. It is possible that Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim, who did not perform well against India, may be benched. Saim Ayub or Azam Khan might be included in the lineup.
On the other hand, Canada, in contrast, is likely to stick with current playing XI after their victory over Ireland in the previous match.
PAK: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir, Abrar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Azam Khan, Abbas Afridi
CAN: Shreyas Movva (wk), Saad Bin Zafar (c), Aaron Johnson, Navneet Dhaliwal, Pargat Singh, Dilpreet Bajwa, Nicholas Kirton, Dillon Heyliger, Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem Sana, Jeremy Gordon, Nikhil Dutta, Rishiv Ragav Joshi, Rayyan Pathan, Ravinderpal Singh
PAKISTAN vs CANADA: PITCH REPORT
The pitch in New York has favored bowlers. During Pakistan vs India match, it offered a more balanced competition between bat and ball. Inconsistent bounce was observed under cloudy conditions in the first innings, and once the sun emerged, the pitch slowed down significantly, making it challenging to hit through the line.
A similar pitch behavior is expected on Tuesday, June 11.
Despite back to back losses, Men in Green are said to be strong favorites for today’s match. However, Canada should not be underestimated. Pakistan needs a big-margin victory and will aim to play courageously in their upcoming game.
