🏏ICC T20I Men's WC 2024: Match 1: USA vs Canada at Dallas 🏏

🏏ICC T20I Men's WC 2024: Match 1: Group A: USA vs Canada at Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium, Dallas on 02/06/2024 at 6:00 AM IST🏏

[Tag and Logo credit to Wildestdreams]

Welcome to the first match of ICC T20I Men's World Cup

USA vs Canada: oldest rivalry renewed at cricket's biggest T20 World Cup

Both teams are playing their first T20 World Cup, in a match that has plenty of sub-plots to look forward to if the rain stays away in Dallas

USA start as favourites

In a way, it's fitting that cricket's oldest international rivalry will kick off its biggest World Cup, comprising 20 teams. Long before Australia and England played the first-ever Test in 1877, USA and Canada locked horns in a three-day game in 1844. In that match in New York, Canada came out on top by 23 runs.

One-hundred-and-eighty years later, the same two teams will come face to face in the T20 World Cup 2024 opener in Dallas. Coincidentally, it is the first T20 World Cup for both sides. USA qualified by virtue of being the co-hosts and Canada by winning the Americas Qualifier.

Saturday's game will be the first T20I at the Grand Prairie Stadium. But there is hardly any buzz in Dallas, which means the 7000-seater may not be packed to capacity. Moreover, a thunderstorm could play spoilsport, as it did during the warm-ups for both sides at this very venue.

Nevertheless, USA will be the favourites on Saturday. While they have played only seven T20Is since the 2022 T20 World Cup - all in the last two months - that was enough to show their pedigree. They first beat Canada 4-0 before stunning Bangladesh 2-1, both times playing at home.

If the rain stays away, Corey Anderson, the former New Zealand allrounder who now plays for USA, will become the fifth player to represent two teams at the T20 World Cup. Former India Under-19 World Cup winner Harmeet Singh, once touted as the next Bishan Bedi, is also expected to play a key role with bat and ball.

In left-arm seamer Kaleem Sana, Canada have got someone who once dismissed Babar Azam in a first-class game in Pakistan. They also have 37-year-old Jeremy Gordon, one of the fastest bowlers in associate cricket.

Among other sub-plots, Canada coach Pubudu Dassanayake was previously with USA in the same role, and batting-allrounder Nitish Kumar, who now plays for USA, was with Canada till 2019.

Grand Prairie pitch report for the USA vs CAN T20 World Cup match

The average score batting first at the Grand Prairie in seven international games has been 136. However, the highest score by a team is 230/3. Thus, predicting a total at this wicket could be tricky. The Major League Cricket matches held at this venue were mostly high-scoring. Thus, a high-scoring game is expected here. However, dampness in the wicket might make batting a bit difficult. 

Grand Prairie weather forecast during the USA vs CAN T20 World Cup match

There is a flood warning throughout the state of Texas in the United States and Grand Prairie, where the stadium is located has also received the same. The weather at the time of the match, which is 6:00 AM IST and 7:30 PM Local time is going to be cloudy. It will remain so for the entirety of the game till 111: 30 pm Local time and and 10: AM IST

Pitch and conditions

Of the four warm-up games scheduled here, only one saw some action. Batting first in that, Canada posted 183 for 7. In response, Nepal were all out for 120. There is a 40% chance of rain on Saturday, though.

Team news

In Steven Taylor, Monank Patel and Andries Gous, USA have a solid top order. Ali Khan and Saurabh Netravalkar will lead the pace unit. Harmeet, their main spinner, can also provide late-order hitting.

United States of America (probable XI): 1 Steven Taylor, 2 Monank Patel (capt, wk), 3 Andries Gous, 4 Aaron Jones, 5 Nitish Kumar, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Harmeet Singh, 8 Shadley van Schalkwyk, 9 Jasdeep Singh, 10 Ali Khan, 11 Saurabh Netravalkar

Canada will rely a lot on their bowlers. Apart from Gordon and Sana, they have Dilon Heyliger in the pace attack. Captain Saad Bin Zafar and Nikhil Dutta know how to keep batters quiet with their spin variations.

Canada (probable XI): 1 Aaron Johnson, 2 Navneet Dhaliwal, 3 Rayyan Pathan, 4 Nicholas Kirton, 5 Pargat Singh, 6 Shreyas Movva (wk), 7 Saad Bin Zafar (capt), 8 Nikhil Dutta, 9 Dilon Heyliger, 10 Jeremy Gordon, 11 Kaleem Sana

In the spotlight - Corey Anderson and Aaron Johnson

Corey Anderson made his T20I debut for USA in April. He started with scores of 28 and 55, but at the same time, he looked a bit rusty. In five T20Is he has played for USA till now, he has struck at 112.30. Once upon a time, he held the record for the fastest ODI hundred. Can he turn the clock back to those days?

Originally from Jamaica, Aaron Johnson is a powerful opening batter who loves playing no-look shots. The 33-year-old made his T20I debut for Canada in 2022. In 16 games so far, he has scored 713 runs at an average of 50.92 and a strike rate of 166.58. He has five fifties, two hundreds and 48 sixes in the format.

Aaron Johnson during a practice session, T20 World Cup 2024, Dallas, May 31, 2024 

Stats that matter

• Taylor and Patel have six 50-plus stands in the 12 T20I innings in which they have opened together for USA. Their partnership run rate is 9.65.
• Since the last T20 World Cup in 2022, only two batters have scored 700 or more runs at a 50-plus average and a 150-plus strike rate: India's Suryakumar Yadav and Canada's Aaron Johnson.
• Across all T20s, Johnson has taken Netravalkar for 50 runs in 30 balls while getting out only once.
• Aaron Jones has smashed Heyliger for 23 runs in 11 balls for one dismissal. But Saad has had the wood over him: two dismissals in 23 balls for just 15 runs.
• Saad is the only bowler to have registered four maidens in a T20I, a feat he achieved against Panama in 2021 when he finished with figures of 4-4-0-2.
• So far, only four players have represented two different teams at the T20 World Cup: Roelof van der Merwe (South Africa and Netherlands), Dirk Nannes (Netherlands and Australia), David Wiese (South Africa and Namibia) and Mark Chapman (Hong Kong and New Zealand). Anderson could join them on Saturday.

Quotes

"I will say fearless cricket, positive cricket, smart cricket. I think that's what we're really and truly trying to do. We don't want to regret anything. We want to leave everything out there on the park. And then, obviously, if we come out on top, it's great. If we don't come out on top, that's how cricket goes sometimes. But we don't want to regret anything."

USA vice-captain Aaron Jones on the brand of cricket they want to play

"At the national level, we are rivals because we are from the same region. We tend to play against each other a lot. Most of the time it's in qualifiers where there's a lot on the line, whether it's the ODI status or the T20 World Cup qualification. But at the same time, we do play a lot of tournaments and franchise cricket in the North American region. So there's a lot of friendships between the two countries as well."

Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar on the rivalry between the two sides

Total matches played: 8

United States of America won: 5

Canada won: 2

Tied: 1

USA vs CAN head-to-head at Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas

Matches played: 4

United States of America: 4

Canada: 0

USA vs CAN head-to-head in Canada

Matches played: 2

United States of America: 0

Canada: 2

USA vs CAN head-to-head in Neutral Venues 

Matches played: 2

United States of America: 1

Canada: 0

Tied- 1

HEAD TO HEAD - LAST 5 MATCHES

U.S.A. won by 4 wickets (with 2 balls remaining) 14-Apr-2024

U.S.A. won by 14 runs 13-Apr-2024

Match abandoned without a ball bowled

11-Apr-2024

U.S.A. won by 31 runs 10-Apr-2024

U.S.A. won by 6 wickets (with 15 balls remaining) 08-Apr-2024

USA vs CAN Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: Corey Anderson

The former New Zealand international played a brilliant knock against Bangladesh in the first of the three-match series. He has a lot of experience playing against the best players in the T20 format. The all-rounder can cause a lot of damage, especially at the backend of the innings, with his six-hitting prowess.

Probable Best Bowler: Harmeet Singh

The left-arm spinner was the pick of the bowlers when the USA beat Canada in the five-match T20I series. He bagged six wickets in four matches at an average of 12.67. Harmeet would want to continue his purple patch against the Canadian batters.

Batters To Watch(recent stats)

Steven Taylor,  USA

8 M • 248 Runs • 31 Avg • 131.21 SR

Monank Patel,  USA

7 M • 223 Runs • 31.86 Avg • 149.66 SR

Aaron Johnson,  CAN

10 M • 379 Runs • 42.11 Avg • 166.22 SR

Nicholas Kirton,  CAN

9 M • 189 Runs • 27 Avg • 133.09 SR\

Bowlers To Watch(recent stats)

Saurabh Netravalkar,  USA

10 M • 11 Wkts • 7.26 Econ • 17.72 SR

Shadley van Schalkwyk,  USA

6 M • 8 Wkts • 8.84 Econ • 14.25 SR

Kaleem Sana,  CAN

6 M • 16 Wkts • 4.12 Econ • 8.56 SR

Nikhil Dutta,  CAN

8 M • 11 Wkts • 5.53 Econ • 11.72 SR

Thank you, Raji, for the thread and for tagging me. 

May the best team win the first match of ICC T20I World Cup! 

Matches played 4 

USA  Won --4 

Canada --0 

Today's Match Prediction: USA to win the match

Scenario 1

USA win the toss and opt to bowl first

Power Play Score: 40-50

First Innings Score: 140-150

USA win the match

Scenario 2

Canada win the toss and opt to bowl first

Power Play score: 40-50

First Innings Score: 150-160

USA win the match

Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.