USA all-rounder Mohammad Mohsin said on Monday (February 9) that all the pressure to win the upcoming match against Pakistan would be on the latter. Mohsin pointed to the USA’s shock upset of Pakistan in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and their ‘nothing to lose’ attitude, saying the onus is on their stronger and more experienced opponents to find a way to beat the fledgling cricketing nation.
It was a fairytale win for the USA in 2024. They were playing their first T20 World Cup, which they qualified for on the virtue of their hosting rights, and it concluded with a breathtaking Super Over win. The match brought immense ridicule for Pakistan, which could also be a factor for Salman Agha’s men.
“Against Pakistan, because we have beaten them once, I think
the pressure is all on them,” Mohsin said on the eve of the game, as quoted by The Indian Express. “Anyway, we don’t have anything to lose in this World Cup. We are just enjoying our journey. And I think the way it started, it seems to be an exciting one. And hopefully, tomorrow’s game is going to be even better.”
The USA team is also taking confidence from their recent match against this edition’s hosts and the title-favorites, India, even though they lost the match by 28 runs. The Americans put up a big fight in the first innings, keeping India down to 76/6 at one stage, but some poor decisions and Suryakumar Yadav’s stellar half-century took the game away.
“It was a tough loss, especially from where the game was after the first 15 overs. But we only discussed the positives that we gained from the last game. Even though we ended up losing, but we gained a lot of confidence, especially as a bowling unit. In the practise games, as a bowling unit, we struggled a bit. Batting is our strong core, but that last game has given us a lot of confidence. And I think you will see in the future games, we as a bowling group will be doing better and better every game,” Mohsin said.
