Who: Pakistan vs Canada
What: ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Group A match
When: Tuesday, June 11, 10:30am local time (14:30 GMT)
Where: Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York, USA

It’s a familiar scenario for Pakistan in a World Cup, as their tournament fate hangs by a thread.

Babar Azam’s team, having lost to the USA and India, must secure a victory against Canada to keep their T20 World Cup hopes alive.

A defeat would render their final Group A match against Ireland inconsequential. A decisive win, followed by another against Ireland, would keep them in contention depending on other group results.

The manner of Pakistan’s loss to India left fans and experts livid.

During the 11th over, Pakistan needed 63 runs off 59 balls with eight wickets in hand but ultimately lost by six runs.

Former captain Wasim Akram called for changes, saying, “After this performance, Pakistan doesn’t deserve to go to the Super Eight.”

Assistant coach Azhar Mahmood attributed the loss to poor shot selection and decision-making, suggesting fear of failure might have played a part. He emphasized the need to win both upcoming matches, calling it a "do-or-die" situation.

‘Fancying our chances’

On the other hand, Canada views this game as a potential to cause another upset.

Aaron Johnson, a top-order player from Canada, said the unpredictable New York pitch could benefit his team. He stated, “The wicket playing some tricks levels the field for us, and we will use that to our advantage.”

Canada is buoyed by a victory over Ireland, and Johnson said they are “fancying our chances” against a struggling Pakistani side, planning to bat positively and back it up in the field.

Pitch and weather conditions

The New York pitch has been a topic of discussion and critique, though it has improved since June 2. Teams are achieving scores over 100, but big hits remain rare. Cloudy and humid weather is expected on Tuesday, enabling a full game without interruptions.

Head-to-head

Pakistan and Canada have faced each other once in T20, with Pakistan winning by 35 runs in 2008.

Form guide

Neither team has won many recent T20 games, but they enter this match following different outcomes. Pakistan's misfiring batting has been in focus with two losses, while Canada’s spirits are high after defeating Ireland.

Pakistan: L L L L W
Canada: W L L L L

Pakistan team news

To stay in contention, Pakistan might introduce young opener Saim Ayub and possibly swap one of the spin-bowling all-rounders for pace bowler Abbas Afridi.

Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.

Canada team news

Canada will likely stick with the team that secured their first-ever T20 World Cup win.

Squad: Navneet Dhaliwal, Aaron Johnson, Ravinderpal Singh, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Shreyas Movva, Dilon Heyliger, Dilpreet Bajwa, Harsh Thaker, Jeremy Gordon, Saad bin Zafar (captain), Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem Sana, Nicholas Kirton, Pargat Singh, Rayyan Khan Pathan.