USA captain Monank Patel revels in historic World Cup win over Pakistan
After guiding the USA to a thrilling Super Over victory over Pakistan in the ongoing Cricket World Cup, captain Monank Patel expressed his delight, stating that the win will open “many doors” for the team’s growth and development.
Chasing a target of 160, the USA found themselves in a strong position at 104/3 in the 13th over, with Patel and Andries Gous well set. However, a late collapse saw the match head into a Super Over, where the USA prevailed by scoring 18 runs to Pakistan’s 13.
“When I got out, we were still in the game and I thought we should have finished it in regular time instead of going to the Super Over,” Patel said after the match. “But the way we kept our nerves, especially in the Super Over where we managed to score 18 runs, gave us a big advantage to defend the target.”
The USA captain praised his team’s execution of the game plan, which involved winning the toss and bowling first to take advantage of the favourable conditions for the pacers. “The plan was to win the toss and bowl first, and we knew the first half an hour would help the fast bowlers. The way we kept Pakistan quiet and took crucial wickets in the powerplay really helped us,” Patel said.
For the crucial Super Over, Patel opted for left-arm seamer Saurabh Netravalkar over the more experienced Ali Khan, a decision that proved to be the right one as Netravalkar conceded just 13 runs. “We wanted to utilize the conditions, and the left-arm angle with cutters and wide yorkers was the best strategy against Pakistan,” the captain explained.
Monank Patel, who top-scored for the USA with a 50 off 38 balls, acknowledged the significance of the historic win over Pakistan, the first-ever in a World Cup encounter. “Beating Pakistan in the World Cup is a big day for Team USA and the USA cricket community. It’s going to open many doors for us, especially with the World Cup being hosted in the USA,” he said.
With two wins in as many games, the USA have put themselves in contention for a spot in the Super 8 stage. However, Patel is focused on taking it one game at a time, with the next match against India being the immediate priority. “We don’t want to keep our emotions too high or low. We’ll enjoy this win and then come fresh for the India game, taking it one match at a time,” he concluded.
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