The United States of America kicked off their 2024-27 CWC League 2 phase with a convincing 14-run win over Canada. Although the scorecard may suggest the game was close, the USA was way ahead in the majority of the contest.
A scintillating century from Monank Patel coupled with fifties from Smit Patel and Shayan Jahangir propelled the USA to 304/4 in 50 overs. While there are no major highlights in Canada’s bowling department, Aaron Johnson, Harsh Thaker, and Dilon Heyliger constituted three fifties in their innings. However, they fell short in the chase by 14 runs, courtesy of Nosthush Kenjige’s three-fer in the CWC League 2 affair.
Match Summary
Toss: Canada won the toss and elected to field first. 
USA: 304/4 in 20 (50)
- Monank Patel: 121 (95)*
- Smit Patel: 63 (83)
- Key Bowler: Saad Bin Fazar: 1/35
Canada: 290/9
- Harsh Thaker: 77 (77)
- Dilon Heyliger: 56 (67)
- Key Bowler: Noshtush Kenjige: 3/37
Key Moments
Stable Start
Losing the toss, a team would always hope to get a good start and put the opposition on the back foot early in a cricketing contest. The United States of America did the same with former captain Steven Taylor shepherding Smit Patel for the opening partnership. While the former took an observative approach against the bowlers, the latter looked more promising with the strokes played. They reached 58 runs in the first powerplay with Smit playing more attacking strokes but Taylor failed to assist him after getting out to Dilon Heyliger in the 14th over. However, the 75-run stand set the tone for a bigger total against Canada in this crucial fixture of the ongoing CWC League 2.
Captain Leading From The Front
Following a good start, it is important to keep the momentum going. The captain of the USA, Monank Patel did the same as he played through the rest of the innings. He jolted a 62-run partnership with Smith before the opener got out for 63.
Subsequently, Monank failed out of support from the opposite end with Aaron Jones and Milind Kumar failing to score big. However, the presence of Shayan Jahangir allowed the skipper to knit the innings and take the score further. They scored 144 runs in the second powerplay (between 11-40th over) with the skipper at 66 off 62. Eventually, the pair switched gears and smashed a massive century in the CWC League 2 fixture, his third in ODIs.
The Finishing Blow
With the score reading 202/4 in 40 overs, USA had six wickets in hand with Jahangir semi-settled at 11 off 20 balls. Soon, Monank smacked a couple of sixes, against Jeremy Gordon and Heyliger, followed by Jahangir switching gears with a couple of fours in the 44th over. Boundaries came thick and fast in the ensuing overs with the Gujarat-born reaching 81-ball 100. The century stand grew as the innings progressed with 29 runs coming off the last three overs without any hiccups, steering the USA to 304/4 in 50 overs in the second game of CWC League 2.
Canada’s Runs in Patches
Aiming to chase a 300-plus total in batting-friendly conditions of the CWC League 2 contest, the Canadian side got off to a decent 51-run stand on the back of Aaron Johnson’s aggressive intent. The right-handed batter neutralized the struggling knock of Aaditya Varadarajan (4 off 20) with major contributions with the bat. He smacked four sixes and seven fours during his brief stay before following his opening ally back to the hut in the 13th over. Despite a 41-ball 55 from Johnson, the Canadian middle order struggled including in-form Dilpreet Bajwa who was the second-highest run-getter in the recently-concluded Global T20 League.
Bowling Beauty
With the score reading 90/3 after 16 overs, the Canadian side required a strong partnership to serve as the bedrock of the chase. But the usage of spin along with medium pacers during the second powerplay further dented Canada’s hopes of surmounting the total. They lost four wickets in a space of 30 balls between the 23rd and 28th over with USA reducing Canada to 140/7. However, Harsh Thakkar kept fighting with assistance from the tail and milked around to take the innings deep.
Surprisingly, Deylon Heyliger turned up with the bat and the pair orchestrated 125 runs for the eighth wicket to sprinkle hopes in the North American dugout. With 40 runs required from the last three overs, Heyliger faltered at 56 with Thaker departing for an impactful run-a-ball 77 in the last over, leaving Canada short by 14 runs in the CWC League 2 encounter.
Also Read:
Global T20: Clash of the Tigers – Who Will Prevail?
Key Takeaways: How Did Coach Gambhir Fare in First Assignment?
Drop-In Pitch Controversy: Impact on the T20 World Cup
India’s World Cup Triumph: Rating Heroes’ Remarkable Journey
Welsh Fire and Oval Invincibles Gear Up for an Epic Showdown in The Hundred
