Colombo [Sri Lanka], February 9 : The United States cricket team is gearing up to face Pakistan in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup on February 10, and all-rounder Mohammad Mohsin expressed confidence in replicating their previous upset over Pakistan.
Speaking ahead of the high-stakes encounter, USA player Mohammad Mohsin said during the pre-match press conference, "I think last World Cup I was not part of the team, but I was there, I watched the game, and I think this year a major difference is our strength has increased. We have a lot more skilful team, even though the last team was skilful as well, but we have increased in skill level. So we are hoping to have a good game against them tomorrow and hopefully we win again."
When asked whether the team had discussed their last T20 World Cup win over Pakistan, Mohsin added, "Yes, we have. We spoke about it in a way where we carry forward that confidence we gained from beating them in the last World Cup, and hopefully tomorrow we will be more confident than last time, and we'll have a good fight against them."
Reflecting on their loss to the defending champions India, the 29-year-old Mohsin said the team remained focused on the positives.
"Yeah, I think it was a tough loss to take, especially from where the game was after the first 15 overs. But we only discussed the positives that we gained from the last game and against Pakistan because we have beaten them once. I think the pressure is all on them. 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 with tomorrow's win it's going to be even better," the USA player said.
USA, who are making their second appearance in the T20 World Cup after the 2024 edition, lost to India by 23 runs.
Coming to the match, after being asked to bat first, the Men in Blue made 161/9 in 20 overs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 8. Captain Suryakumar played a fantastic, unbeaten knock of 84 off 49 deliveries.
Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan (20 off 16 balls, with one four and two sixes) and Tilak Varma (25 off 16 balls, with three fours and one six) also chipped in with the bat.
For the USA, Shadley van Schalkwyk (4/29) and Harmeet Singh (2/26) were among the wicket-takers.In response, the USA were restricted to 132/8 as they lost the match by 29 runs. Milind Kumar (34 off 34 balls, with four boundaries), Sanjay Krishnamurthi (37 off 31 balls, with two sixes and one four) and Shubham Ranjane (37 off 22 balls, with two fours and three sixes) played fighting knocks for their side.
For India, Mohammed Siraj (3/29), Axar Patel (2/24), and Arshdeep Singh (2/18) picked wickets.
After the India fixture, the USA will travel to Sri Lanka and face Pakistan, whom they defeated in the 2024 T20 World Cup, on February 10.
USA squad for T20 World Cup:
Monank Patel (captain), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane.