By Jawad Hussain
MORRISVILLE, the United States of America, September 25, 2018 (News925.com) – An inspiring unbeaten half-century by Steven Ryan Taylor elevated the United States of America to a scintillating two-wicket triumph over Canada in the ICC WT20 Qualifier at Raleigh Cricket Club in Morrisville, the United States on Tuesday.
The match went right to the wire as both the teams rekindled a regional rivalry on the cricket field in the United States.
Canada posted a formidable total of 8/173 from their 20 overs, thanks largely to a mix of contributions by their middle order and lower middle order batsmen. The Canadian opening batters SA Wijeratne (19 off 19 – 4 fours) and NS Dhaliwal (17 off 10 – 2 sixes) got their side off to a flying start. The duo took the total to 0/34 after just four overs. However, it was the fifth over of the innings that changed the complexion of the match. Elmore Howard Hutchinson got rid of both the openers in his first over of the match. The fifth over left the Canadians at 2/36 after five overs and they finished the powerplay at 1/39.
Canada needed their skipper Nitish Kumar (5 off 6) to ensure his presence in the middle. However, Noshthush Kenjige used his left-arm orthodox deliveries to cut short stay of the Canadian skipper at the crease. Canada were losing wickets quickly and needed someone to build a solid platform for the depth overs. Abraash Khan (19 off 17 – 3 fours) and wicket-keeper Hamza Tariq (31 off 17 – 2 fours, 3 sixes) provided the stability that Canada needed direly. Although Saad Bin Zafar (4 off 9) failed to add to the momentum, Rizwan Cheema (27 off 17 – 3 sixes) and Nikhil Dutta (31* off 21 – 2 fours, 2 sixes) made sure that Canada finished with a strong total on the board.
Noshthush Pradeep Kenjige was the pick of the bowlers for the United States as he captured three scalps for 44 runs from his spell of four overs. Ali Khan (3-0-24-0), Elmore Hutchinson (3-0-24-2), and KRP Silva (4-1-25-1) also bowled with guile for the hosts.
Chasing 174 for the victory, the United States started off in a disastrous fashion. Monank Patel went back in the pavilion for a three-ball duck in the very first over of the innings. The dismissal brought Steven Ryan Taylor to the crease. He smashed seven maximums and five boundaries during his 54-ball unbeaten knock of 96* runs to guide the United States to a crucial victory in the ICC WT20 Qualifiers. JS Malhotra (26 off 14 – 4 sixes), KRP Silva (13 off 10 – 1 six), and TK Patel (17 off 22 – 1 four) also chipped in with valuable contributions. However, it was Steven Ryan Taylor who singlehandedly took the United States to the victory over Canada in 19.5 overs.
For Canada, C Pervez (4-0-29-2), Nikhil Dutta (4-0-41-2), Junaid Siddiqui (2.5-0-33-1), D Heyliger (4-0-33-1), and Nitish Kumar (4-0-26-1) were the main wicket-takers.