It might be thought-about an upset

Former India player Irfan Pathan has opined that it would be considered an upset if the United States of America (USA) beat Pakistan in their T20 World Cup 2026 clash. He reasoned that USA haven’t played much cricket against top teams heading into the tournament.

USA will face Pakistan in a T20 World Cup 2026 Group A game in Colombo on Tuesday, February 10. While Monank Patel and company head into the game after a 29-run loss to India, the Men in Green registered a narrow three-wicket win against the Netherlands in their tournament opener.

During an interaction on JioHotstar, Pathan replied in the affirmative when asked whether a USA win against Pakistan in Tuesday evening’s T20 World Cup 2026 clash would be considered an upset.

“USA haven’t played a lot of cricket against big teams. So it will be considered an upset. They playted incredible cricket in the last World Cup. The match went to the Super Over and Saurabh Netravalkar bowled very well there. Their bowlers had totally strangulated Pakistan and didn’t give them a chance to express themselves at all,” he said.

The former India all-rounder highlighted that USA could potentially miss the injured Ali Khan‘s services against Pakistan, adding that Harmeet Singh could hold the key in the bowling department.

“There will be many aspects here. Ali Khan has gotten injured. It is a massive aspect from USA’s perspective. There will be a lot of dependence on Harmeet’s bowling because you are playing in Sri Lanka. His bowling will be very important.” Pathan observed.

Irfan Pathan pointed out that how USA batters play spin would also be important, considering it’s a big ground and the pitch would assist the spinners. He added that USA could challenge Pakistan if their batters are able to adjust to the conditions.

“They will have the confidence of the good cricket they played against India” – Irfan Pathan on USA heading into T20 World Cup 2026 clash vs Pakistan

In the same interaction, Irfan Pathan was asked whether USA spinner Mohammad Mohsin was right in expressing confidence in the pre-match press conference ahead of their clash against Pakistan.

“100 percent, and they should be confident as well. You have come to the World Cup. You shouldn’t say that the opposing team will come and roll you over. They will have the confidence of the good cricket they played against India. USA will have the confidence of having beaten Pakistan in the last World Cup,” he responded.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Pakistan’s nervy win against the Netherlands would have also boosted USA’s confidence.

“The way Pakistan played their last match, USA will get confidence from that as well, because before the last two overs, it seemed like Pakistan might lose. So there will be a lot of pressure on Pakistan. However, as I said earlier, if USA play spin well, they can put a lot of pressure on Pakistan,” Pathan observed.

Pakistan needed 29 runs off the last two overs, with just three wickets in hand, in their T20 World Cup 2026 clash against the Netherlands. However, Faheem Ashraf smashed an unbeaten 29 off 11 deliveries to take his side to a win with three balls to spare.