In a do-or-die game with Canada at the 2024 T20 World Cup, Pakistan showcased their bowling dominance against Canada, restricting them to a modest total of just 106 with a loss of 7 wickets.
Canada’s innings began with a mix of promise and early setbacks. Opener Aaron Johnson played a pivotal role, scoring a resilient 52 runs off 44 balls, including four boundaries and four towering sixes. Despite his valiant efforts, Canada’s batting lineup struggled to build partnerships and capitalize on starts, with wickets falling at regular intervals.
Pakistan’s pace attack, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah, proved to be a formidable challenge for the Canadian batsmen. Afridi and Amir set the tone early, with Afridi claiming the crucial wicket of Pargat Singh for a duck and Amir dismissing the Canadian captain, Saad Bin Zafar, for 10 runs.
Haris Rauf added to Canada’s woes with a spectacular spell, claiming two wickets in quick succession, including the key dismissal of Ravinderpal Singh. Naseem Shah also played a crucial role, capturing the wicket of Aaron Johnson and stifling Canada’s scoring rate with his precise yorkers and changes of pace.
Rauf reached a career milestone of 101 wickets in T20 with back-to-back wickets of Shreyas Movva and Ravinderpal Singh in the 10th over. His sharp pace and accuracy left the Canadian middle-order reeling.
In a tense final over, Naseem Shah executed his deliveries with precision, allowing only five runs and securing a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Kaleem Sana. His ability to deliver under pressure highlighted his importance to the Pakistani bowling attack.
With a modest target set by Canada, Pakistan’s batsmen will look to chase down the total comfortably. The Canadian bowlers, however, will aim to make early inroads and put pressure on Pakistan’s out-of-form batting lineup. Stay tuned for more updates as the second innings begin shortly.
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