"Don't want to change our fearless approach....": USA skipper Monank after beating Canada in T20 WC opener
Jun 02, 2024
Dallas [US], June 2 : Following his side's seven-wicket win over Canada in the ICC T20 World Cup campaign opener, USA skipper Monank Patel remarked that they would not change their fearless brand of cricket against Asian giants India and Pakistan.
With the help of an explosive 94-run knock by Aaron Jones and his game-turning century stand with Andries Gous, the co-hosts USA kickstarted their ICC T20 World Cup on a high with a seven-wicket win over Canada at Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas on Sunday.
Speaking in the post-match presentation, Monank said, "The way we have been playing against Canada in previous series...I thought it was a whole team effort. Gous and Jones handled the pressure situation, and took the game out of Canada. (USA's bowling effort) As soon as we bowled, the ball was coming well. We bowled well in patches but we gave 10-15 runs extra."
"I did not expect that in the first six overs (Ball helping Canada seamers early). The ball was two-paced too. (Jones innings) We've always known, he has the game. He played fearless cricket and backed his shots. It was clean hitting. (Texas crowd) Happy to see the numbers. They were really energetic and hope they continue to support us. We want to continue the way we are playing. Don't want to change our fearless cricket whether we play Pakistan or India," he concluded.
Coming to the match, USA opted to bowl first after winning the toss. A fine 43-run opening stand took place between Aaron Johnson (23 in 16 balls, with five fours) and Navneet Dhaliwal. At one point, Canada was 66/2 in eight overs. A 62-run stand between Navneet (61 in 44 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and Nicholas Kirton (51 in 31 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and a cameo by Shreyas Movva (32 in 16 balls, with two fours and two sixes) pushed Canada to 194/5 in 20 overs.
Harmeet Singh (1/27) was the pick of the bowlers for the USA.
In the run-chase, USA was in a spot of bother, losing two wickets for 42 runs after a powerplay. However, a 131-run partnership between Aaron Jones (94* in 40 balls, with four boundaries and 10 sixes) and Andries Gous (65 in 46 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) took USA to a seven-wicket win with 14 balls left.
Dillon Heyliger (1/19) was the top bowler for Canada.
Jones became the 'Player of the Match' for his explosive knock.
