Gajanand Singh scored a maiden T20I fifty in his first T20I innings for USA to help USA clinch their spot in next year's T20 World Cup Global Qualifiers. 

Image credit: Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna in Antigua (Twitter @PeterDellaPenna)
 
USA batsman Gajanand Singh scored an unbeaten 50 off 38 balls to pilot USA’s successful chase of Argentina’s first innings total of 90 for 7 in an eight-wicket win at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on day four of the 2021 ICC Americas Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Antigua. The win moved USA to 5-0 at the event with one match remaining and guaranteed their place in the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup Global Qualifier. 
 


Argentina won the toss and chose to bat first as USA made three changes from the lineup that defeated Canada in the dramatic Super Over encounter a day earlier. Gajanand came back into the XI while Elmore Hutchinson and debutant Trinson Carmichael made their first appearances of the tournament as Ali Khan, Saurabh Netravalkar and Karima Gore were all rested. 
 
Rusty Theron struck USA’s first blow in the second over, bowling Pedro Baron for 6 defeated on a drive. Hutchinson then produced a double-wicket maiden in the third, getting Lautaro Musiani to sky a drive to Jaskaran Malhotra at mid-on for 4 before Alejandro Ferguson pushed outside off to edge behind to Monank Patel for a second-ball duck making it 11 for 3. Theron made further inroads in the fourth over, bowling Alan Kirschbaum for 4 with another full length delivery. 
 
Argentina’s middle order provided stern resistance though to give their side hope. Martin Siri and Ramiro Escobar combined for a 32-run partnership spanning the next seven overs as Siri focused on rotating the strike at every opportunity to release pressure while Escobar used the sweep effectively against USA’s spinners. The partnership finally came to an end when Escobar’s attempted slog sweep against the turn of Nisarg Patel produced a skied catch to Gajanand at deep midwicket for 12 to end the 11^th. 
 
Siri then constructed another gritty 39-run stand with Pedro Bruno, with their pair launching an attack on the part-time leg spin of Aaron Jones in the 17^th which led to 11 runs, Argentina’s biggest over of the day, giving them a bit of momentum heading into the death overs. But Ian Holland reined in the scoring in the 20^th, conceding just five singles. Holland dismissed Siri for a top score of 31 off the fourth ball of the over as the Argentine’s failed charge resulted in a stumping with Monank standing up to Holland’s medium pace. Bruno was then runout off the final ball of the innings unable to make a second run taking on Steven Taylor’s arm at long-on. 
 
Theron ended with 2 for 5 from his two-over new ball spell to lead USA’s bowlers on the day while Hutchinson ended with 2 for 7 in three overs including the maiden. Holland ended with another economical 1 for 17 in his four overs while Nisarg took 1 for 13 in his four. Carmichael (0 for 25 in four), Jones (0 for 13 in two) and Malhotra (0 for 3 in one) went wicketless. 
 
Malhotra opened the chase with Gajanand but only lasted six balls, bowled by Argentina captain Hernan Fennell taking a swipe across the line to be bowled for 4 in the second over of the chase. Xavier Marshall was the only other wicket to fall, driving a catch to long-on off the left-arm spinner Jonathan Hurley for 19. 
 
Jones joined Gajanand and the pair teamed up for an unbroken 53-run third-wicket stand to take USA across the line with 6.3 overs to spare. Gajanand had started of methodically but went into overdrive in the eighth over bowled by Kirschbaum. A head high full toss was swatted over midwicket for six before he gave the ensuing free hit the same treatment as part of a 15-run over. He brought up his 50 with a single down the ground to level the scores in the 14^th over before Jones finished the match by cutting Fennell through point for a boundary on the next delivery as the USA vice-captain finished unbeaten on 17 off 20 balls. 
 
Earlier in the day, Canada defeated Bermuda by 46 runs at Coolidge Cricket Ground behind Player of the Match Hamza Tariq’s brilliant 63 not out off 28 balls as part of an unbeaten 89-run sixth wicket partnership alongside Harsh Thaker to steer Canada out of a shaky position at 98 for 5. Bermuda had Canada on the ropes in the 14^th over after quick wickets fell following the strong start laid by Rayyan Pathan’s 52 off 31 balls at the top of the order. But Tariq devastated Bermuda with a sensational array of sweeps to the spinners to take back momentum. Bermuda’s chase of a target of 188 never really threatened after a conservative Powerplay in which they only scored three boundaries to reach 29 for 1.
 
All teams have an off day on Friday before the tournament gets back underway on Saturday in Antigua. USA’s final match of the tournament takes place at 9 am against Bahamas at Coolidge Cricket Ground.