USA seal Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifier spot with win over Jersey
Cricket
The Americans also confirmed top spot in the competition by moving to eight points
DUBAI (Web Desk) - USA punched their ticket to the Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifier with a thrilling win over Jersey, while UAE secured their spot with a better head-to-head record over the other teams that could finish equal on points.
Namibia were winners on day seven against Canada, though despite the victory the tournament's tie-breakers do not work in favour of the African team, who lost to UAE earlier in the tournament, ICC said in its blog.
Even if UAE were to lose to Jersey, their wins over Canada and Namibia will place them ahead on the head-to-head tiebreaker between teams on level points and level wins.
Put in to bat first with a top-two spot up for grabs, USA were restricted to just 231 in their 50 overs. Jersey picked up wickets at regular intervals, but opener Steven Taylor held one end strong, with crucial partnerships with Saiteja Mukkamalla (54-run stand) and Gajanand Singh (69) bailing USA out of trouble.
Nisarg Patel and Jessy Singh made vital contributions lower down the order to push USA to a substantial total. Benjamin Ward was the pick of the bowlers, breaking the back of the USA batting line-up by taking four wickets.
In reply, Jersey's chase never took off as Ali Khan ran through the top and middle-order with a five-wicket haul inside the first six overs. Asa Tribe and Jonty Jenner went on the defensive to curb USA's ascendency but were already playing catch-up having lost half their side with just 17 runs on board.
Once Jenner was dismissed, Tribe put together a brilliant Benjamin Ward 97-run stand that gave Jersey hopes of mounting an unlikely comeback before the duo fell within a span of four overs as USA wrested control.
At 168/8, Jersey were down and out but there was yet another twist in the tale – Julius Sumerauer and Charles Perchard took the attack to USA and gave their side a glimmer of hope. However, those hopes were dashed as Ali Khan returned and picked up two wickets to finish with figures of 7/32.
The win, along with Namibia's victory over Canada, ensured that USA finish in the top two and as a result, sealed the berth in the 2023 Cricket World Cup Qualifier.
The Americans also confirmed top spot in the competition by moving to eight points, unable to be edged by UAE due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Choosing to bat first in a must-win game as the day started to keep their Qualifier hopes alive, Shaun Fouché and Niko Davin got Namibia off to a solid start with a 63-run stand. Unfortunately, they failed to take advantage of the foundation laid as they kept losing wickets regularly.
Fouché's 83 added much-needed stability to the innings as he kept the scorecard ticking with the middle order. Once he fell, Zane Green and Pikky Ya France added 62 runs for the 7th wicket as Namibia posted a strong total of 267/9.
In response, Canada made a bright start to their chase but were pegged back by the early wicket of Aaron Johnson. Matthew Spoors and Pargat Singh steadied the ship but the wicket of the opener triggered a mini-collapse, which Canada never managed to recover from.
Canada, who were 64/1 at one point, were soon reduced to 96/6, with spinners Pikky Ya France and Bernard Scholtz running riot picking up two wickets each. Ravinderpal Singh's 34 batting at No.8 only delayed the inevitable as Canada were bowled out for 156, 111 runs shy of the target.
