NEW DELHI: The
USA cricket team
announced their arrival on the world stage with a resounding seven-wicket victory over Canada in their opening match of the
T20 World Cup
. New York native
Aaron Jones
spearheaded the chase with a blistering 94 runs off just 40 balls, an innings that included a record-tying ten sixes.
Dealt with a challenging target of 195 runs, the USA innings got off to a shaky start, losing opener
Steven Taylor
early.
At 42/2 after 6.3 overs, the Canadians appeared to have the upper hand. However, Jones entered the fray and single-handedly turned the tide with his aggressive stroke play.
ALSO SEE: T20 World Cup Schedule
Jones, who admitted to thriving under pressure, forged a crucial 131-run partnership with
Andries Gous
(65 off 46 balls) to take the game away from Canada. His innings, punctuated by powerful hitting and clean striking, earned him plaudits from both teams.
"I don't think it is easy to put it into words. We know Canada come hard against us since it is a big rivalry. Happy to take the team over the line," said Jones.
"I go through my processes and I like my power hitting. I know if I get it in the middle, it will go for sure. I like to come in when the team is under pressure, it brings out the best in me. With our batting line-up, knew anything under 200 is chaseable. Outfield and pitch were good and we knew that," he added.
USA captain
Monank Patel
praised Jones's fearless approach and highlighted the team's belief in their batting depth. Patel commented, "We've always known, he has the game. He played fearless cricket and backing his shots. It was clean hitting. We want to continue the way we are playing. Don't want to change our fearless cricket whether we play Pakistan or India."
Despite the impressive run chase, Patel acknowledged areas for improvement, particularly in their bowling performance.
"As soon as we bowled, the ball was coming well. We bowled well in patches but we gave 10-15 runs extra. Ball was two-paced too," the skipper added.
Canadian captain
Saad Bin Zafar
echoed Patel's sentiments, lamenting his team's bowling performance. "Our bowlers missed their lines and lengths, and we shouldn't have given away the no-balls and extras. We played an exceptional game overall. Nothing to be sad about, the effort from the boys was good. This is just the start and hope we can do well in the next game," he said.
This emphatic victory marks the USA's highest successful run chase in T20 Internationals and sets the stage for an exciting tournament. The USA will next face Pakistan at the same venue on Thursday, while Canada will look to bounce back against Ireland in New York on Friday.
(Inputs from PTI)
English (US) ·