'We are confident' – USA's Monank Patel eyes to repeat 'historic win' against Pakistan at T20 World Cup 2026 [Exclusive]
The USA and Pakistan will be seen squaring off against each other in a Group A clash on February 10 at Colombo.
USA captain Monank Patel has set his eyes on reliving one of the iconic moments in his country’s cricketing history when the United States face Pakistan again at the T20 World Cup 2026. The two teams will once again lock horns in a Group A clash on February 10 in Colombo, bringing back memories of their thrilling meeting in the 2024 edition.
The last time the USA and Pakistan faced off, few gave the associate team a chance. Batting first in Dallas, Pakistan, were kept in check by USA bowling and restricted to 159 for 7. However, Patel ensured the USA did not lose momentum in the power play, hitting four boundaries and constructing a stand alongside Andries Gous.
Patel’s knock of 50 off 38 balls saw him tackle the pace attack of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, and Haris Rauf. He reached his half-century before falling, but his innings led the USA to tie the match and then stun Pakistan in the Super Over.
The wicket-keeper batter also took part in the 'Rapid Fire' contest, One word, one cricketer', and 'Pick your Dream Batter' segments during the same exclusive chat with CricTracker. Take a look at all the answers given by Patel:
Excerpts
What was the dressing room environment like after defeating Pakistan? Can we expect the USA to outplay Pakistan again this time around?
Yes, for sure. You can expect and it's not just the Pakistan team. We want to win games one game at a time. We are focussing right now and the way we played in 2024 against Pakistan, I thought we played really well and everyone was excited after the win. It took some time to sink in and it was unreal for us playing for the first time in the World Cup and beating them. Everyone was excited and that gave us a lot of confidence also.
Monank Patel picks his top 5 wicketkeepers of all-time
Rapid Fire (This or That):
Playing under MS Dhoni or Playing under Rohit Sharma - Rohit Sharma
Batting first or chasing a target - Chasing a target
Opening the innings or Finishing the chase - Finishing the chase
Leading from the front or Backing teammates quietly - Leading from the front
Calm captain or Aggressive captain - Calm captain
Facing express pace or Tackling quality spin - Facing express pace
Anchoring the innings or All-out attack - Anchoring the innings
Keeping wickets or Pure batting focus - Pure batting focus
Winning as underdogs or Winning as favorites - Winning as favourites
Babar Azam Cover drive or Virat Kohli’s cover drive - Virat Kohli’s cover drive
MS Dhoni’s calmness or Ricky Ponting’s aggression - MS Dhoni’s calmness
Ali Khan hails MS Dhoni as ‘a dream captain to play under'
Segment: 'One Word, One Cricketer'
Fearless - Travis Head
Stylish - KL Rahul
Underrated - Ishan Kishan
Speed - Jasprit Bumrah
Calm - MS Dhoni
Genius - Virat Kohli
Magician - Shane Warne
Fighter - Yuvraj Singh
King - Virat Kohli
Clutch - Ajinkya Rahane
Golden Arm - Shadley van Schalkwyk
Leader - Rohit Sharma
USA pacer Ali Khan backs team to defeat India at T20 WC
Segment: 'Pick Your Dream Batter'
Technique - KL Rahul
Timing - Rohit Sharma
Power - Kieron Pollard
Consistency - Virat Kohli
Mentality - Virat Kohli
Spin-hitting - Suryakumar Yadav
Pace-hitting - Rohit Sharma
Game awareness - Virat Kohli
Finishing ability - MS Dhoni
Longevity - Kieron Pollard
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