CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress / ITDC News Bhopal: It was pandemonium at the Grand Prairie Stadium. Pakistan didn’t know what hit them. In what seemed like a virtual home game away from home for Pakistan, eleven men (twelve actually, ex RCB and Delhi batter Milind Kumar took a blinder in the super over as the 12th man) crashed Pakistan’s party. USA pulled a heist for the ages. They beat Pakistan fair and square on a good cricket wicket.
The win, however improbable, was 5 years in the making. At its lowest ebb, the USA T20I team was hammered twice within a week by Bermuda in 2018. A total of 5 players from the dismal tour of Bermuda featured in the game against Pakistan. That includes player of the match Monank Patel, superover heroes Saurabh Netravalkar and Aaron Jones, among others. With the T20 revolution brewing in America, their present avatars are almost unidentifiable from the past.
Speedster Ali Khan, quite extravagantly said how USA are out to eat anyone in their way after their series victory over Bangladesh. The boy from Attock, Pakistan who moved to Ohio in his late teens did not hold a cricket ball untill turning out for a random practice session for amateur league cricket in the state. Khan, the pioneer, who paved the way for the associate world to score globetrotting contracts round the world, took the sting out of Pakistan’s batting after sending back the dangerous Fakhar Zaman for 11.
“Great win for us against a great side Pakistan. We’ve been waiting for this stage for a long time and we’ve been trying to grab this opportunity with both hands. I don’t think the job is done yet as our job is to qualify for the Super 8. So the team is really confident, we’re gonna keep this momentum and hopefully get a win against India and Ireland,” said Ali Khan to Cricbuzz.
In the 2010 U19 World Cup, Netravalkar’s rendezvous with Babar Azam was rather brief. Sandeep Sharma’s vicious inswinger sent Babar back to the hut before they could face off. Fourteen years later, Netravalkar wasted little time to hit the ground running. He beat both the edges of Babar’s bat within the space of six deliveries. The left-armer seemingly toyed with the fourth ranked T20I batter in the world, thwarting him early in his innings as Babar laboured out 3 runs off 11 balls against Netravalkar in the powerplay.
“Very grateful for the platform and knowing that each one of the members in this team has gone through unique individual struggles and has put on many sacrifices throughout these 5-6 years that I have been part of USA cricket team. So very happy for this platform and that things are coming together. Really special win but it’s a long road ahead and we wish to keep working harder and grow stronger as a unit on and off the field,” said Netravalkar to Cricbuzz.
“Its unreal. Just trying to soak it all in. Wherever you are in the world if you are putting in the hard work, believe in yourself and play cricket the right way, I think it shows why we can’t go far wherever we be. Its been a great challenge for us a group. I didn’t know what to do at the end there after Nitish hit the boundary to get us to the super over. I thought I was supposed to run out on the field! It was puzzling,” said Nosthush Kenjige, who used to be a hospital equipment diagnostics technician before seeking the thrill of being a full time cricketer.
The 33 year old left arm spinner bowled a probing spell of 3 for 30 and quite crucially bagged two wickets in the 13th over to peg back a surging Pakistan. Kenjige has a work ethic of a work zealot, he is by far the fittest player in the USA squad past and present with a yoyo test reading at 21, considered to be amongst the highest in the world.
A diminutive and wiry character, he modelled himself as a seam bowling all rounder. It was upon his school coach’s suggestion that he took up left arm spin after coming to terms with the fact that his slender physique was not naturally built to scare the day light out of any batter.