Aaron Jones doesn’t have the huge build of the archetypal power forward. His compact arms are not muscular like some of them; it does not have the pyrotechnics typical of new-age T20 batsmen. None of this mattered to Jones, who smeared 10 sixes, several of them outside the arena, and four fours to make 94, off 40 balls, to give the USA a seven-wicket victory over fierce rivals Canada in the first match of the World Cup.
He has ambition, explosive strength and self-belief – a useful combination when his burning desire is to take American cricket to the next level, on the way to ensuring that critics in his home country of Barbados can perhaps attract the attention of an IPL scout and, in the process, become a figurehead for the American cricket.
After completing the victory, chasing 195 with 14 balls to spare, he exuded the unmistakable serene of a Caribbean cricketer and calmly explained what the victory meant to him. “I hope this will open some people’s eyes around the world and see that I am good enough to play T20 cricket,” he said. I believe in myself, I work tough and I just enjoy it [criticism] motivation,” he added.
He didn’t specify the intended purpose of his words, but he stepped in with the boldness of a man eager to prove his critics wrong. The 29-year-old dreamed of playing for the West Indies for most of his career. He comes from the proudest cricketing tradition of any island, has bowled tough yards alongside the likes of Jason Holder and Shai Hope, made his first-class debut in 2017, and yet in a 2019 interview with Barbados Today he “says” he will never “he didn’t have a decent run” with the national team. I wanted to stay here and fight for my place here. But I know it’s a losing battle,” he said. So he used his American passport and moved to his country of birth in the same year.
The facilities were not the same. Initially, he played in parks and on astroturfs. He took up coaching part-time to achieve his goal. But the dream of playing international cricket fueled him. A few months after the move, he made his debut for the USA in a T20I against the United Arab Emirates. In no time he became an indispensable part of the team, soon becoming his USA’s most prolific ODI player and second in his team’s T20I charts. His solitary international hundred against Namibia helped his team gain ODI status, but his most notable knock came in Dallas. A breakthrough moment for him and American cricket.
He stepped in with his team in the fight after losing captain Monank Patel with a total score of 42, chasing victory with a steep score of 195. He explained his thinking at the press conference: “When I went out to bat tonight, I just looked at it as another game to fight for me and get my team as close to the end line as possible, and if we get as close as we can both down the line , and beyond, it’s a great solution for the team.”
He took seven Test balls – he almost missed the first ball off Dilon Heyliger’s furious swinger away – and hit the eighth into the second tier of the stadium. A torrent of sixes flowed – most of them were straightaways (five of his ten sixes). After the 22nd ball, he completed his half-century with a sixth six. He most severely attacked Gujranwala-born left-arm spinner Saad bin Zafar, whom he picked up for three sixes apiece. His preference for the leg side was clearly noticeable – all ten sixes were hit in that direction.
After his fifty, he slowed down to give Andries Gous some fun on his way to a knock of 65 off 46 balls. The 131-run stand was pure T20 entertainment and effectively sealed the victory, even though Gous departed with a score of 173. Fittingly, thanks to a six off Jones, Jones completed what could have been more than just a victory for his adopted country. Declaration won; perhaps the beginning of a more rewarding tournament.
Brief scores: Canada: 194/5 in 20 overs (Navneet Dhaliwal 61, Nicholas Kirton 51) lost to USA 197/3 in 17.4 overs (Aaron Jones 94 not out, Andries Gous 65) by seven wickets.
Get the latest IPL 2024 updates with IPL points table for teams, schedule, most runs and most wickets along with live score updates for all matches. Also get sports news and more cricket updates.
