PAK vs USA LIVE News: USA to chase 191, NZ cruise to 10-wicket win, ICC spares Bangladesh, check all T20 World Cup updates

USA falter after bright start as Pakistan tighten grip

United States of America faltered after a promising start in their chase of 191 against Pakistan, slipping to 69 for 3 in 10.2 overs. Openers gave the innings early momentum, with Shayan Jahangir leading the charge through an aggressive 49 off 34 balls, striking five fours and two sixes. However, Pakistan pulled things back through timely breakthroughs, with Shadab Khan removing both Jahangir and skipper Monank Patel to halt the scoring rate. Andries Gous departed cheaply, further denting the USA’s progress. With 122 runs still needed from 58 balls, the chase now looks increasingly challenging.

Shadab Khan’s blitz revives Pakistan as USA set 191-run target

Pakistan suffered a brief setback as Babar Azam’s dismissal was quickly followed by the fall of Sahibzada Farhan, opening the door for the USA to stage a comeback. However, the momentum swung decisively with the arrival of Shadab Khan. The all-rounder launched a counterattack, smashing a rapid 30 off just 12 balls to lift Pakistan’s innings. His explosive cameo pushed the total to 190, leaving the USA with a challenging target of 191 to chase.

Shadab Khan ignites Pakistan’s late charge

Just as Pakistan’s innings began to lose momentum, Shadab Khan injected fresh intent. He read Netravalkar’s slower delivery early, got into position and launched it over the ropes for a clean six. Shadab then followed it up with three boundaries in quick succession, shifting the momentum back in Pakistan’s favour and putting the side firmly on course for a total beyond 200.

Babar Azam falls short of half century

After Agha’s dismissal, Babar Azam walked in and looked to build a partnership with Sahibzada Farhan. While Farhan batted fluently, Babar took time to settle and struggled for rhythm early on. Gradually, he found his timing and began to play with more freedom, raising hopes of a substantial innings. Just when he appeared set for a big score, Babar threw his wicket away, falling four runs short of a half-century, leaving Pakistan at 143 for 3.

Sri Lanka star Wanindu Hasaranga ruled out of 2026 T20 World Cup due to hamstring tear

Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga has been ruled out of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after suffering a serious tear in his left hamstring during the team’s opening match against Ireland in Colombo. Despite taking 3/25 in four overs, an MRI scan revealed the extent of the injury, and a UK specialist confirmed he cannot continue in the tournament. The ICC has yet to approve a replacement, though leg-spin all-rounder Dushan Hemantha is the likely pick. Hasaranga’s absence is a major blow to Sri Lanka’s title hopes, given his consistent T20 World Cup bowling record.

Pak vs USA

Pakistan XI: Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed USA XI: Andries Gous (wk), Shayan Jahangir, Monank Patel (c), Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ehsan Adil, Saurabh

Pakistan look to settle scores against confident USA

Pakistan have endured a shaky start to the World Cup, stumbling in their opening fixture against the Netherlands. In contrast, the USA arrive with confidence after an impressive performance against India, carrying momentum into this clash. Notably, Pakistan will be wary of recent history, having suffered a shock defeat to the United States in their previous World Cup meeting in 2024. The USA won the toss and opted to bowl first in Colombo, putting early pressure on Pakistan to deliver with the bat.

NZ cruise to 10-wicket win over UAE in T20 World Cup

New Zealand wrapped up a commanding 10-wicket victory over the UAE, chasing down 174 without losing a wicket. Tim Seifert finished the match in style with a towering six, as he and Finn Allen stitched together an unbeaten 175-run opening partnership. The Kiwis reached 175/0 in just 15.2 overs, completely dominating the chase after the UAE had posted 173/6.

Seifert’s 360° show lights up the innings

Haider Ali comes into the attack, and Tim Seifert immediately switches to reverse sweep mode, launching him for a massive six. He follows it up with another boundary off the same shot, flaunting his full range as New Zealand cruise to 131 without loss in 11 overs.

ICC spares Bangladesh despite World Cup boycott

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced that it will not impose any sanctions on Bangladesh following their decision to boycott the World Cup citing security concerns over travelling to India. The decision came as a major relief for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), which had stood its ground despite repeated requests from the ICC and was eventually replaced by Scotland in the marquee tournament. Bangladesh officials welcomed the move, expressing relief after the governing body confirmed there would be no penalties for their withdrawal.

New Zealand smashes 78 runs in the first six overs

New Zealand batter storms the start,scoring 78 runs in the first 6 overs. Two inform openers, Seifert and Allen started the blisterings, Seifert has made 46 runs in just 20 balls, and Allen has made 32 runs in just 17 balls.

UAE put a target of 174 runs

UAE showed a great rescillance of batting against a tough opposition like New Zealand scoring 173 runs losing 6 wickets after 20 overs. Captain Waseem played till the last and scored 66 runs in 45 balls decorating his innings with four boundaries and three sixes. New Zealand used 7 bowlers but no onw showed the heat. Matt Henry took 2 wickets conceding 37 runs. Among the bowlers, Santner has the best economy rate of 5.8 rpo.

UAE starts well against New Zealand

United Arab Emirates starts well after electing to bat first. Losing one wicket, UAE has posted 77 runs in the first ten overs. They hammered 50 runs in the powerplay. Alishan sharafu and Muhammad Waseem have formed a 70 runs partnership.

NZ vs UAE squads

New Zealand Squad: Tim Seifert (WK), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (C), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway United Arab Emirates Squad: Aryansh Sharma (WK), Muhammad Waseem (C), Muhammad Zohaib, Alishan Sharafu, Harshit Kaushik, Mayank Kumar, Dhruv Parashar, Muhammad Arfan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Sohaib Khan, Muhammad Farooq. UAE has won the toss and chose to bat first.

New Zealand vs UAE: Kiwis eye back-to-back win in Group D

New Zealand will look to strengthen their hold at the top of Group D when they take on the United Arab Emirates in today’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026 clash. Riding on confidence from their previous outing, the Black Caps will aim for another convincing performance, while UAE will hope to pull off an upset against the higher-ranked side. The New Zealand vs UAE match will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with the game starting at 3 pm. Live telecast of the encounter will be available on the Star Sports Network in India.

Bas de Leede shines as Netherlands clinch first T20 World Cup 2026 win

Bas de Leede starred with both bat and ball to power the Netherlands to a seven-wicket victory over Namibia. After claiming two wickets as the Dutch restricted Namibia to 156/8 on a slow pitch, De Leede anchored the chase with an unbeaten 72 off 48 balls. Netherlands captain Scott Edwards’ call to field first proved spot-on, with the bowlers keeping things tight despite brief resistance from Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton and JJ Smit. In reaction, Netherlands lost a couple of early wickets but De Leede steadied the innings alongside Colin Ackermann. Striking five fours and four sixes, he guided his team to 159/3 in 18 overs, sealing their first win of the T20 World Cup 2026.

BCCI releases new central contracts

The Board of Control for Cricket in India announced its latest central contracts, scrapping the A+ category and placing 30 men’s players across three grades. Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja remain in the top tier, while Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were demoted to Grade B. Axar Patel slipped to Grade C, with Sai Sudharsan the only new inclusion. Several senior players missed out. In women’s contracts, Jemimah Rodrigues and Sneh Rana earned promotions, alongside multiple new entrants.

Bengal reaches to Ranji Semis

Bengal defeated Andhra Pradesh in the Ranji Quarter finals, Sudip Gharami’s 299 helped Bengal to take a lead of 334 runs. In reply Andhra Pradesh failed to chase the target and got all out in just 244 runs, Shahbaz Ahmed outplayed the Andhra batters, taking 4 wickets and helped Bengal reach the Ranji Semis by winning the match with an innings and 90 runs. Bengal will face Jammu and Kashmir on February 15.

Pakistan set to face India on February 15

After days of negotiations, Pakistan withdrew its boycott threat and agreed to play India on February 15 in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The Pakistan government said the decision was taken “to protect the spirit of cricket” following requests from friendly nations. The ICC welcomed the outcome, stating talks reflected a shared commitment to “serve the best interests of the game.” The move safeguards crucial broadcast revenues, stabilises ICC finances, and ensures continued benefits for all member nations.