Pakistan vs USA: ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Complete Match Preview

Pakistan will face the USA in their next ICC T20 World Cup clash on February 10. It is an important match in which both teams will look to perform strongly by backing their core skills. Pakistan will come into this contest with distressing memories of their last T20 World Cup encounter against the USA, in which they lost the match in a Super Over. That defeat will likely be at the back of their minds and it could add some pressure on them ahead of the upcoming contest.

Speaking about the inspiring USA team, they will take the field with plenty of confidence, as their last outing against India showcased the quality of the side. They would certainly love to defeat Pakistan once again, however, it won’t be an easy job this time. The green shirts have a strong momentum coming into this game, so they will back themselves to carry forward the winning streak with another commanding performance.

In this blog, we will review the upcoming Pakistan vs USA match in detail, as that will let you know what type of strategies both teams can use in the match. Let’s take a look at the game plans of both sides below.

Match Strategy of the Pakistan Team

Although Pakistan won the last match against the Netherlands in a shaky manner, the momentum is still with them ahead of the next contest. The green shirts will look to fix their middle order batting issues, as it became a big problem for them in the last match. They would expect Babar Azam to perform strongly this time, as his runs in the middle order can help Pakistan to post a big total. In the bowling department, Pakistan will once again rely on their spin attack, because it has the capability to dismantle the inexperienced USA team quickly.

Key Players for Pakistan

Babar Azam

Babar Azam is the superstar batter of Pakistan who has the ability to win matches by scoring big runs. He is an experienced batter who understands the pressure of ICC tournaments, so the team relies on him to perform in crucial matches. Unfortunately, his last outing against the Netherlands was very disappointing, but the upcoming match between Pakistan vs USA brings another opportunity for him to showcase his class in playing match-winning innings.

Shadab Khan

Shadab Khan is a star all-rounder in the Pakistan team who contributes with both bat and ball. He will be crucial for Pakistan in the upcoming game, as his leg-spin bowling can create plenty of problems for the inexperienced USA team. Similarly, his batting can also prove vital for Pakistan, as he can hit big sixes in the middle overs to give the team a strong total on the board.

Match Strategy of the USA Team

The inspiring USA team will come up with a set game plan against Pakistan. They understand the batting issues of the green shirts, which they fully exploited in their last meeting at the 2024 T20 World Cup. Keeping that in view, they will once again try to dominate their batting by bowling smartly in the match. Meanwhile, the batting department of the USA was a bit disappointing in the last match, but they have the full capability to turn things around in the upcoming contest.

Key Players for the USA

Andries Gous

Andries Gous is a quality top order batter who can score big runs against Pakistan. He has played plenty of T20 cricket around the world, which has given him a good understanding of the format. The USA team relies on him to provide a strong start, as his early burst sets up the batting foundation. He will back himself to perform strongly in the next game, however, it won’t be a straightforward task on a tricky Colombo pitch.  

Ali Khan

Ali Khan is an aggressive fast bowler who provides early breakthroughs to the USA team. His bowling spell against Pakistan in the Powerplay will be important, as he will come up against the likes of Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, who are currently in good touch. The pace of Ali will certainly create problems for them, giving the USA an opportunity to pick early wickets in the first six overs.  

Probable Playing XI of Pakistan

Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Salman Ali Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed

Probable Playing XI of the USA

Andries Gous (wk), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Milind Kumar, Monank Patel (c), Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Shubham Ranjane, Harmeet Singh, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar.

Final Words

The upcoming match between Pakistan vs USA in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is going to be a thrilling contest. Pakistan will take the field with a bit of momentum, as they won the last match against the Netherlands on February 7. They will try to dominate the USA team on a tricky Colombo pitch, but it will require a strong batting display from them. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how both teams counter each other’s plans, as the competition during the game is expected to remain intense.