After their defeat to West Indies in the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup, USA skipper Aaron Jones expressed his pride in his team's performance, which has opened the eyes of the world to the potential of associate cricket.
Despite their two losses, the World Cup debutants have won the hearts of cricket fans worldwide with their qualification to the Super Eights, which included a victory over former T20 WC champion Pakistan and closely-fought games against 2007 T20 WC champions India and South Africa.
Jones emphasized the importance of every game for the USA team, regardless of the opponent. He believes that their campaign has been an eye-opener for many, showcasing the rise of associate cricket.
"I think over the last couple of weeks, starting from winning the series against Bangladesh, it really and truly opened the eyes of everybody in the world, not only for US cricket, but associate cricket in general," said Jones.
"And then obviously moving on to beating Pakistan in the World Cup, and then having a close game against India and then a close game against South Africa. People know that associate cricket is on the rise I would say."
Jones acknowledged that the game against England is important, but he remains optimistic about his team's chances.
"Obviously, we always believed, even before the World Cup started, that we could beat any team in the world. And as I say, every time you put on your jersey and you go and play for your country, you want to win," stated Jones.
"So definitely we want to win the game against England and finish well, although we cannot advance in the next round for sure. For me personally, I will go into the game just looking to win the game and doing as best as possible as a team and me personally as well. And then let us see what happens after that."
In the match against West Indies, the USA was bundled out for just 128 runs in 19.5 overs, with Andries Gous (29) and Nitish Kumar (20) being the only players to cross the 20-run mark. Roston Chase (3/19), Andre Russell (3/31), and Alzarri Joseph (2/31) were the top bowlers for the Windies.
In the run chase, Shai Hope (82*) single-handedly won the game for the Windies, with Nicholas Pooran (27*) unbeaten at the other end. Chase was awarded the 'Player of the Match' award for his top-class spell.
Tags: #cricket#Twenty20WorldCup#T20WorldCup2024#Twenty20#ICCWorldCup#AssociateCricket#USAcricket
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