Cricket in the United States of America has always gasped for breath. A nation that loves baseball, goes mad over basketball, skips a beat for the NFL, and cheers for the WWE Superstars never paid heed to the gentlemen’s game until the International Cricket Council (ICC) took the T20 World Cup to American shores. The year 2024 will certainly mark a revolution in the history of the world’s most powerful country, with cricket spreading its roots—and how!
When the ICC released the T20 World Cup 2024 fixtures a few months ago, it was a no-brainer that India and Pakistan would be clubbed in the same group. But what about the other participants—the USA, Canada, and Ireland? Honestly, nobody cared about it!
But when the championship got underway, things started taking unexpected turns. Co-hosts USA, participating in the T20 World Cup for the first time, appeared as the most unpredictable team. They successfully chased down 195 against Canada to begin their campaign victoriously and then had a historic win against Pakistan, which sparked the downfall of the 2009 champions.
USA vs SA ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Super 8s – Match Preview, Weather Update, Probable XI, Head-to-Head and More
From being written off completely to qualifying for the Super 8, it was a new dawn for the USA Cricket team. But it’s just the beginning. The players are happy about what they have achieved, but they are well aware that there is still a long way to go.
The Josh is High!
Speaking exclusively with News18 CricketNext, USA spinner Nosthush Kenjige said, “The josh is high. We had a couple of good games in the World Cup, and I think even the games that led to the World Cup… We had a good preparation series with Bangladesh, and we played a series against Canada, which helped us get that kind of momentum and confidence.
“We just took the same confidence going into the World Cup, so we had two, three good wins that we needed. The people have stood up at the right time. They’ve taken the responsibility when it’s needed. And I think that helped us get the results,” he added.
Middle-order batter Nitish Kumar said the job still needs to be done, and a few more wins are required to keep going in the tournament.
“We’re happy, but we know that we could still probably get a couple more wins and see what happens,” Nitish told CricketNext.
‘Never Played against South Africa, Just Saw Them on TV’
USA begin their Super 8 campaign against South Africa on Wednesday in Antigua. Kenjige said the team is looking forward to the challenge.
“Yeah, I think we play South Africa on the 19th. So it’s going to be a challenge. We haven’t played them before. Um, you always look forward to such exciting challenges. We have seen them on TV, you know, what kind of good players they are, but you want to put yourself in the situation and see how good you can be against them.
“So I think it’s going to be an exciting game for us. It’s just about backing ourselves and playing fearless cricket. Nobody expects us to win. And it was the same even when we started the World Cup. So nothing to lose, just go and express ourselves like how we’ve been doing,” he added.
‘It’s Just This One Day That We’re Going to Fight’
The USA will face South Africa, West Indies, and defending champions England in the Super 8. Kenjige didn’t single out any side as the toughest opponent but is looking at the bigger picture—taking one game at a time and trying to win it.
“It’s just going to be a one-off game. So, if a team can beat us 10 out of 10 days, it doesn’t matter. It’s just this one day that we’re going to fight and we’re going to make sure we end up on the top. So it’s exciting. Um, each team has its own kind of game and flair that they bring into the day. So just looking forward to just playing them one by one,” Kenjige said.
Echoing his teammates’ emotions, Nitish said it will be one game at a time from now on, and the USA has to showcase its best game against its opponents to advance to the semis.
“Yeah, very excited. Um, I don’t think we have ever played against South Africa. West Indies, we did quite a bit. Growing up in this part of the world, North America, you get a chance to play against them. And then I also lived in England and I went to school there for seven years.
So, that’s pretty exciting playing against them. But it’s just about us trying to play the best we can and see what we can do. It’s a one-off game. We had to play one off against each of the teams and see,” Nitish said.
Stay updated with the latest from T20 World Cup 2024. Explore T20 World Cup Match Today. Check Updated list of Highest-run getters and Highest Wicket-Takers In T20 World Cup 2024. Check T20 World Cup 2024 Points Table and players with the Most Sixes, Most Fours , Most Fifties And Most HundredsIn T20 World Cup 2024.
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