Dallas: Aaron Jones unleashed an explosive unbeaten 94 from 40 deliveries, propelling the USA to a seven-wicket victory over Canada in the T20 World Cup opener on Saturday.
Born in New York but raised in Barbados, Jones dominated the Canadian bowling attack with ten sixes, igniting a remarkable 131-run partnership with Andries Gous. Gous, a former South Africa Under-19 batsman, contributed 65 runs off 46 balls before falling to Nikhil Dutta.
Corey Anderson, the ex-New Zealand all-rounder, joined Jones, who sealed the win with his tenth six of the night.
Jones’s remarkable performance delighted the crowd at Grand Prairie Stadium, with his ten sixes ranking second in T20 World Cup history behind Chris Gayle’s 11 against England in 2016.
Reflecting on his innings, Jones stated, “With our batting line-up, we knew anything under 200 is chaseable. I like to come in when the team is under pressure, it brings out the best in me.”
Canada, making their T20 World Cup debut, posted a competitive total, led by Navneet Dhaliwal’s 61 off 44 balls and contributions from Aaron Johnson and Nicholas Kirton. Shreyas Movva’s quickfire 32 also boosted their score.
The USA, co-hosting the tournament with the West Indies, started their campaign with a strong win in Group A, alongside India, Pakistan, and Ireland.
