NEW YORK, CMC – India put Pakistan on the brink of elimination from the ICC Twenty20 World Cup here Sunday, outlasting their perennial rivals by six runs in a low-scoring game on another comatose pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.
Sent in, India mustered only 119 all out from 19 overs, the left-handed Rishabh Pant the only one to fire with 42 off 31 deliveries with half-dozen fours, and Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf both picking up three for 21.
Outstanding seamer Jasprit Bumrah produced a high-quality Man-of-the-Match spell of three for 14 as India defended the lowest-ever total at a men’s T20 World Cup to win a stunning victory.
The result propelled India to the top of Group A with their second win in as many matches with four points, ahead of co-hosts the United States only on net run rate.
Pakistan, meanwhile, is one place from the bottom without a win in the tournament but has games remaining against Canada and Ireland.
India were 19 for two in the third over after losing former captain Virat Kohli (4) and his successor Rohit Sharma (13) cheaply. Still, Pant stitched together two key partnerships to rebuild the innings.
First, he put on 39 for the third wicket with Axar Patel (20) before adding a further 31 for the fourth wicket with Suryakumar Yadav (7),
Naseem and fellow seamer Mohammad Amir (2-23) then ripped through the middle and lower order as India lost their last seven wickets for 30 runs.
In reply, Pakistan was well placed at 80 for three at the start of the 15th, thanks mainly to opener Mohammad Rizwan’s 31 from 44 deliveries.
However, Bumrah went through Rizwan’s swing, bowled him, and then dried up the scoring as Pakistan gathered only 30 runs from the last 30 balls of the innings.
and then 