Pakistan set for crucial T20 World Cup clash with USA amid India boycott

Pakistan’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign reaches a decisive point tomorrow when they face the United States in Colombo, knowing defeat would significantly dent their chances of progressing to the Super 8 stage.

In order to ensure that their qualification for the next round stays on track, Pakistan must deliver a far more convincing performance than they managed in their previous outing. The Men in Green narrowly escaped against the Netherlands on Saturday, a result that exposed familiar shortcomings, especially in the batting department. Those mistakes cannot be repeated against a USA side that already carries psychological advantage, having beaten Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup — a shock defeat in the super over that still lingers in the minds of fans back home.

Pakistan’s group position has been further complicated by the forfeiture of their match against India, which cost them two crucial points and dealt a significant blow to their net run rate under ICC regulations. India, meanwhile, have taken a major step towards the Super 8 after defeating the USA on Saturday and will also benefit from the points awarded due to Pakistan’s forfeited fixture.

Away from the field, the tournament has been overshadowed by political and administrative developments. The ICC continues efforts to persuade Pakistan to reconsider its decision not to play India on February 15. As part of these talks, ICC director Imran Khwaja met PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi in Lahore yesterday. Another ICC director, Mubashir Usmani, has been involved in back-channel discussions since Naqvi first raised doubts over Pakistan’s participation in the tournament two weeks ago.

Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam was also part of the discussions in Lahore yesterday. His presence is linked to the PCB’s show of solidarity following Bangladesh’s removal from the T20 World Cup, an issue cited by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif when the government ordered Pakistan not to play their match against India.

However, while negotiations continue off the field, the immediate challenge for the Pakistan team is to block out the surrounding noise and focus on the crucial match against USA.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam is under growing pressure after a scratchy 15 off 18 balls against the Netherlands, with former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting publicly questioning his form and ball-striking ability. With little margin for error remaining, Pakistan will need their senior players to respond under intense scrutiny.

“If you're 15 off 18 balls, you're not just putting pressure on yourself, you're putting pressure on the guy at the other end,” Ponting told icc-cricket.com.

“The guy at the other end then knows that he's got to be the one to take up the boundary scoring. Babar needs to hit boundaries early on. He needs to get off and going, he needs two boundaries in his first six balls, otherwise the whole momentum of the game is going to change every time he goes in.

“It just to me looks like he's lost a bit of his power, his ball striking ability, like taking that spinner on the way he did and not being able to even go close to clearing it.

“Pakistan need the best version of Babar Azam if they're going to go further in this tournament. They've got a big decision to make whether he stays in or whether they leave him out.”

Weather is unlikely to be a factor on Tuesday, with no rain forecast in Colombo and a full match expected.

Squads:

USA: Monank Patel (c), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane.

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.