Why Ali Khan is Not Playing Today Match in PAK vs USA T20 World Cup 2026?

Pakistan and USA are playing their second match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 against each other at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. The Men in Green avoided an upset by narrowly defeating the Netherlands in the last match, while the USA lost their first match to India despite a great bowling effort.

USA skipper Monank Patel won the toss against Pakistan and opted to bowl first, however, he also made an unexpected announcement as well. Star pacer Ali Khan has been left out of the playing 11 and it can affect the team composition as well.

Why Ali Khan is Not Playing Today?

Ali Khan is one of the premier pacers in the USA squad. However, the star pacer won't be playing in the PAK vs USA T20 World Cup 2026 match. The reason behind his absence is his injury, which he sustained in the last game.

Ali sustained a groin injury while fielding against India due to which he couldn't continue to play further in the match. Monank revealed during the toss that Ali is still injured but is recovering. Former Pakistan pacer Ehsan Adil has been named as Ali Khan replacement for the match.

Ali Khan is probably one of the best T20 bowlers in the world. He was also excellent during the USA's first match of the tournament against India, bowling two overs and conceding only 13 runs, including the wicket of the No. 1-ranked T20I batter, Abhishek Sharma. However, his injury midway through the match affected USA's bowling performance at the death.

Will Ali Khan's Absence Affect USA?

Ali Khan is undoubtedly one of the most experienced players in the USA team. The pacer might have played just 19 T20I matches in his career so far. However, he has played a total of 100 T20 matches, playing all around the globe in some of the biggest cricket leagues in the world. Ali has taken 95 T20 wickets so far.

More importantly, Ali Khan, the pacer with Pakistani roots, was once even a part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders, which makes him more experienced for these conditions. He has also been a regular part of Knight Riders franchise in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).