 "USA cricket team comprises of immigrants from India, Pakistan and other countries. USA Cricket image")
The USA men’s cricket team is all set for their maiden appearance in the ICC men’s T20 World Cup, as they take on fellow debutants and arch-rivals Canada in the tournament opener on 1 June, at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The eagerly awaited game is scheduled for a 7.30 PM CST start (6 AM IST on 2 June in India).
The USA, who are incidentally also the co-hosts of the ninth edition of the world’s premiere ICC T20 tournament along with West Indies, are buzzing with confidence on the back of two back-to-back dominating series wins against Canada and Bangladesh in the lead-up. Their neighbours too have been a strong associate nation for quite some time and an exciting clash is in the offing.
Group A Preview: All eyes on cricket heavyweights as underdogs look to impress
This will be a Group A game which also has Ireland, Pakistan and tournament favourites India in the mix and given only the top two from each of the four-groups will make the knockouts, both teams will look to begin with a win.
In-form USA have an edge
However, given that the USA recently defeated Canada (4-0) and full ICC member nation Bangladesh (2-1) and are playing at home, they will have an edge. The USA have shown that they can spring surprises against established teams, capitalizing on their familiarity with the playing conditions, an advantage that most of the teams will lack.
Team USA’s squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is a healthy mix of experience and youth, and has been training hard under the experienced Australian coach Stuart Law. Some players to look out for in the USA team are dashing opener Steven Taylor, wicket-keeper and opening batter Monank Patel who is also the skipper of the side and left-arm tweaker Harmeet Singh, who has emerged as a dangerous match-winning bowling all-rounder.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsSquads information
Canada squad also includes migrants from South Asian nations and captain Saad Bin Zafar is their most important player. Saad Bin Zafar, a left-arm spinner, is also Canada’s highest wicket-taker in the format.
Pacer Jeremy Gordon is another player to watch out for.
Group A: How India, Pakistan, Ireland, USA and Canada have fared in T20 World Cups
Canada have never played in a men’s T20 World Cup but have featured in four ODi World Cups – in 1979, 2003, 2007 and 2011.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which starts on 1 June, comes to a grand conclusion on 29 June 2024. A total of 20 teams, including nine associate nations and 11 ICC full-members are set to vie for top honors in the prestigious tournament.
USA squad: Monank Patel (c & wk), Aaron Jones (vc), Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Ali Khan, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor and Shayan Jahangir.
Canada squad: Saad Bin Zafar (c), Aaron Johnson, Dilon Heyliger, Dilpreet Bajwa, Harsh Thaker, Jeremy Gordon, Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Pargat Singh, Ravinderpal Singh, Rayyankhan Pathan, Shreyas Movva. (Reserves: Tajinder Singh, Aaditya Varadharajan, Ammar Khalid, Jatinder Matharu, Parveen Kumar).
LIVE Streaming: The USA vs Canada match will be telecast on Star Sports Network TV channels and the live streaming will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app.