New York, Group A - T20 World Cup
Canada 106-7 (20 overs): Johnson 52 (44); Amir 2-13
Pakistan 107-3 (17.3 overs): Rizwan 53* (53); Heyliger 2-18
Pakistan won by seven wickets
Facing a challenging path to advance, Canada sits in fourth place in Group A with a 1-2 record, following their defeat to Pakistan on Tuesday. This victory allowed Pakistan to cling to their faint hopes of progressing in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Pakistan, ranked sixth globally, successfully chased down the target of 107 runs in front of 16,328 spectators at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, located in suburban New York.
The decisive moment came when Usman Khan hit a two-run shot off Jeremy Gordon, bringing Pakistan to 107 for three with 15 balls to spare. Opener Mohammad Rizwan led the chase with a steady 53 not out, featuring two fours and a six, while captain Babar Azam contributed 33 runs.
For Canada, opener Aaron Johnson was the standout performer, scoring 52 runs in their innings.
Only the top two teams from each of the tournament's four groups will advance to the Super 8 stage.
To keep their hopes alive, Pakistan (1-2) must defeat 11th-ranked Ireland (0-2), boost their net run rate, and hope for the 18th-ranked USA (2-0) to lose their remaining matches. India, ranked first, and the USA will face each other on Wednesday, with the winner securing a spot in the next round and the loser still likely to advance. Canada (1-2), currently in fourth place in Group A, will likely make an early exit, trailing only Ireland. Their final match in the group stage will be against India on Saturday.
Canada set a target of 106 for seven after Pakistan chose to field first. Johnson's 52 runs included four sixes and four fours, but the rest of the Canadian batting line up struggled, combining for only 41 runs against Pakistan's disciplined bowling, which conceded 13 extras.
Saad Bin Zafar, Canada's captain, acknowledged the difficulty of batting early on and praised Pakistan's bowlers for their performance. Mohammad Amir, named the player of the match, took two wickets for 13 runs in his four overs. Amir expressed relief at the victory, noting the importance of the win for their campaign.
This T20 World Cup marks Canada’s debut, coming off a narrow 12-run win against Ireland after losing their opener to the USA by seven wickets. Before facing Pakistan, Johnson had expressed the team's ambition to be more than just participants in the tournament. His early aggressive batting, starting with consecutive fours, set the tone, but Pakistan's bowlers quickly regained control. Canada was 30-2 after the six-over power play, losing Navneet Dhaliwal (four runs) and Pargat Singh (two runs) early.
Nicholas Kirton was run out for one in the seventh over due to a miscommunication with Johnson, who had scored 34 of Canada's first 50 runs. Haris Rauf then dismissed Shreyas Movva and Ravinderpal Singh in the 10th over, marking his 100th and 101st wickets in T20 internationals. Canada was struggling at 55 for five midway through their innings.
Johnson and Zafar attempted to stabilise the innings, and Johnson reached his half-century with a six but was bowled by Naseem Shah soon after, leaving Canada at 73 for six.
In reply, Pakistan was 28 for one at the end of the powerplay and reached 59 for one after 10 overs. Dillon Heyliger took two wickets for Canada.
Canada made one change to their line up, with Ravinderpal Singh replacing Dilpreet Bajwa, while Saim Ayub replaced Iftikhar Ahmed for Pakistan and moved to the No. 2 spot in their batting order.
Pakistan's win in the 2009 T20 World Cup and their runner-up finish in 2020 contrast sharply with their current challenges. Their previous encounter with Canada in the T20s was a dominant win by 35 runs in 2008 in Ontario. Canada’s performances in 50-over matches against Pakistan include a 46-run loss at the 2011 ICC World Cup and an eight-wicket defeat in the 1979 World Cup.
On Tuesday, two other matches were scheduled. In Antigua, the 2021 champions Australia won the toss and chose to bowl first against Namibia. Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka-Nepal match in Florida was cancelled due to rain.
Canada's T20 World Cup Squad:
- Saad Bin Zafar (captain) — Brampton, Ont.
- Aaron Johnson — Surrey, B.C.
- Ravinderpal Singh — Vancouver
- Navneet Dhaliwal — Brampton, Ont.
- Kaleem Sana — Vancouver
- Dilon Heyliger — Toronto
- Jeremy Gordon — Toronto
- Nikhil Dutta — Brampton, Ont.
- Pargat Singh — Surrey, B.C.
- Nicholas Kirton — Toronto
- Rayyan Pathan — Toronto
- Junaid Siddiqui — Mississauga, Ont.
- Dilpreet Bajwa — Surrey, B.C.
- Shreyas Movva (wicketkeeper) — Montreal
- Rishiv Joshi — Toronto
Coach: Pubudu Dassanayake — Barrie, Ont.