Listen to this article

The T20 World Cup 2024 edition has got off to a flying start as the co-host of the tournament, the United States of America (USA) beat Canada by 7 wickets in the opening match of the tournament while chasing a total of 195 runs.

After being asked to bat first, Canada managed to put 194 runs on the board for the loss of 5 wickets. Aaron Johnson and Navneet Dhaliwal gave a flying start to Canada, which was then carried forward brilliantly by Nicholas Kirton and wicketkeeper batter Shreyas Movva.

But, it was a special inning from Aaron Jones who remained unbeaten for 94 runs to take the host over the line. He was well supported by Andries Gous, who himself added 65 runs to form a 131 runs partnership in just 58 balls with Jones.

Aaron Jones and Andries Gous Lead USA to Winning Start in T20 World Cup 2024

Chasing a target of 195 runs, United States got of a horror start as Steven Taylor lost his wicket in just the 2nd ball of the inning. Captain Monank Patel also departed right after the powerplay, reducing USA to 42 runs for the loss of 2 wickets.

But then it was Aaron Jones and Andries Gous show. The duo were simply outstanding. Initially they looked to first get the chase back on track with some momentum building batting. But once the acceleration started, there was no stopping USA.

Canada required its spin bowler to slow down the USA inning, but instead they ended up giving more, that also helped by the poor fielding efforts by the Canada team. Aaron Jones led the counter-attack for USA and was well supported by the Andries Gous.

Gous added 65 runs in 46 balls that included 7 fours and 3 sixes. But the real show was from Aaron Jones. Jones was simply unstoppable on the night. The Barbados born 29-years-old hard-hitting batter truly displayed his skills. Jones remained unbeaten for 94 runs in 40 balls that included 10 massive Sixes and a mere 4 fours. USA won the match with 2 overs to spare and by 7 wickets.

Aaron Jones Hit Colossal 103 Meters Six

Canada bowlers were clueless for the entire match despite a good start. Dillon Heyliger was the best bowler for Canada on the night, who took a wicket for 19 runs in 3 overs. Nikhil Dutta got the other wicket but was expensive, giving 41 runs in 2.3 overs. The other wicket went to Kaleem Sana as Canada bowlers had no answers to USA batters.

Canada Posted 194 Runs with Navneet Dhaliwal and Nicholas Kirton Shining

Earlier, it was United States of America (USA) captain Monank Patel who won the toss and opted to bowl first. Canada got off to a great start thanks to its opening duo of Aaron Johnson and Navneet Dhaliwal. They added 43 runs for the opening partnership before the former was dismissed after scoring 23 runs. The latter went on to score 61 runs in 44 balls.

Then it was Nicholas Kirton and wicketkeeper batter Shreyas Movva who added crucial runs in the middle-order. Kirton scored 51 runs in 31 balls while Movva scored 32 runs in 16 balls, taking the total to 194 runs for the loss of 5 wickets.

For USA, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh and Corey Anderson got 1 wicket each while Pargat Singh and Dilpreet Singh were run out.

With this win, USA have taken the lead in Group A. They now have 2 points beside their name while Canada will be bottom of the table. USA will be taking on Pakistan in their next match on June 6 while Canada will be up against Ireland on June 7.

Share this post!