ICC Men’s T20 WC 2026 | Match 12: Pakistan vs USA | Preview and Predictions

Two teams who went through a roller-coaster of a game in their respective openers face off in Match 12 of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Pakistan take on the United States of America in Colombo looking to build on their winning start, while the Americans will be looking for their first win in this edition of the T20 World Cup. 

Here, we present our preview and predictions for the game.

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 | Match 12: PAK vs USA | 19:00, February 10, 2026

Pakistan had a near-nightmarish start to their campaign and barely escaped from the jaws of defeat against the Netherlands in their opening game.

Having chosen to field first, the Pakistani bowlers were on top from the get-go on a slow Colombo strip. The likes of Salman Mirza, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, and even Saim Ayub had a strong outing, staying both economical and among the wickets. Playing their games in Colombo also means that the Men in Green have an added advantage over the other teams in terms of more rest between the games and experience with the pitch.

While the bowlers started strong for Pakistan, the batters almost let them down. After a brisk start from Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan, Pakistan suffered a stunning collapse, going from 98/2 to 114/7. The middle and lower orders had no answer to the slow and turning ball, and if it wasn’t for Faheem Ashraf’s late game-changing cameo, Pakistan would be staring at group-stage elimination right now.

The US, meanwhile, almost pulled off a stunning upset but fell short and weren’t able to capitalise on their early onslaught. They had co-hosts India reeling at 77/6 on a turning and two-paced Wankhede pitch, with the American spinners causing all sorts of trouble for the storied Indian batting line-up.

While their bowling unit had a stunning outing, with Shadley van Schalkwyk stepping up with a big four-wicket haul, the US will be sweating on pacer Ali Khan’s fitness; the right-arm quick went off the field after his two overs and wasn’t able to complete his quota, having impressed with a quick opening spell.

With the bat, the Americans struggled against a strong Indian bowling attack, though there were some positives with the way the likes of Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, and Shubham Ranjane got runs under their belts.

The Colombo ground presented us with a slow and gripping track during its opening game; expect more of the same going forward, with spinners getting the most out of the pitch.

While Pakistan are the higher-ranked team, the US have already shown that they can take down the Men in Green on their day. Given how close the Dutch came to beating Pakistan, we back this game’s underdogs to emerge as surprise winners, especially after putting up a spirited performance against the defending champions.

Fantasy XI: Andries Gous (wk), Saim Ayub, Babar Azam (c), Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan (vc), Shubham Ranjane, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Ali Khan, Shadley van Schalwyk, Salman Mirza

Venue: Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo
Winners Prediction: USA