India 119 (Pant 42, Naseem 3-21, Rauf 3-21) scored Pakistan 113 for 7 (Rizwan 31, Bumrah 3-14, Hardik 2-24) for 6 runs
One team had Jasprit Bumrah. One did not. And that was it. That was the difference. His legend is full of amazing shows. But this will feel good, not only because it came in a T20 World Cup match against Pakistan, but because without his intervention this match would have had a different outcome. India secured 119 runs. Pakistan lost after being 80 for 3. The finalists for the 2022 tournament are in serious danger of an early exit.
Pakistan need 40 runs from the last 36 balls with seven wickets in hand. The ESPNcricinfo forecaster gave them a 93% chance of victory at the time. Poor thing. Left on the fritz. Bumrah’s demeanor, his composure under pressure, his uncanny ability, not just to deliver the right ball but to understand what the right ball is, has baffled man and machine alike in New York.
Mohammad Rizwan was led to believe that there was a full length ball to play the opposite ball. His stumps paid the price. Soon after sending it back, Bumrah stretched his arms and broke into a smile. That is his usual celebration. But he didn’t stop there. He roared. And over 30,000 people on the floor roared with him. He gasped. Millions joined him. This was the opening that India built on. This was the crack that would cause the fall. Rizwan, who hit the set, finished with 31 for 44. Bumrah, who had previously stood in for Babar Azam, also dismissed Pakistan’s last hope, Iftikhar Ahmed, in the 19th over. Of his 24 balls, 15 were dots.
Bumrah’s feat created history: 119 was the lowest score ever secured in men’s T20 World Cups.
India waited until the third over to unleash their best weapon. Then they had to wait until the 15th to bring him back. In between, they rely on others to keep the pressure high and two people in particular do that with aplomb. Hardik Pandya and his short-length offerings were always going to be dangerous on this New York pitch with uneven bounce. He stopped Fakhar Zaman before he could play the kind of cameo that would kill chasers like this. Then he takes out Shadab Khan. Both times the batsmen were surprised at how high the ball was when they made contact with it. Hardik was not there. He just swallowed, as if to say, yes, I do that. No big deal.
Axar Patel was another unsung hero, bowling the death first over and somehow keeping it to just two runs despite facing a left-handed batsman with a short boundary on the leg side. Imad Wasim was never allowed to win the game as he was fed unturned food thrown at him and kept jumping over his cut shot. Bumrah produced the biggest swing in India’s favor according to the Forecaster, 44% at the end of the 19th over. Axar produced the second biggest swing, his defensive skills getting a 13% bump.
This was the best pitch to hit in New York so far. But even that had its dangers. Especially with the shape of the ball not going in, and occasionally with uneven bounce. Rizwan and Arshdeep Singh clapped.
A bit of luck is needed in these situations. Pant got that when he survived three catch chances and later survived the inside edge that would have gone into the sticks. A little courage helps. Pant showed it when he hit Haris Rauf over extra cover. A little thought doesn’t hurt either. Pant showed that with the stinging shot he played as he fell down because that was the only way he knew how to reach the length ball and slot it into fine leg. Later, on Imad’s most accurate left arm swing, he unleashed a standing reverse sweep.
It was hard to beat there. Pant’s unorthodox methods made him successful; he made him stand out. He made 42 of 31 at a strike rate of 135. All India made 70 out of 84 with a strike rate of 83.
In the match against USA, Mohammad Amir was all over the place. This time, he was there. Eight of his first 12 throws resulted in foul shots. At the beginning of the new ball, he hit the belt three times in a row. Later, even older, he was at his best. Pakistan dropped him to the first change and by the time he came in, India had already lost two of their best batsmen, both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli cutting the balls that were stuck in the field, a theme that would continue until the end of the innings. . Amir had a soft entry but made the perfect of it all. His brilliant performance coincided with the best phase of Pakistan’s game, when they put together four overs between the 12th and 15th in which eight runs and four wickets were scored. India went from 89 in 3 overs to 96 in 7 overs. In the stage half, Pakistan was in the lead. Twenty overs later, they were facing dismissal, partly because they were no match for Jasprit Bumrah.
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