USA's Ali Khan Confident of Upsets at T20 World Cup After Bangladesh Series Win

Ali Khan, the fast bowler who played a pivotal role in USA's historic T20I series win against Bangladesh, has expressed confidence in his team's ability to cause upsets at the upcoming T20 World Cup.

"We [USA] are hungry, and are going to try to eat whoever comes in our way," Khan declared. "This is a time where we can make some changes and adjust. Team looks balanced, and all the guys are hungry. I am sure USA will do some upset [in the T20 World Cup]."

Khan, who was named Player of the Match for his 3 for 25 in the second T20I, emphasized the importance of showcasing USA's talent on the world stage. "We need to put USA out there on the world cricket map," he said. "Sometimes when you win against a big side, they say oh it is a fluke. But beating them twice, back-to-back, winning the series is not a fluke. We have the talent, skills and the ability if given the opportunities."

Khan's performance in the second T20I was particularly impressive, as he dismissed experienced Bangladesh batsman Shakib Al Hasan and Tanzim Hasan in the 18th over, effectively ending Bangladesh's hopes of victory.

"The captain (Monank Patel) asked me to stay ready, and I stayed warmed up," Khan explained. "I knew I would be coming on to bowl the 18th and 20th over or the 17th and 19th depending on the situation. Right before I came on, we got a breakthrough and that added pressure on Bangladesh. I just backed myself and tried to do what I do best at the death."

Khan's success against Shakib was a result of careful planning and execution. "The wicket got slower, and they were expecting me to bowl with pace, and that's why they threw their bats and helped me to get the inside edge with Shakib," he said. "The plan was to make them hit against the wind, which was the off side for Shakib and tried to throw the first ball away from him. He tried to drag it on and helped me get that wicket."

The series win against Bangladesh has boosted the confidence of the USA team and individual players, according to Khan. "It's massive," he said. "In a series like this, individual performances count as well. As a team, just shows the world what we can do if given the opportunities. If we keep playing at this associate level or lower level, you are just going to stay there. But if you have more opportunities to play against bigger sides, top ten teams, there's definitely ways of doing an upset. More opportunities against full members will help us showcase our talent."

Khan, who had gone for 1 for 49 in the first game, admitted that he needed some time to adjust to the conditions and find his rhythm. "I was coming back from a major injury and you need time in the middle to get back into rhythm," he said. "It was for me to just go out and get used to the conditions. It didn't go the way I would have liked, usually I don't go for that many runs. But it was my first game back, no excuse. What I learnt from that game, I tried to implement in this game."

With the T20 World Cup approaching, Khan believes that the USA team has the potential to surprise their opponents. "The World Cup is coming up, so we don't have much time," he said. "I still feel there's a lot of improvement to be done."

Tags: #USACricket, #T20WorldCup, #AliKhan, #Bangladesh, #UpsetAlert