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American battle starts T20 World Cup fiesta
USA is relishing playing in their first World Cup. PHOTO/COURTESY OF ICC
What you need to know:
Both USA and Canada as well as Uganda as the latest debutants for the T20 World Cup, only recently expanded to 20 teams.
For the rest of the world, the wait has only been three years for the ICC Men’s Twenty20 Cricket World Cup. For Ugandans who love the game, it has been ages.
And now, the Cricket Cranes will finally make their debut at this global championship against a classy Afghanistan at Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana in the early hours of Tuesday.
While the East African country waits for Brian Masaba and co to take the stage, it is a duel between neighbours Canada and USA in Group A will bowl-off the tournament officially at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
Both USA and Canada as well as Uganda as the latest debutants for the T20 World Cup, only recently expanded to 20 teams.
And whereas Canada coach Pubudu Dassanayake boasts of significant experience and America’s left-hander Steven Taylor loves hitting in the power play with a strike rate of 150, both nations will live in the shadow of other bigwigs India and Pakistan in that group.
However, USA has won four of the last five meetings against the Canadians with Nitish Kumar and former Black Caps player Corey Anderson dictating play with the bat.
Canada’s 2022 revelation Aaron Johnson however will be relied on, going by his strike rate of 167. Then, Pakistan-born left-arm fast bowler Kaleem Sana makes them nearly a complete unit.
Namibia led by Gerhard Erasmus will be the first African country in action when they take on Oman in the Group B opener in the early hours of Monday at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
ICC MEN’S TWENTY20 WORLD CUP
SUNDAY, JUNE 2 - GROUP A
3.30am: USA vs. Canada (Texas, USA)
5.30pm: West Indies vs. Papua New Guinea (Georgetown, Guyana)
MONDAY, JUNE 3 - GROUP B
3.30am: Oman vs. Namibia (Bridgetown, Barbados)
