The Men in Green were under intense scrutiny in the immediate aftermath of the game, with some attributing the loss to poor bowling and others to the ineffectiveness of the batting order.
The leadership qualities of Pakistani captain Babar Azam were also called into question, with some arguing that since the US had thrown the ball to a left-handed bowler, Fakhar Zaman should have taken the strike in the super over rather than Iftikhar Ahmed.
Nevertheless, fans were left wondering if Babar Azam committed a tactical error at a pivotal moment in the game as a fresh video of the match featuring pace bowler Muhammad Amir surfaced on social media.
After the 15th over was over, a fan posted a video of Amir approaching the wicket. He can be heard informing his captain that the pitch was giving the pacers reverse swing.
Then, after Shadab Khan let up 11 runs in the 16th over, Mohammad Amir urged Babar Azam to assign the over to a pacer.
“Amir requested a pacer to continue after the fifteenth over. He appeared to be indicating that something was a little off. He reasoned that (Jones?) is a better spin player. The fan shared the video of the exchange on X, but it was turned down with the justification that “(Shadab?) might get hit if the match gets too close at the end.”
Amir can be heard stating that because the hitter, maybe Aaron Jones, plays spin well, a pacer ought to bowl the 16th over.
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But it seems that his counsel was disregarded because Shadab Khan bowled the 16th over, going for 11 runs, which helped the United States win the match.
As the co-hosts of the T20 World Cup 2024 gained momentum from that over and proceeded to score runs against other bowlers, supporters are now claiming that the decision cost Pakistan the game.