USA vs PAK: 'Won't focus on Pakistan' - Monank Patel threatens to demolish Babar Azam & Co. in T20 World Cup clash

United States of America captain Monank Patel has expressed his confidence ahead of their second Group A game against Pakistan later tonight.

This is the first time that the USA are playing in the ICC T20 World Cup and it's also the first time that they are co-hosting the event with West Indies. In that regard, Monank Patel is a historic name as he is the first player to captain his National side on a World Cup stage. For those who don't know, Patel plays a wicket-keeper batsman for the United States.

Very recently, Monank Patel and his side had scripted history when they defeated Bangladesh 2-1 in a 3-match T20I series prior to the T20 World Cup 2024. Patel's team became the first USA side to register a series win against a full-member nation of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

While it was a brand-new low for Bangladesh, the series proved to be a major step forward for the Americans.

With that series win, USA entered the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in full confidence. They reflected the momentum in the WC opener against Canada on June 2nd at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas. Canada had posted a massive target of 194 runs on the board. In response, the USA faced some troubles but on the back of top-order batters Andries Gous and Aaron Jones' 131-run partnership, they won the game.

Monank Patel recognizes the threats posed by Pakistan

Later today, the co-hosts will face Pakistan in their second Group A game at the Grand Prairie Stadium. As they ride high on confidence, USA skipper Monank Patel expressed his respect for the Pakistani team which has a number of well-experienced players.

Monank Patel, who was in Gujarat, claimed that the USA will carry on with the momentum they picked up in their win against Canada, 4 days ago. The wicket-keeper batsman, just like a true leader, recognized the threats posed by the Babar Azam-led Pakistan team.

Patel admitted that Pakistan have some great bowlers in the team as he named Mohammad Amir as the one the USA would want to tackle.

"The first game definitely helped us. We got good momentum. We will make sure that we carry forward that momentum in the next game. Pakistan is a good side, is a well-experienced side and we will make sure that we play the cricket we have been playing. We will focus on Mohammad Amir, who is an experienced Pakistani bowler, we will try to tackle him well," Patel told reporters yesterday.

Patel believes the USA can take the game away

Monank Patel went on to further claim that the USA's main focus is themselves and not Pakistan. Having said that, the Americans will look forward to focusing on their own plans and playing good cricket to come out on top. Patel then stated that 30-40 minutes of a good outing can be helpful for the team and if they do so, they will be able to take the game away.

"I mean, we won't focus much on the Pakistan side. We want to focus on our own cricket. And we want to make sure that we continue playing the way we've been playing. And you know, it's T20. Once we have a good 30-40 minutes on the field, you never know. We can take the game away," Monank Patel concluded.