Image source, Getty Images
- author, Timothy Abraham
- role, BBC Sports Journalists at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas
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ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Group A, Dallas
Canada 194-5 (20 overs): Dhaliwal 61 (44), Kirton 51 (31)
USA 197-3 (17.4 overs): Jones 94* (40), Goose 65 (46)
Aaron Jones scored a commanding 94 as T20 World Cup co-hosts USA defeated Canada by seven wickets in a thrilling and colourful tournament opener in Texas.
The U.S. came into the match off a 2-1 series win over Bangladesh and a thumping 4-0 win over Canada in April when the two teams last met.
The match was in doubt until Jones, who was born in Queens, New York, to Barbadian parents, delivered a stunning knock off the 40th ball to leave Canada trailing at 194-5.
Jones took aim at the short-bound ball at this former ballpark, once home to the Texas Air Hogs, and smashed 10 sixes into the night sky, sending jubilant fans into a frenzy.
With the US needing 36 from 35 balls, Jones sliced the ball to short third but Nikhil Dutta clumsily spilled a simple catch.
The victory was decisive, with the 29-year-old ably assisted by Andries Guth, who scored 65 off 46 balls, putting the Americans in the clear with 14 balls to spare.
Aaron Johnson (23) scored a four off the first ball of the match to set the tone for Canada’s total and he and Navneet Dhaliwal (61) got Canada off to a flying start.
Nicholas Kirton’s 51 off 31 balls and wicketkeeper Shreyas Mova’s lackluster 32 in the closing stages helped boost the total, but it wasn’t enough.
Texas Enjoys Six Joys
The designation of this match as the opening match of the tournament had historical significance, as the United States and Canada first met in an international cricket match in 1844.
The match in New York was a thoroughly Anglocentric one, with almost every player taking part being British.
However, the context of this latest meeting was quite different, with strong South Asian and Caribbean overtones on both sides, reflecting the respective diasporas in the two North American countries.
Most of the 5,000-plus spectators also belonged to that demographic, wearing Indian or Pakistani shirts.
But Americans with no obvious connection to the game were also coming through the gates of this beautiful little stadium, either out of curiosity or as relatively recent discoverers of the game.
You can even buy a T-shirt featuring former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln strapping on his pads and waiting to step up to bat.
“Warning!” There was a sign on the ground that read in Spanish: “Cuidado con las pelotas que salen del terreno de juego (Be careful! Make sure the ball doesn’t go out of the playing field).”
It was wise advice. Jones rattled the boundaries with some powerful strokeplay, the pick being a 300-foot ball that rocketed out of the ground.
The USA were trailing at 81-2 at the halfway point of their innings, but Canada’s total looked above average for the first T20 international at this ground.
The highest chase in Major League Cricket’s inaugural season at Grande Prairie Stadium last year was 158. The United States has never chased more than 169 in a T20 international match.
But the destructive Jones rose to the occasion, playing an easy-going innings to give the United States hope of beating some of the ICC’s full-member teams later in the tournament.
The U.S. next plays Pakistan on Thursday, while Canada plays Ireland on Friday.
“We play aggressive cricket” – Reactions
Man of the match: American batsman Aaron Jones“That was probably my best innings for the U.S. The rivalry is great and I’m happy I could lead my team to a win.”
“We played some attacking cricket and came out with the win.”
Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar: “I thought 194 was a great total and I was pretty confident at the time.
“But the US partnership batted extremely well and our bowlers had no way of countering them.”
United States Captain Monank Patel: “We talked about playing fearless cricket and we played really well and beat Canada soundly,” he said.
“We want to continue playing fearless cricket and we don’t want to change anything, whether it’s against India or Pakistan.”