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Jones offers Cricket Cranes carbon copy
Jones was destructive. PHOTO/COURTESY OF ICC MEDIA
What you need to know:
US assistant captain Aaron Jones was the man of Saturday evening with a match-winning unbeaten knock of 94 runs off 40 balls which proved pivotal.
There are no lies it will require consistent spectacular knocks and top bowling moments for any team to last the mile at the 20-team ICC Men’s Twenty20 Cricket World Cup in the USA and West Indies.
Co-hosts USA showed exactly that as they laid down the mark in the tournament opener by chasing down a target of 195 runs to beat fellow debutants Canada by seven wickets at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
US assistant captain Aaron Jones was the man of Saturday evening with a match-winning unbeaten knock of 94 runs off 40 balls which proved pivotal.
The 29-year-old smashed 10 sixes and four boundaries while sharing a 141-run third-wicket partnership with South African-born Andries Gous (65 off 46).
And if anything, Jones offered the carbon copy of what Uganda must do if they are to ruffle some feathers in Group C where they open up their quest against Afghanistan at the Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana in the early hours of tomorrow.
The Cricket Cranes must overcome their Achilles heel - batting - if they are to attract the world’s attention proper. Put simply, there is no room for low totals at the grand stage of T20 cricket.
Top-order batsmen Simon Ssesaazi, Roger Mukasa, Robinson Obuya and all-rounders Riazat Ali Shah plus Alpesh Ramjani must take the game to Afghanistan’s bowling unit of Fazalhaq Farooqi, skipper Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, veteran Mohammad Nabi, Naveen-ul-Haq and company.
With the ball, veteran Frank Nsubuga, left-arm orthodox bowler Henry Ssenyondo, pace men including Bilal Hassun, and young duo of Cosmas Kyewuta and Juma Miyagi must ask tough questions in the power play.
That’s simply because Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz can easily take the game away from captain Brian Masaba’s fielding unit.
There are more batting shows expected from Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka and South Africa’s Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks and Heinrich Klaseen when the two face off in Group D in New York on Monday.
ICC MEN’S TWENTY20 WORLD CUP
RESULT
Canada 194/5 USA 197/3
(USA won by 7 wickets with 14 balls remaining)
