The United States of America (USA) have become the 28th country to play a men’s T20I when they take on UAE at the ICC Academy in Dubai.
In January 2019, the International Cricket Council (ICC) approved the inclusion of USA Cricket as an associate member of the cricketing body. The country became ICC’s 105th member. Now, the team will get ready to play their first ever international match on Friday as they face off against the United Arab Emirates at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. Doing so, the USA will become the 28th nation in the world to play a T20I match.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo in an interview, USA head coach Pubudu Dassanayake expressed hope that the two-match T20I series against UAE could provide a platform for his side to have a successful T20I World Cup qualifying campaign later this year. “Of course, it’s the first T20 International USA is playing, so we want to win, so winning is important. But having said that, at the end of this year there’s a big tournament coming up, the T20 global qualifier and regional qualifiers. So we want to see what is our best combination and best players for that version. We’re going to try a few combinations tomorrow and the day after and see what’s best for us,” he told the website.
