T20 World Cup: Aaron Jones helps USA beat Canada by 7 wickets

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas (AP) — Aaron Jones made an unbeaten 94 from 40 balls in a rare show of power-hitting to steer the U.S. staff to a seven wicket win over historic rival Canada on Saturday within the opening match of the Twenty20 World Cup.

Co-host america appeared below strain when Canada made 194-5 batting first and when it misplaced a wicket to the second ball of its innings. The full demanded america obtain its highest-ever run chase in a T20 worldwide to win the match, eclipsing its earlier better of 169.

Ultimately it reached its goal with ease. There have been 14 balls remaining when Jones clinched the win for the U.S. along with his tenth six.

The Individuals regarded in a determined place when its captain Monank Patel was out at 66-2 within the seventh over. At one level in its innings, america wanted greater than 12 runs an over to surpass Canada’s whole.

However Jones, who had been off form in current matches and got here into the match with a strike charge of 100, hit the quickest T20 half-century for the U.S. from 22 balls with six sixes and at a strike charge of 227. He completed with a career-best rating and a strike charge of 235.

At the very least two of his blows carried greater than 100 meters (328 toes) and would have been house runs at Grand Prairie Stadium in its earlier incarnation as a baseball stadium.

Jones turned the match with an excellent innings that pushed strain firmly again on Canada. That strain confirmed when Jeremy Gordon bowled the 14th over which stretched with wides and no balls to 11 balls and conceded 33 runs.

Jones placed on 131 runs in a match-winning partnership for the third wicket with Andres Gous who made 65 from 46 balls with seven fours and three sixes. South Africa-born Gous was out simply earlier than the tip, as chants of “USA, USA’” echoed across the stadium.

Jones was born in Queens, New York however grew up in Barbados within the West Indies the place he performed prime degree cricket. His earlier finest rating in T20 internationals was 50 earlier than Saturday when he hit the second-most sixes in a T20 World Cup innings.

“Clearly we all know that Canada all the time come onerous at us, it’s a giant rivalry and I used to be simply completely happy to get my staff over the road tonight,” Jones mentioned. “To be sincere I all the time thought something below 200 was chaseable. The pitch was good and the outfield was quick as effectively.

“We simply again ourselves, performed some good cricket and we got here out on prime.”

Patel, the U.S. captain, additionally felt he had the batters within the shed to chase down the Canada whole.

“Aaron has all the time had the sport and he performed fearless cricket at the moment,” Patel mentioned. “He was backing his pictures and hitting clear. You don’t hit this kind of innings on daily basis.”

Earlier, Navneet Dhaliwal and Nicholas Kirton hit the primary half-centuries of the World Cup to present Canada what appeared a defensible whole.

India-born Dhaliwal scored 61 from 44 balls and gave Canada’s innings early impetus in a 43-run opening partnership with Aaron Johnson.

Barbados-born Kirton then carried the momentum via the center and latter a part of the innings, putting 51 from 31 balls to eclipse his earlier finest rating in T20 internationals of 37.

Johnson made 23 from 16 balls and Shreyas Movva 32 not out from 16. A cameo of 11 from 5 balls from Dilpreet Bajwa added a vibrant spot on the finish.

“I believed 194 was a fantastic whole. I used to be fairly assured at the moment,” Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar mentioned. “I feel Navneet and Kirton performed effectively for us.

“We began effectively, we took early wickets within the energy play. However Jones and Gous, they batted exceptionally effectively and our bowlers had no reply to them.”

The match offered an ideal opening to the world event. The Grand Prairie Stadium was full to its 7,000 capability and the match offered a wonderful of instance of T20 cricket, a recreation nonetheless unusual to most Individuals.

Whereas cricket hasn’t planted deep roots in america, it has an extended historical past. The US and Canada performed the primary ever worldwide cricket match on the grounds of a non-public house close to Broadway, Manhattan in 1844. Canada gained the match which was performed over three days by 23 runs.

The T20 World Cup shall be contested by 20 groups together with international superpowers India, Australia and England. The US and Canada are each drawn in Group A with India, Eire and Pakistan.

Match co-host West Indies begins its marketing campaign Sunday with a match in opposition to Papua New Guinea in Guyana and Oman performs Namibia in Barbados.

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket