USA played against Canada on June 1 for the T20 World Cup opener at the Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas and won the game with 7 wickets in hand.
USA chased the target of 195 runs with 14 balls to go and amidst the hosting country’s fiery performance, one player stood out and it was Aaron Jones who scored a blitzing 94 off 40 deliveries, becoming the player to score the second-highest innings on T20 World Cup debut.
At one point, the USA was 42/2 and losing the opening game of the tournament on home soil seemed possible. Jones walked onto the pitch and put up a third-wicket partnership of 131 runs on 58 balls with Andries Gous and turned the fate of the match upside down.
"When I went out to bat, I told Gous, 'Right now we are in a spot of bother'," Jones said. "If we want to win the game, we got to be aggressive, we got to be positive. Either we go down, die-hard and we get bowled out for whatever score, or we try to get the score.
"We want to be fearless, we want to be positive, we want to play smart cricket. In being fearless, we want to have a good shot selection as well. If you know you don't sweep, don't sweep. If you know you don't use your feet, don't use your feet, but be aggressive regardless.
Jones also revealed the mindset and planning of the USA team and how they are going to tackle Pakistan in their second match of the tournament on June 6 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.
"We just want to keep winning as much as possible, of course, we can't win every single game for the rest of our lives," he said. "I don't think our plan [for the rest of the tournament] is going to change much. We want to play fearless cricket, we want to play hard cricket, we want to play smart cricket.
“We are going into the Pakistan game with the same mindset. We want to play fearless cricket, regardless of who we play against."
Jones also called his 94 not out the best innings he has ever played for the USA, "It's up there, to be honest," Jones said. "Probably the best knock for me as a player for USA, or maybe it can come second to the hundred I scored when we gained ODI status. This one is special because it is a World Cup and we know Canada are our rivals, we are playing the first game of the World Cup and everybody's watching us."
Jones’ innings come as a wake-up call for critics who were scrutinizing his selection in the final squad of the USA for the T20 World Cup 2024.
"I believe in myself, I work hard and I just use [criticism] as motivation. I know that I'm good enough to play at the highest level, and whenever given the opportunity, I'll do my best for sure. When I went out to bat tonight, I just saw it as another game to fight for me and bring my team as close as possible to the line, and if we get as close as possible to the line and over the line, it's great for the team."
Jones was awarded the Player of the Match for his stellar innings which steered USA towards victory.
