Aaron Jones isn’t the stocky build of a typical power hitter. His compact shoulders aren’t as muscular as some of his peers. He doesn’t have the finesse of the new generation of T20 batsmen. But none of this mattered to Jones, who hit 10 sixes, several of which landed outside the arena, and four fours to score 94 off 40 balls in a seven-wicket win over arch rivals Canada in the opening match of the World Cup.
What he does have is ambition, explosive power and confidence, a useful combination in his burning desire to take American cricket to new heights, mislead the critics in his native Barbados, catch the attention of IPL scouts and become an icon of American cricket in the process.
After winning by 195 with 14 balls to spare, he exuded the calmness you expect from a Caribbean cricketer as he spoke calmly about what the win meant to him. “Hopefully the whole world realises that I’m good enough to play T20 cricket,” he said. “I just have to believe in myself, work hard and give it my all.” [criticism] As a motivation,” he added.
He didn’t specify who he meant by those words, but he stepped up to bat with the boldness of a man who wants to prove his critics wrong. For most of his career, the 29-year-old had dreamed of playing for the West Indies. A member of the islands’ proudest cricketing tradition, he worked hard alongside the likes of Jason Holder and Shay Hope to make his first-class debut in 2017, but told Barbados Today in 2019 that he “never made a decent mark” with the national team. “I wanted to stay here and fight for my place, but I know it’s a losing battle,” he said. So he used an American passport and moved to his native country that same year.
The facilities were not the same as before. Initially, he played in parks and on artificial turf. To earn a living, he started coaching part-time. But the dream of playing international cricket drove him on. A few months after moving, he made his T20I debut for the US against the UAE. He quickly became an integral part of the team and soon became the US’s leading run-scorer in ODIs and second on the team’s T20I charts. His only international hundred against Namibia helped the team secure ODI status, but his most famous hit came in Dallas. It was a groundbreaking moment for himself and for US cricket.
He swaggered in chasing a tough score of 195 for victory with his struggling team having lost captain Monank Patel with the total score at 42. Explaining his state of mind at the press conference, he said, “When I came up to bat tonight I was thinking it was just another game to fight for myself and get the team as close to the line as possible. If we can get as close to the line and get over the line then it will be great for the team.”
He batted tentatively off the seventh ball, before a powerful away swing from Dillon Heyliger nearly flicked it off the back of the first ball and then smashed the eighth into the upper tier of the stadium. He then hit a flurry of sixes, mostly slog-sweeps (five off 10 balls). His sixth six off the 22nd ball brought him to fifty. The hardest hitter was Gujranwala-born left-arm spinner Saad Bin Zafar, who smashed three sixes in the first over. His preference for the leg side was clear, with all ten sixes being hit in that direction.
After his fifty he slowed comparatively to allow Andries Guth to have some fun, smashing him for 65 off 46 balls. The stand of 131 was pure T20 entertainment and ensured victory despite Guth’s score being 173. Jones smashed sixes to seal what may be more than just a win for his adopted country; a statement win and the start of a more successful tournament.
Brief scores: Canada: 194/5 in 20 overs (Navneet Dhaliwal 61, Nicholas Kirton 51), lost by seven wickets to USA at 197/3 in 17.4 overs (Aaron Jones 94 not out, Andries Gous 65).
© Indian Express Ltd.
First uploaded: March 6, 2024 12:44 AM
