Aaron Jones took co-hosts USA to their highest ever run and a seven-wicket victory over Canada in the opening match of the T20 World Cup.
Half-centuries from Navneet Dhaliwal and Nicholas Kirton helped Canada set the hosts a 195-run target at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday.
After American openers Steven Taylor and Monank Patel fell quickly, Jones teamed up with Andries Gous to put on a powerful hitting clinic.
Jones hit 10 sixes en route to an unbeaten 94 off just 40 balls, while Gous added 65 to get the tournament co-hosts off to a perfect start.
Jones reacts after scoring the winning points
The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup opened with a clash between two countries who, in 1844, played the first international match. That year, Canada won a low-scoring three-day match in New York by 23 points.
Cricket was a popular sport in the United States, particularly in Philadelphia, but it was supplanted by baseball in the late 19th century.
With T20 cricket, a format similar in duration to baseball matches, now on the agenda for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the International Cricket Council hopes to attract a potentially lucrative new audience by sharing the World Cup between the Caribbean and the United States.
Two-time champions West Indies open their campaign against Papua New Guinea in Georgetown on Sunday, live on Sky Sports from 3 p.m.
Watch every match from the Men’s T20 World Cup live on Sky Sports between June 2 and 29. England face Scotland in Barbados on Tuesday (3:30 p.m. first ball) and Ireland face India in New York on Wednesday (also 3:30 p.m.).
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