For the forthcoming North American T20 Cup, USA selectors have made up to seven changes from their previous T20 match in Oman. They have chosen to rest a number of well-known players in a tournament that the USA is predicted to win in order to bring in some fresh talent with an eye towards the future. The main match of the North American Cup will pit the United States against lower-ranked Associates like Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands, in addition to Canada.
Without a few of his reliable lieutenants, Monank Patel will captain the youthful T20 team. Andries Gous will be absent because of his PSL obligations with Islamabad United. Along with leaders Ali Khan and Juanoy Drysdale, left-arm spin twins Harmeet Singh and Nosthush Kenjige have been rested. Furthermore, Steven Taylor, who had a lacklustre return to the national team in Oman, is once again on the sidelines. Both of Taylor’s games against Oman in February ended without him reaching double figures. Despite a respectable 2 for 11 in one of his two T20 games on the tour, young left-arm spinner Stephen Wiig has unexpectedly been demoted.
Rahul Jariwala has been unexpectedly called up due to Gous’s vacancy at the top of the order. After an almost three-year break, the 20-year-old batsman-wicketkeeper is back in the USA lineup. He last participated in an international match in September 2022. Leg-spinner Yasir Mohammad, who has mostly been benched because of Harmeet and Kenjige, is highlighted by the lack of frontline spinners. Akhilesh Bodugum, an off-spinner, has received his first national call-up following impressive Minor League play. The 24-year-old Bodugum has played for Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and is a fixture in T10 competitions worldwide.
The return of left-arm spinner Vatsal Vaghela, who has been out of action for three years, will further strengthen the spin department. Despite his promising performances, notably a three-over burst of 2 for 16 against Ireland on debut, the 23-year-old Vaghela was dismissed early in his USA career.
Aarin Nadkarni, a young fast bowler and the son of former USA captain Sushil Nadkarni, will also experience international cricket for the first time. In a tour match in October of last year, the junior Nadkarni caused quite a stir with his devastating spell of 4 for 14, which broke the back of Nepal’s batting order. Ayan Desai, a left-arm seamer who was ignored during the Namibia trip last year, is also back.
The Cayman Islands will host the North American T20 Cup from April 18–27.
The following members of the squad are: Ali Sheikh, Yasir Mohammad, Akhilesh Bodugum, Vatsal Vaghela, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ayan Desai, Aarin Nadkarni, Rahul Jariwala, Aaron Jones, Shayan Jahangir, Saietja Mukkamala, Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Rahul Jariwala, and Jessy Singh (vc).
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