Battle of debutants as hosts USA take on arch-rivals Canada in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup opener

Khel Today Bureau 

Houston, TX: The USA men’s cricket team is all set for their maiden appearance in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup, as they take on fellow debutants and arch-rivals Canada in the tournament opener on June 01, 2024, at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The eagerly awaited game is scheduled for a 7:30 PM CST start.

USA, who are incidentally also the cohosts 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.

This will be a Group A game which also has Ireland, Pakistan and tournament favorites 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.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup that starts on 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.

Team USA

Team USA marks their entry into the big league of international T20 cricket on the back of dominating performances and back-to-back series wins over Canada (4-0) and full ICC member nation Bangladesh (2-1).  Enjoying home advantage, Team USA have the capability to spring surprises against established teams, capitalizing on their familiarity of 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. Their recent encounters with Canada and Bangladesh on home soil has given them the much needed match exposure in high pressure games. They however will face challenges from established nations like Pakistan and tournament favorites India.

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.

USA Cricket recently announced a special limited time discount of ‘25% off on tickets’ to three of the home games of USA for fans, who can now purchase a maximum of six tickets per match availing the special 25% off and bring in their friends and family to cheer the home team. Cricket lovers across USA can avail this offer on the following three games cheering for their home team:

• USA vs. Canada in Dallas on June 1, 2024
• USA vs. Pakistan in Dallas on June 6, 2024
• USA vs. Ireland in Broward on June 14, 2024

Squad for ICC T20 WC 2024:

Batters:  Monank Patel (WK) – Captain; Aaron Jones – Vice Captain; Andries Gous (WK); Nitish Kumar; Shayan Jahangir; Steven Taylor

Allrounders:  Corey Anderson; Harmeet Singh; Milind Kumar; Nisarg Patel; Shadley van Schalkwyk

Bowlers: Ali Khan; Jessy Singh; Nosthush Kenjige; Saurabh Netravalkar

About ICC Men’s T20 CWC 2024

The 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup tournament contested by men’s national teams and organized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States from June 1 to 29, 2024, this tournament marks the first time ICC World Cup matches will be played in the United States. The final of the tournament is set to be played on June 29 at Bridgetown, Barbados.

England are the Defending Champions, having defeated Pakistan in the final of the previous edition in 2022. With a total of 20 teams participating for the first-time, this tournament promises to be an enthralling contest.

ABOUT USA CRICKET:

USA Cricket is the National Federation for cricket in the United States as recognized by the International Cricket Council. USA Cricket’s mission is to govern, regulate, develop and promote all forms of cricket at all levels in the United States, and to enable U.S. cricketers to achieve sustained competitive excellence and successfully compete in national and international competition. Through a diverse Board of Directors that has representation from most cricket stakeholder groups, USA Cricket will lead the sport to new heights by creating and administering value added programs to grow and develop the sport.