T20 World Cup: Hapless Pakistan face Canada today in must-win match

(Web Desk) – Pakistan will meet Canada in a must-win match to stay in contention for the T20 World Cup on Tuesday. 

After losing to debutant the United States and cricket giant India in their first two matches, the Green Shirts have no chance to falter in their third match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York today. 

The match will start at 7:30pm Pakistan Standard Time. 

Once again, the game of “ifs and buts” has started for Pakistan’s chances to move into the next round of the tournament. Pakistan must defeat Canada (today) and Ireland on June 16 to enter Super 8 stage. They also need the US lose to India and Ireland. 

And with ifs and buts, luck will also play its role; if the US manage even one more point, Pakistan will be ousted in the first stage. 

It may be recalled that Pakistan and Canada have played only one T20 International on Oct 10, 2008 in King City, Ontario, and the Green Shirts won by 35 runs. Batting first, Pakistan scored 137-7 with opener Salman Butt contributing 74 runs and restricted Canada to 102-9.

For consolation of Pakistani fans, they must remember that the two-time world One-day cricket champions, the West Indies, failed to qualify for the World ODI Cup 2023 after losing to Zimbabwe, the Netherlands and Scotland in succession. 

They were champions of the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979, and runners-up in 1983. But it’s irony of fate that they had to play the World Cup Qualifiers because they finished ninth in the ODI Super League, and only the top eight teams gained direct entry to the 10-team tournament. 

Returning to the match today, the New York weather will be fine with temperature reaching as high as 23 degrees Celsius with slight cloud cover. And the good news is this that there are only 20 percent chances of rain. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan will likely field an unchanged team for the match against Canada.