Pakistan’s wicketkeeper batter Azam Khan got engaged in a heated encounter with a fan during the T20 World Cup 2024 match between Pakistan and the United States (USA) which is being played at the Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas, on Thursday.
Azam, once again, didn’t have his day with the bat as he was removed on his first ball by Nosthush Kenjige right after Shadab Khan was dismissed.
As Azam was walking back to the pavilion, he was encountered by a fan. The 25-year-old walked towards the fan with an angry face after which he went off to the pavilion.
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Pakistan set a 160-run target for the home side. The USA had a brilliant start with the ball as their bowlers sent the Pakistani top-order — Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan and Fakhar Zaman — back to the pavilion for just 26 runs.
However, after losing three wickets, skipper Babar Azam and Shadab Khan played with caution and put the struggling Pakistani side back in the game.
A 72-run partnership between Babar and Shadab helped Pakistan go on top once again but Shadab walked back to the pavilion after scoring 40 runs on 25 balls.
Right after Shadab's dismissal, wicketkeeper batter Azam Khan got out on a golden duck and the wickets continued to fall.
Babar Azam scored 44 off 43. Iftikhar Ahmed departed after scoring 18 runs.
Shaheen Afridi (23 off 16 balls) provided crucial runs to Pakistan down the order and helped them conclude their innings at 159-7 in the allocated overs.
Earlier at the toss, USA skipper Monak Patel defended his decision of bowling first saying that chasing is easier and they did the same in their previous match against Canada.
"Chasing here is easier," said USA captain Monak Patel at the toss as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo. "The way we chased down total was entertaining. Have momentum, want to continue that. Excited for this challenge."
Playing XIs
USA: Steven Taylor, Monank Patel (capt, wk), Andries Gous, Aaron Jones, Nitish Kumar, Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan
Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf
- Azam Khan
