First-time U.S. players perform well, captain suppresses scoring controversy and prevents victory

A scoring dispute spoiled what was supposed to be a clean and convincing victory in the United States’ game against Canada at the Prairie View Cricket Complex on Sunday.

Five new names appeared on the U.S. T20i scorecard for the first time as the five-game series between the U.S. and Canada began. Shadri van Schalkwyk, Harmeet Singh, Milind Kumar, Andrees Goose and ODI veteran Noshush Kenjiji join veterans Steven Taylor, Monank Patel, Aaron Jones, Gajanand Singh and Saurabh Netravalkar. , joined Jesse Shin to form the host eleven.

Canada recently completed a four-match preparatory series against a team sponsored by minor league cricket’s Dallas Mustangs and debuted 22-year-old fast bowler Uday Bhagwan Singh. All 11 players selected for the opening game against the United States were part of the 13-man squad that chased 161 with 12 balls and eight wickets left for Canada’s only victory over the host minor league team. Ta.

The early wicket of Aaron Johnson, who was struggling in the first over against Saurabh Netrabalkar, put a brake on Canada’s powerplay. Johnson scored one run for five in the first over, but got back on track with Kenjiji’s second over, scoring 11 runs. Saurabh’s second ball in the third over was a little wide and full straight, but it was smashed over the cover for four as the Canadian X-factor allowed his hands to be free. Netrabalkar followed with a good length ball over the middle stumps, Johnson attempted a back foot pull but instead got an easy catch to Jesse Singh at mid-on.

Palgat Singh joined Srimantha Wijeiratne for a pitiful 15 of the next 25 runs, thanks to Harmeet Singh, Jesse Singh and Shadri van Schalkwyk. Of the 15 runs, she only made 12, mixed with two wides and her one leg-bye. After six overs, captain Monarch Patel had fielded five of his bowlers and Canada were struggling to adapt.

In the seventh over, when Kenjige’s ball curved and Canada missed 18 balls from the final boundary, Wijeiratne fired a full fly ball towards leg stump, swept the ball firmly into the wind and hit a deep ball. I found Van Schalkwyk’s hand waiting for me there. Square facing backwards. The wicket was the first T20I wicket for Kenjige, who played 40 ODIs for the USA.

Three balls later, Navneet Dhaliwal realized he wanted to run too much and Canada lost their third wicket. Pargat Singh nudged the ball to Kenjige’s left, and the left-hander charged from the point and sent a sidearm pass to non-striker’s end Harmeet Singh, who easily dismissed Canada’s veteran No. 4.

Canada fought back with 10 points in the ninth inning thanks to two boundary fours from Jesse Singh of Palghat Singh. Harmeet Singh conceded eight runs in 10 overs, but Monank Patel’s diving catch snuffed out Harsh Taker’s burning threat. Taker, who had heated up with two boundaries in his previous four balls, saw Van Schalkwyk play a good length pass to the right of Monank, and the nimble wicketkeeper took a diving catch within reach of his right arm. I jumped on it. The highlight take ended a 31-run partnership over 22 balls that threatened to pull Canada firmly back into the match.

Two balls later, Kenjige continued his player-of-match performance. A slow, looping delivery caught Palgat Singh inside the wicket. When Kenjige pitched just outside the off-stump, an area that affected many of his turns, the ball actually spun into the hands of America’s captain wicketkeeper. After getting some air and turning just in time to watch Monanque sweep away Bale, Palgat joined his scoring partner in the dugout before Canada added one more point to their total.

After two overs and one ball, Kenjige took his third wicket, this time by bowling. Angling at Dilpreet Bajwa, Kenjige spun the ball just past the outside edge of the batsman as he tried to field the flat throw with his back foot.

In the next four overs, captain Saad Bin Zafar and Nicholas Kirton form the best partnership of the innings and add 41 runs to the target. Zafar took advantage of the left-handed-left-handed match-up and started the 18th over against Netra Barkal by scoring a six and a four. A yorker going for the third ball went under the bat, hit the Canadian captain vertically and hit his front pad, giving Saurabh his second wicket of the day.

Heyliger would have entered and scored seven of the last three balls of the 18th, but if Canada had not been left at the back and had only three wickets left, Canada would have lost wickets and 17. We could have happily swapped runs.

Jesse Singh took his first wicket of the series, retiring Heyliger with the right intention and conceding six runs in the 19th over. Van Schalkwik closes out the innings with the wicket of Carton, Canada takes one run on the last ball, a bye, and after Milind Kumar recovers an overthrow, his bowling talent easily catches Rishiv Joshi at the keeper’s end. He showed great potential and allowed the team to take the lead. Run.

Canada had set a goal of 133, but it still didn’t seem like enough.

Perhaps to the surprise of many American fans, Monank Patel will be leading the charge along with Steven Taylor. For the most part, Monanch is a one-down batter, and Andries Gus, who made his debut, established himself on the team with his performance as an opener. However, the decision paid off as the opening pair scored 47 runs without losing in the powerplay, with only Bhagwan Singh’s 3 overs and 2 runs behind.

After Steven Taylor scored just one run off five balls during Harsh Taker’s two power-play overs, Canada looked set to continue bowling off-spin. Zafar brought Nicholas Kirton into the attack in the seventh over as Taylor had scored 21 runs off 15 against others. After three dot balls, the pressure mounted and Taylor charged towards the wicket. The faster batted ball would have gone far behind the batter, forcing Taylor to take a one-handed tennis-style shot to protect himself from stumbling. Oddly enough, Taylor’s contact with the ball was clean enough to give Pargat Singh a chance for a flat low, and Singh dived forward from fine leg to collect the ball for the first wicket of this innings.

This brings Andries Gaus into the middle, and the natural opener will face a steady spin diet from Zafar and Kirton as he begins his batting career in America. This plan did not come to fruition as Goss and Patel scored 32 runs in the next 20 balls. Canada will be relying on Dillon Heyliger to stop the bleeding.

Four runs in the 11th over helped, but it was just a bandaid on an open wound as the US were on a roll.

Canada again relied on Taker, but the trend returned, with Guth’s 14 runs (including two sixes and one four) reaching America’s 100 points.

Heyliger stayed at the other end and quickly surrendered boundaries, bringing in a half-century in Monanch’s maiden T20I in the 18th over, followed by 10 half-centuries and a double century in ODIs. After three dot balls, an extra bounce from Heilinger paid off as Monanque drove into the wind and eventually found himself in Carton’s safe hands.

And this is where the scoring mistakes begin. Heyliger’s wicket was actually the fifth ball of the 13th over, but after the drinks break, Saad bin Zafar took the ball from the other end to start the 14th over. Aaron Jones was given a phantom run on the last ball of the 13th inning. After Gus’ single in the 14th inning, several dot balls from Saad Bin Zafar by Aaron Jones scored Goss and Taker, respectively. This incorrectly lowered Gose from his 21/32 points to his 25/32 points.

Goss continued to do damage in the 15th over with two boundaries and nine runs off Rishiv Joshi before Zafar retired Aaron Jones LBW on the first ball of number 16. Milind Kumar will come on and partner Goss, with the latter giving Heyliger a six-run lead with the first ball of the 18th, his first half-century on debut. One ball later, with the scoreboard showing the point needed for victory, Goss went for another pull shot, but this time it was caught at square leg by a diving Harsh Taker.

Gajanand Singh scored that run on the next ball and the match was called for the Americans.

The fantasy run credited to Aaron Jones will be a point of contention for Canada. According to American cricket writer Peter Della Penna on “We have lodged a formal complaint with ICC Match Referee Leon King regarding the mistake.” Canada was two points short on RBIs, and the Americans believe they were given a phantom two points while chasing. ”

The second match will be held on Tuesday, April 9th ​​at 3pm local time.

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