Playing USA
Pakistan has made it their mission to give other cricketing nations hope in World Cups, yet their victory against an 18th ranked USA was an unexpected shocker.
NPR’s Corey Anderson spoke with Monank Patel of India after their incredible win against Pakistan at Dallas on Thursday. Patel kept his cool as he addressed reporters following the game.
Playing USA What happened?
An American victory would have been significant for Pakistan. Though only a small country, cricket is immensely important there and players often eclipse movie stars or musicians as celebrities. A loss would likely have precipitated an internal crisis within Pakistani society and possibly resulted in military intervention or intervention by other nations with much larger militaries than theirs.
However, USA were simply superior to Pakistan and won a match which should have been an upset for them. They dominated powerplay, limited death overs hitting and successfully defended their total total score.
Pakistan were unstable from the outset of their innings and soon found themselves bowled out for just 159 with Saurabh Netravalkar (2/18) and Nosthush Kenjige (3/30) among their wicket-takers.
Mohammad Amir was ultimately responsible for giving USA an advantage through bowling indiscipline and field panic, throwing two wides and missing an overthrow opportunity on the final ball, allowing an extra run-out by USA which ultimately resulted in 18 runs scored during Super Over, even without hitting one four! Pakistan suffered a humiliating loss which proved how formidable their opponent truly was compared with expectations.Playing USA
Playing USA The U.S.’s strategy
Pakistan has long been an American military and financial ally, receiving both military and financial support over many years. But its long history of political instability means it teeters on the brink of economic ruin with debt ballooning exponentially and its currency plummeting against international values. Successive governments have sought short-term fixes by artificially inflating or deflating exchange rates or fuel prices in an effort to keep their economies operating – but these measures only delay further collapse.
Pakistan’s elite has found that dominating rent-seeking sectors such as land or sugar provides them with an efficient route to wealth accumulation. Because these groups do not pay taxes, their primary method for amassing capital involves manipulating prices such as foreign exchange rates or fuel costs – activities which do not inspire confidence among investors or lenders, nor help address Pakistan’s deepening economic issues.Playing USA
At this juncture of crisis, Pakistanis hold extremely negative opinions of the U.S. and assess it negatively in relation to Pakistan. Around three-quarters consider America their enemy while President Obama holds extremely low regard – in fact he holds lower approval ratings in Pakistan than George W. Bush did during his last year in office!Playing USA
Playing USA The U.S.’s performance
Although there have been ongoing issues between Pakistan and the U.S., they have invested in long-term public diplomacy efforts there that include support for economic development, flood assistance, donation of 80 million vaccines during COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, climate mitigation strategies and mitigating its effects. Such investments may pay dividends by shaping wider perceptions of America among Pakistanis.
But Thursday’s upset in the cricket World Cup served as a timely reminder that it can be difficult to control how the United States is perceived abroad, even with all good intentions. It was a stunning victory against a team which had made three previous finals appearances and is considered amongst one of the premier cricketing nations worldwide.Playing USA
Tyler Adams and Tim Ream contributed greatly to America’s victory thanks to their strong defensive effort, breaking Mexico’s buildup play early and late while stifling any chance they had of moving forward. Megan Rapinoe stepped in for Sophia Smith at 61 minutes as well, providing speed and skill off set pieces which compounded this defensive effort.
Next Wednesday and two days later respectively, The USA will face India – another powerful opponent at this tournament – before taking on Ireland and India two days later. If they win these matches and finish in the top two of their group they would move onto the semi-finals and it would mark one of the greatest upsets ever witnessed in sports history.
Playing USA The U.S.’s reaction
American sports fans were taken aback when Pakistan lost in the T20 World Cup. Never before had America ever defeated Pakistan in any major tournament, and entered as +600 underdogs against an opposition that featured players such as American tech executive Saurabh Netravalkar and MIT graduate Tyler Adams who spend much of their time away from sports.Playing USA
These men of extraordinary talent showed their abilities through their play. Their victory demonstrated how America, even at its lowest point, can still rise up and show it is still an international sports powerhouse despite falling slightly short of peak form.Playing USA
It was an event that transcended sports; many Pakistanis, particularly young people, were deeply moved by the team’s performance. Rarely does a nation embrace non-military figures as enthusiastically as its youth have done with Pulisic.
Pakistanis responded enthusiastically to the game, yet remain highly critical of America. A majority of them hold unfavorable views towards it; roughly three quarters consider it an enemy nation. President Obama in particular has low approval ratings–his rating even dropped lower than President W. Bush during his final years in office.Playing USA
Pakistan cannot rely solely on foreign aid or geopolitical alliances to end its economic turmoil; all hands must come together to address it if that fails, otherwise its fate will be decided by forces beyond its control.Playing USA
