Pakistan’s Azam Khan faced harsh criticism on social media after being dismissed for a golden duck in the T20 World Cup 2024 match against the United States. Khan’s struggles with batting form have been evident, drawing ire from fans and experts alike, especially after recent low scores and fielding errors during the T20I series against England.
In the tournament opener, Khan’s early dismissal added to Pakistan’s pressure. He was out LBW to Nosthush Kenjige on the first delivery, sparking a wave of trolling on social media. Some comments even reignited the ‘nepotism’ debate due to Khan being the son of former Pakistan captain Moin Khan.
Meanwhile, the United States, led by Monank Patel, won the toss and chose to bowl first against Babar Azam’s Pakistan. Coming off a victory against Canada in their opening match, the US currently stands second in Group A standings with two points.
Pakistan, on the other hand, enters the tournament after a disappointing T20 series loss against England. Despite not being in top form, the team aims to start their campaign positively.
During the toss, Patel expressed the US team’s determination to deliver their best performance. “Chasing is easy on this ground, and it’s better to know the target. We want to continue the momentum,” he stated.
Confirming Imad Wasim’s injury, Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam revealed their strategy to play with four pacers against the US. “We will look to put runs on the board. He (Imad) has an injury, but we will cover it up by playing the four fast bowlers,” Babar mentioned.
Pakistan Playing XI: Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (Wk), Usman Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf.
United States Playing XI: Steven Taylor, Monank Patel (Wk/C), Andries Gous, Aaron Jones, Nitish Kumar, Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, Jasdeep Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan.
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