Aaron Jones stole the show as he led the USA to victory over Canada by seven wickets on Saturday in the T20 World Cup 2024 opener in Dallas.
Jones struck an undefeated 94 off just 40 balls, leading USA to their first-ever T20 World Cup win.
When it counted most, the USA vice-captain demonstrated leadership by hitting ten sixes in his T20 World Cup debut. Jones also scored the second-highest individual score in his T20 World Cup debut, only behind the legendary Chris Gayle.
Who is Aaron Jones?
Aaron Jones was born on 19 October 1994 in New York to parents of West Indies origin. Although eligible to represent the West Indies by birth, Jones always dreamt of playing for the Caribbean nation.
However, the 29-year-old ended up representing the United States, which is no small achievement in itself. In his early days, Jones played alongside current West Indies internationals Shai Hope and Jason Holder, competing against the likes of Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell.
What is Aaron Jones' batting and bowling style?
Jones is a right-handed middle-order batter, who can bowl part-time leg-spin too. The New York-born batter doesn't have the best of strike rate in the shortest format but his heroics against Canada at the T20 World Cup 2024 have shown he can smash the ball at will.
When did Aaron Jones made his international debut?
After initially dreaming of representing West Indies, Jones realised his dream partially, by playing for the country he was born in. The 29-year-old made his USA debut in 2019 as a 24-year-old.
Jones featured for the USA for the first time in a T20I against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on March 15, 2019. In the USA's tour of UAE, Jones was picked for the first game of the two-match bilateral series.
Shortly after fulfilling his T20I ambition, he made his ODI debut on April 27 against Papua New Guinea.
What is Aaron Jones' record for the USA?
In ODIs, Jones has played 43 matches, scoring a total of 1,454 runs. His batting average is 36.35 and his strike-rate is 70.79. Jones has hit 10 half-centuries and a century with his highest score being 123 runs.
In T20Is, Jones has played 27 matches and batted in 25 innings, accumulating 478 runs. His batting average in this format is 28.12, and his strike rate is 116.87. Jones has recorded 2 half-centuries, with his highest score being an unbeaten 94 runs.
Which T20 leagues have Aaron Jones played in?
Aaron Jones has featured in a number of T20 competitions across the globe. In 2023, he was selected by the Seattle Orcas in the USA's Major League Cricket and the Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Jones has also been a part of the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Carribean Premier League.
