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Pakistan needed 107 runs to emerge victorious in the must-win T20 World Cup 2024 clash against Canada being played at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, on Tuesday.
Youngster Saim Ayub replaced skipper Babar Azam as the opener alongside Mohammad Rizwan as the Men in Green began the run chase.
However, his inclusion did not pay off as he returned to the pavillion in the fith over with just six runs in the bag.
A few boundaries by star pair Babar and Rizwan provided Pakistan a breather against Canada.
Earlier, Babar had decided to bowl first after winning the toss in the 22nd match of the mega-tournament, which is also a do-or-die match for the national side.
Pakistan squad drew first blood against the opponents as Mohammad Amir bowled Canadian opener Navneet Dhaliwal (4) out in the third over.
The bowlers picked up wickets quickly after the first dismissal, as Shaheen Shah Afridi, who couldn’t take his first over wicket, made progress when Pragat Singh (2) was caught and bowled in the fifth over.
Haris Rauf conceded 13 runs in the 7th over without taking a wicket but Imad Wasim did the job for his mate as he dismissed Nicholas Singh for just two runs in a run out.
Pakistan looked dominant with five wickets in hand as Rauf sought a hat-trick after sending Ravinderpal Singh to the dugout the 10th over.
Young pacer Naseem Shah struck, taking his first wicket of the match in the 14th over, with Canada at 73/6 at this point.
As the wickets kept tumbling, Aaron Johnson tried his best to keep Canada in the game as he deposited Imad for his third six before scoring a fifty.
Canadian skipper Saad Bin Zafar was sent packing with just 10 runs in the bag.
The national side needs to win today’s match and the next one — both of which are high-stake group clashes — to stay in the tournament, as they lost two of the opening matches.
A win against Pakistan today would make things easier for Canada as they would have four points with just one more match to go. Their chances of qualifying for the T20 World Cup playoffs would still be alive.
However, if Pakistan lose, their campaign will be over as they will be officially eliminated with three successive losses.
Pakistan made one change in their playing XI from the last match against India as Saim Ayub has been included in place of Iftikhar Ahmed.
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (capt), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Amir
Canada: Aaron Johnson, Navneet Dhaliwal, Pargat Singh, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (wk), Ravinderpal Singh, Dilon Heyliger, Saad Bin Zafar (capt), Kaleem Sana, Junaid Siddiqui, Jeremy Gordon
Pakistan are surely hitting rock bottom as they suffered defeats in the first two matches of the World Cup against the United States (USA) and India in Dallas and New York respectively and their chances of making way to the Super 8 of the tournament are now lingering on other results of the Group A games.
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