Aaron Jones hits 10 sixes as USA beats Canada to open T20 World Cup in Grand Prairie

GRAND PRARIE – Aaron Jones made an unbeaten 94 off 40 balls in an extraordinary display of power to lead Team USA to a seven-wicket victory over historic rival Canada on Saturday in the opening match of the Twenty20 World Cup .

Co-hosts United States appeared to be under pressure when Canada batted first at 194-5 and when they lost a wicket on the second ball of their innings. The total required the United States to achieve their biggest chase in a T20 international to win the match, eclipsing their previous best of 169.

In the end, he reached his goal with ease. There were 14 balls left when Jones secured Team USA’s victory with his 10th six.

Team USA looked in a desperate position when their captain Monank Patel was out for 66-2 in the seventh over. At one point in their innings, the United States needed more than 12 straight runs to surpass Canada’s total.

But Jones, who had been out of form in the last few matches and came into the match with a strike rate of 100, scored the fastest T20 half-century for USA off 22 balls with six sixes and a strike rate of 227. .

At least two of his hits reached more than 100 meters (328 feet) and would have been home runs at Grand Prarie Stadium in its previous incarnation as a baseball stadium.

Jones turned the match around with an excellent tackle that firmly pushed back the pressure on Canada. That pressure was shown when Jeremy Gordon bowled the 14th over, which was extended wide and no-balls to 11 balls and conceded 33 runs.

Jones scored 131 runs in a winning third-wicket partnership with Andres Gous, who made 65 off 46 balls with seven fours and three sixes. Gous, born in South Africa, was eliminated just before the end, as chants of “USA, USA” echoed throughout the stadium.

Tournament co-host West Indies begin their campaign on Sunday with a match against Papua New Guinea in Guyana and Oman play Namibia in Barbados.

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