Saurabh Netravalkar: Pak vs USA: When a signal near WTC malfunctioned just when USA reached super over; leaves fans in celebrations

Just when you thought last night’s USA versus Pakistan had enough action on the field, an off-the field event took limelight. During the T20 World Cup match on Thursday, a traffic signal near New York’s World Trade Centre (WTC) reportedly paused at a critical moment when co-hosts USA were on the verge of making cricket history.

USA needed a boundary off the final ball to force a ‘Super Over’ against Pakistan. The game, broadcast live on a giant screen at New York City’s WTC, saw the traffic signal briefly malfunction just before Pakistan’s Haris Rauf bowled to USA’s Nitish Kumar.

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Kumar successfully hit the boundary, tying the game at 159 runs each and setting up a tense Super Over.

Saurabh Netravalkar, an India-origin engineer-turned-fast-bowler, became the hero for USA by restricting Pakistan to 13 runs in the Super Over, after USA posted 18. This sparked historic celebrations both on the field at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas and among fans watching in New York.

The USA team, having already defeated Canada in their opening match, now leads Group A with two wins. This victory marks their second win over a Test-playing nation within a month, following a series win against Bangladesh.

It was also Pakistan’s first loss to a non-full-ICC-member team in T20Is.

Pakistan, the 2009 T20 World Cup champions, now face the prospect of an early exit from the tournament if they lose to archrivals India in their next match on June 9 in New York.

(With TOI inputs)