Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2024 campaign began with a shocking defeat against co-hosts, the USA. The thrilling match extended into a Super Over, where the USA’s resilience saw them pull off a major upset. After the game, veteran USA cricketer Rusty Theron quickly took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to accuse Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf of ball tampering.
Rusty Theron alleged that Rauf was attempting to tamper with the ball using his fingernail. “@ICC are we just going to pretend Pakistan aren’t scratching the hell out of this freshly changed ball? Reversing the ball that’s just been changed 2 overs ago? You can literally see Haris Rauf running his thumbnail over the ball at the top of his mark. @usacricket #PakvsUSA,” Theron tweeted.
@ICC are we just going to pretend Pakistan aren’t scratching the hell out of this freshly changed ball? Reversing the ball that’s just been changed 2 overs ago? You can literally see Harris Rauf running his thumb nail over the ball at the top of his mark. @usacricket #PakvsUSA
— Rusty Theron (@RustyTheron) June 6, 2024
Haris Rauf tampered the ball, Pakistan batsmen took more than 5 minutes to come to the crease for Super Over. Pakistan team cheated but still lost.
It just shows that naqal ke liye bhi aqal chaiye.
— yang goi (@GongR1ght) June 7, 2024
The match, held at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Thursday, June 6, saw both sides fiercely competing in the 11th game of the tournament. Pakistan batted first after losing the toss.Their innings began slowly, with captain Babar Azam scoring 44 runs off 43 deliveries, while Mohammad Rizwan departed early for just nine runs.
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Shadab Khan contributed 40 runs in the middle order, and Shaheen Shah Afridi added an unbeaten 23 runs, helping Pakistan reach a total of 159 runs. In response, the USA’s chase was spearheaded by their skipper Monank Patel, who scored 50 runs off 38 deliveries. He was supported by Andries Gous with 35 runs and Aaron Jones, who added an unbeaten 36 runs.
Their efforts brought the match to a nail-biting tie, pushing it into a Super Over. During the Super Over, the USA batted first and set a challenging target of 18 runs. In reply, Pakistan could only manage to score 13 runs, handing the USA a remarkable victory.
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This surprising result sparked intense reactions from netizens, with many taking to social media to express their astonishment and critique Pakistan’s performance. The unexpected defeat against the USA has complicated Pakistan’s path in the tournament, making their upcoming matches against Canada and Ireland crucial for their chances of advancing.
