Sanjay Krishnamurthi's desperate dive on the final ball of play got USA over the line, literally, for the winning run to complete a five-wicket victory over arch-rival Canada, a result that secured USA's spot in the 2027 ICC World Cup Qualifier. 

Photo credit: ICC

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
In one of the most exciting finishes in the ongoing cycle of ICC Cricket World Cup League Two, USA scraped past Canada by five wickets on the final ball of the match as Sanjay Krishnamurthi’s diving effort to complete a helter-skelter two ensured USA overhauled a target of 276 at King City on Friday. 
 
The result for USA officially guaranteed a top-four finish for USA in CWC League Two and therefore clinched a berth in the 2027 ICC World Cup Qualifier. The two points USA took from the contest moved them to 42 from 31 matches. Fifth-place Nepal currently has 24 points from 28 matches and can only max out on 40 points if they win their remaining eight matches while the result meant that sixth-place Canada – who have 23 points from 27 matches – can only reach 41 points if they take the maximum possible 18 points from their nine remaining contests. 
 
Krishnamurthi had entered in the 46^th over and wound up playing out a wicket maiden to Kaleem Sana after the left-arm pace bowler dismissed Shubham Ranjane for 59 on the first ball of the over when a ball angled into the pads from around the wicket beat Ranjane playing back in his crease to win an lbw decision. However, as the old saying goes: it’s not how you start but how you finish. Krishnamurthi’s five dots to begin his innings after entering at No. 7 became an afterthought after his final over heroics. 
 
Following the end of that nightmarish 46^th over, USA needed 37 to win off 24 balls having once been cruising to the target after 37 overs when the required equation stood at a run a ball with the score 198 for 4. But Ranjane’s dismissal threw a wrench into the finishing plan for USA, and medium pace allrounder Akhil Kumar picked up said wrench to produce some more handywork that frustrated USA’s pair out in the middle with a tremendous 49^th over in which his ploy of slanting wide yorkers from around the wicket across the right-hand pair of Krishnamurthi and Milind Kumar wound up conceding just six runs. 
 
It set up a final over in which USA needed to score 15 off Sana. However, Canada’s slow pace in the field meant they had exhausted the allotted time to complete the innings and they were subsequently penalized by the on-field umpires Roly Black and Arnold Maddela by being forced to bring an extra fielder inside the 30-yard circle for the final six balls. It wound up having a subtle but significant impact as Sana’s first ball over the over to Kumar was squeezed out past short third – who had been fielding on the boundary prior to the penalty – for three runs. Back-to-back singles by Krishnamurthi and Kumar left 10 to get off three balls and Krishnamurthi back on strike. 
 
A short ball from Sana to Krishnamurthi on the fourth ball of the over was hooked fine beyond short fine leg for two as the odds shifted strongly in favor of Canada with eight needed to win off two balls for USA. Sana followed up the short ball by going for a yorker on the fifth ball of the over, but the delivery wound up being a low full toss that Krishnamurthi was able to muscle back down the ground over long-on into the sightscreen for six. With two needed off the final ball, Krishnamurthi received a length ball and appeared to premeditate a tap and run targeting a vacant gap wide of long-on. After easily completing the first run to tie the scores, Krishnamurthi sprinted back to the striker’s end for the second and dove full extension to make his ground. The relay was wide enough of the stumps to draw wicketkeeper Ali Nadeem Abbasi far enough away from the stumps so that by the time he was able to reach out and take the bails off, Krishnamurthi’s fully extended bat had barely crossed the line and Canada’s desperate appeals for a runout were in vain. 
 
Krishnamurthi ended up the hero with 21 not out off 18 balls while Kumar’s unbeaten 111 off 125 balls temporarily became a footnote until the post-match presentation when Kumar was presented with the Player of the Match award for his fourth triple-digit score in USA colors. He had initially reached a half-century in just 41 balls during the 23^rd over with a flick through midwicket off the part-time spin of Matthew Spoors just after USA had lost their fourth wicket. However, he subsequently crawled to three figures, needing another 74 balls to get there as Ranjane wound up being the aggressor during their 116-run partnership. 
 
The medium pace allrounder slog swept Harsh Thaker for six over midwicket in the 32^nd over. Kumar brought up their half-century partnership in the 34^th by tapping a single off Thaker and Ranjane promptly swept the next ball behind square for four. A cut by Kumar off Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar’s left-arm spin in the 42^ndfound the rope behind point and took him into the 90s. Ranjane brought up his half-century in the next over off 58 balls with a tap and run single off Zahid Shirzad’s pace and Kumar brought up a century stand in the same over with a punch down the ground past Shirzad for a single. Ranjane belted a length ball from Shirzad in the 45^th over the leg side for six and from there it looked like the well-set pair would take USA home without drama before Sana’s 46^th over set the wheels in motion for the match to go down to the wire. 
 
USA had a bumpy start to the chase, losing three wickets in the space of 11 runs to fall back at 55 fore 3 inside the Powerplay. Monank Patel fell in the seventh for 30 after chasing a wide ball from Sana that was edged high to Zafar’s right at slip. Smit Patel fell in the next over for 13 when his back foot defense to a short ball from Shirzad was edged through to Abbasi. Shehan Jayasuriya fell to Shirzad in the 10^th for 8 as a ball angled across the left-hander from over the wicket drew him into a tentative shot for another edge behind. 
 
Kumar joined Sai Mukkamalla and the pair added 68 for the fourth wicket to steady USA. Kumar brought up the half-century partnership when he charged a full toss from Zafar in the 19^th and whipped it over midwicket for six. It came a few overs after he had latched onto a short ball from Zafar and heaved that over square leg for a maximum. Kumar crushed his third six in the 20^th off Spoors as he rocked back to deposit another short ball over midwicket in a fiery start to his innings before he cooled off dramatically. Mukkamalla eventually fell for 19 in the 22^nd to Thaker, who replaced Spoors and got a length delivery to grip in the pitch to fool Mukkamalla, who was through his shot slightly early flicking toward mid-on and instead spooned a gentle catch back to Thaker to make it 123 for 4. 
 
Thus began the Ranjane and Kumar partnership as they looked set to take USA home before the see-saw final five overs unfolded. The left-right new-ball pace duo of Sana and Shirzad finished with identical figures of 2 for 57 off each of their 10 overs, though Sana’s spell included two maidens. Thaker took 1 for 33 off eight overs as Canada’s only other wicket-taker. Zafar wound up being Canada’s least economical bowler on the day after getting harsh treatment from Kumar and ended with 0 for 52 off eight. 
 
Earlier in the day, Canada posted a challenging total of 275 for 8 after being sent in by USA. But it was the final over of Saurabh Netravalkar which helped set up USA’s ability to chase down the target when three wickets fell in the space of four balls. Canada started their final over at 268 for 5, but Akhil Kumar was bowled first ball for 24 when he premeditated a reverse and was bowled through his legs. Zafar then entered and drove a full ball to Krishnamurthi at long-off to be on a hat-trick before Shreyas Movva saw off the hat-trick ball with a single. 
 
Krishnamurthi then entered the fray again on the following delivery to Thaker, who flicked Netravalkar down the ground to Krishnamurthi who charged in and fired a direct hit at the striker’s end from 50 yards out to deny a second run and end Thaker’s knock for 47. A single by Sana was followed by a reverse scoop by Movva for four to end the innings. But seven runs was an underwhelming result for Canada considering they had two set batters at the start of the over and it wound up being a significant sequence in the final result. 
 
Opener Yuvraj Samra had produced an explosive start for Canada, driving Netravalkar’s first ball of the match for four before edging the second ball past the stumps for another boundary to the fine leg rope before a third boundary by Samra ended a 12-run opening over. Ranjane replaced Netravalkar for the seventh over and was flicked through fine leg for four off his first ball by Abbasi before a single put Samra on strike, who drove Ranjane for six over long-on before another cover drive for four brought up Canada’s 50. Ranjane never came back into the attack after his 16-run opening over and was replaced in the attack for the ninth over by Ehsan Adil, who switched ends to remove Abbasi with a length ball that breached a bat pad gap prodding forward to bowl the wicketkeeper for 14 at 66 for 1. 
 
Samra flicked Milind Kumar’s offspin for two through the leg side off the last ball of the 12^th over to bring up a 40-ball half-century, but he fell to Jayasuriya’s part-time offspin in the 15^th over for 52 on a skied drive to long-on held by Ranjane to make it 87 for 2. With two right-handers in the middle, Harmeet Singh and Nosh Kenjige began to bowl in tandem until Harmeet finally struck in the 24^th to get Pargat Singh for 25 as an attempted inside out drive to a full ball on the stumps was pouched at extra cover by Shayan Jahangir, on as a sub fielder, to make it 121 for 3. 
 
With the arrival of left-hander Nicholas Kirton to the middle, Kumar subsequently came back into the attack and struck in the 32^nd to get Spoors for 31 at 150 for 4 as the batter telegraphed a charged down the wicket early enough for Kumar to adjust and dart a length ball much wider outside off that resulted in Spoors flailing helplessly before Smit completed a basic stumping. 
 
Kirton and Thaker helped restore Canada’s progress with their 77-run partnership for the fourth wicket. They brought up the Canada 200 and a 50-stand at once with a Thaker edge past Smit for a single before Kirton drive Jayasuriya’s next ball high and deep over the sightscreen for six to move to 49. Three balls later, Kirton was finally able to tap a single into midwicket to bring up a 62-ball half-century. It took Harmeet to come back into the attack to finally dislodge him for 53 in the 45^th over when a skied drive was held by Ranjane at long-on. Akhil Kumar and Thaker then proceeded to add 41 off the next 29 balls before Netravalkar turned the tables in the final over of the first innings. 
 
Harmeet ended with USA’s best figures on the day by claiming 2 for 47 off 10 overs. Netravalkar bounced back from a rocky start to end with 2 for 61 off 10. Adil bowled eight overs to end with 1 for 47. Kumar bowled a full 10 to end with 1 for 42. Jayasuriya turned in seven overs to take 1 for 37. Kenjige only wound up bowling four overs on the day and conceded 0 for 12 after replacing Rushil Ugarkar as an extra spinner for USA on the day. 
 
USA has a rest day on Saturday before taking on the Netherlands in their final match of the tour on Sunday.