Farhan fires Pakistan to 32-run win over the US in T20 World Cup

Feb 10 : Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan hit a swift half-century as the 2009 champions comfortably beat the United States by 32 runs on Tuesday, clinching their second straight Group A win in the Twenty20 World Cup.

Farhan's knock of 73 off 41 balls helped Pakistan topost 190-9, before spinners Usman Tariq and Shadab Khan took five wickets between them to ensure that the U.S. could not replicate their shock 2024 win over the South Asian side, despite Shubham Ranjane's defiant fifty.

"Clinical performance, we started well with the bat and batted really well in the middle... we have a world-class (bowling) attack and scoring 190, we knew we could defend that," said Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha.

Put in to bat first in Colombo, Farhan scored three boundaries against Ehsan Adil, the former Pakistan international debuting for the U.S., before hitting Milind Kumar for two sixes to get Pakistan to 54-0 after five overs.

But after Shadley van Schalkwyk dismissed Saim Ayub (19) and Salman (1) in the sixth over, Babar Azam and Farhan cautiously consolidated their innings, adding only 35 runs in the next five overs.

Babar picked up the pace in the 13th over, hitting his first two boundaries and a six as Harmeet Singh conceded 21 runs. But the former Pakistan captain fell to Mohammad Mohsin soon after for 46 as Kumar caught him at long on.

Player of the match Farhan's fighting knock, which included six boundaries and five sixes, came to an end in the 16th over as he got caught trying to hit Singh for a six, leaving Pakistan at 143-4.

But Shadab Khan kept the pace going, hitting a hat-trick of fours against Adil to add 28 runs in the next two overs, and scored a quick 30 off 12 balls before falling to Van Schalkwyk.

Van Schalkwyk ended