"Hopefully my innings will open eyes of those who don't know me or USA cricket..:" Aaron Jones after delivering a match-winning performance

Aaron Jones played an unbelievable inning to take this side over the finishing line. He scored 94 runs in only 40 deliveries to help the USA start the T20 World Cup 2024 campaign on a positive note. He is hoping that his inning against Canada will open the eyes of those who don't know anything about him or USA cricket. Jones was released by Major League Cricket franchise Seattle Orcas after its inaugural edition. He was not picked in the last MLC draft.

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Aaron Jones and Andries Gous led the USA to their victory against Canada

"When I wasn't selected in the Major League, I just took it as a stepping stone in the journey. I would have loved to get drafted, so it goes sometimes. Hopefully, tonight's innings will probably open the eyes of those who don't know me or USA cricket. We have great players here and we have a lot of talent here and are willing to play at the highest level for sure," Aaron Jones said after the game.

USA had a poor start and they lost the wicket of Steven Taylor for a duck in the second ball of the inning. They were 42/2 after 6.3 overs. But Jones played a counter-attacking inning and completed the chase with 14 balls to spare. He smashed 10 sixes in the game, the second most in a T20 World Cup inning after Chris Gayle's 11 against England in 2016.

Andries Gous also played an important inning and was instrumental in USA's victory. He scored 65 runs off 46 balls and helped Aaron from the other end. Jones and Andries Gous stood tall and added 131 runs for the third wicket.

"I don't think it is easy to put it into words. We know Canada comes hard against us since it is a big rivalry. Happy to take the team over the line. Sometimes as a cricketer, you could go a bit under the radar if you have a few low scores. I always back myself and know that I am capable of performing at every level. Happy that I came out on top and won the game for the USA. Hope it opens the eyes of some people around the world that I am good enough to play T20 cricket. I believe in myself, I work hard and I just use it 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," Jones further added.

USA will next face Pakistan at the same venue on Thursday and play India in ten days, while Canada will face Ireland in New York on Friday. Jones said they will continue to play fearless cricket.

"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. I don't think our plan 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 concluded.