Captain Monank Patel cemented USA's title as the top team in ICC Cricket World Cup League Two with a 92-ball century in a win over Namibia that confirmed USA's status as the dominant Associate side of the last three years. 

File photo credit: Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna (TwitterX @PeterDellaPenna)
 
Four years ago, USA’s record in ICC Cricket World Cup League Two was so mediocre, finishing fifth out of seven teams with more losses than wins, that they had to fight through a repechage Playoff event just to make it into the Cricket World Cup Qualifier for the 2023 showpiece event. Fast forward to 2026 and USA is top of the Associate heap after three years of class and consistency capped by a four-wicket win over Namibia on Wednesday has meant they will bypass the same Playoff event and instead will go straight into the 2027 Cricket World Cup Qualifier by virtue of winning ICC Cricket World Cup League Two competition. 
 
The win over Namibia on Wednesday was USA’s 23^rd of the competition with two matches still left to play against UAE and Namibia on Sunday and Tuesday. It means they have a chance to finish with 51 points, beating the mark of 50 points that Scotland set when they won the 36-match ODI competition in its initial run from 2019 to 2023. 
 
USA captain Monank Patel’s fourth ODI century, and sixth in his USA limited overs career, paved the way for USA to chase down Namibia’s 298 on what was once again a pristine Grand Prairie Stadium batting surface. Monank began the chase along side Smit Patel and the pair cruised through a 96-run opening stand across 18 overs to get USA into a commanding position early in their reply. Smit had just reached a 61-ball half-century with a single off Jan-Nicol Loftie-Eaton before smashing a half-tracker on the next ball he faced from the part-time legspinner straight to Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus at short midwicket to spark the first drinks break. 
 
Monank was joined by Shehan Jayasuriya and the pair started their partnership slowly before accelerating quickly in the 23^rd over. Monank had brought up his 50 off 58 balls two overs earlier with a single off Ruben Trumpelmann before he struck the same bowler for a boundary during a nine-run 23^rd. Monank then attacked Jack Brassell for a trio of fours in a 17-run 24^th over before Jayasuriya unleashed himself with a slog swept six off left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz in the 29^th. Brassell continued to absorb punishment from both batters in a 12-run 32^nd in which Monank struck another boundary to move to 97. 
 
A single tapped off Loftie-Eaton to long-on in the 33^rd moved Monank to three figures off 92 balls, having taken only 34 balls for his second fifty. Monank hit his 14^th and final boundary with an elegant inside out lofted cover drive off Erasmus in a 12-run 34^th over before Jayasuriya reached a 50-ball half-century in the following over with a scoop over fine leg against Loftie-Eaton as USA reached the second drinks break at 215 for 1. 
 
One over after play resumed, Monank finally fell for 108 as Trumpelmann disrupted his rhythm with a slower ball that Monank mistimed while backing away to try to go through the off side and instead toe-edged a catch behind to Zane Green to end a 121-run stand with Jayasuriya at 217 for 2. Still, USA needed 82 runs off 86 balls at that stage and only a shocking collapse would prevent them victory. 
 
Namibia continued to show some fight with the ball in spite of the easy batting conditions and managed to squeeze a few more wickets. Sai Mukkamalla made just 6 before he was caught behind by Green standing up to the stumps for JJ Smit’s medium pace as Mukkamalla prodded an edge to make it 232 for 3. Jayasuriya survived a pair of lives on easy boundary chances off consecutive balls on 64 and 65 before he finally was dismissed for 74 in unusual fashion. His attempt to glide Smit for a single to third man resulted in a thin edge that ricocheted off of Green’s thigh while standing up to the stumps and ballooned high in the air back over the wicket. It allowed Smit time to charge forward in his follow through before making a tumbling catch to finish the dismissal at 255 for 3. 
 
Sanjay Krishnamurthi made 17 in his first innings of the tri-series before he slogged Loftie-Eaton to the deepest part of the ground at deep midwicket where Trumpelmann took an easy catch to make it 274 for 5. Milind Kumar pulled Scholtz for six over deep square leg on the short side of the ground in the 47^th but didn’t get enough elevation trying to repeat the shot next ball and was caught by Trumpelmann for 18 to make it 282 for 6. 
 
With USA still needing 17 off 21 balls to win, Shubham Ranjane and Harmeet Singh knocked off the remaining runs. Harmeet powered a four with two balls left in the 49^th over to level the scores before slapping Scholtz to long-on for the game-clinching single to finish 12 not out while Ranjane was unbeaten on 6. 
 
Loftie-Eaton took 2 for 39 off six overs to finish as Namibia’s best statistical bowler while Smit bowled a full 10 to finish with 2 for 46. Trumpelmann was arguably their most impressive bowler on the day and claimed 1 for 38 off his 10 overs. Scholtz took 1 for 65 off 8.5 overs while Brassell was their most expensive, conceding 0 for 84 off 10. 
 
The target of 299 was set up after Namibia wasted a good start having been sent in to bat by USA at the toss as they managed just 59 runs off their final nine overs in excellent batting conditions after opener Michael Van Lingen laid an excellent platform with a century of his own. Van Lingen started slowly, playing out a maiden to Milind Kumar’s offspin in the second over, but drove Milind for his first boundary in the sixth over and from there on cruised to three figures in chanceless fashion. 
 
While Van Lingen looked rock solid at one end, he initially struggled to find a partner to help push Namibia’s score along. Fellow opener Malan Kruger scratched his way to 3 off 17 balls before he was bowled by Milind after playing inside the line of a carrom ball to make it 15 for 1 in the sixth. Jan Frylinck made 4 before he poked away from his body at a length ball from Ehsan Adil to edge behind at 24 for 2 in the ninth. Louren Steenkamp struck one boundary while mostly tapping singles in his 30 off 55 balls before he flicked a half-volley from Adil straight to Monank in the ring at midwicket to make it 137 for 3 in the 30^th. 
 
The arrival of captain Erasmus shifted Namibia’s innings into high gear. After struggling in his first over against the legspin of Yasir Mohammad, who came into the USA XI in place of Jessy Singh, Erasmus torched him in the 33^rd by sweeping him for two fours and a six in a 16-run over that knocked the legspinner out of the USA attack. At the other end, Van Lingen had clipped a two off Mohammad through midwicket to bring up his century off 94 balls. Harmeet replaced Mohammad in the attack for the 35^th but Erasmus didn’t spare him either, slogging him for six over the leg side in an 11-run over. Another six by Erasmus off Harmeet in the 37^thtook him to 49 before a single resulted in a 27-ball half-century. Ranjane’s medium place was then tried at the same end but Erasmus cleverly shuffled across his stumps to continue to swat USA’s bowlers to the short boundary on his leg side as three more fours came off Ranjane in a 15-run 41^st over to take Namibia to 239 for 3. 
 
But the wheels began to fall off in their innings in the 42^nd when Van Lingen played back to Jayasuriya’s part-time offspin and was bowled for 124. A bigger blow was struck in the next over when Erasmus fell for 76 off 45 balls after he miscued a full toss from Saurabh Netravalkar and was caught by Mohammad at deep midwicket to make it 243 for 5. Smit made it three wickets in three overs when he was dismissed third-ball for 2 after slogging Jayasuriya to Krishnamurthi on the deepest part of the ground at deep midwicket.  
 
Loftie-Eaton whacked Jayasuriya for six in the 46^th but fell trying to repeat the shot and instead skied a top edge taken by Jayasuriya for 11 to make it 267 for 7. Namibia managed just two more boundaries in their final four overs, both coming off Ranjane in the 49^th, before two more wickets fell in a final over which went for just six runs by Adil. He had Trumpelmann out on the second ball of the over for 18 after the tailender missed a flick walking across his stumps and was given lbw. Green made 22 before he slogged a catch on the fifth ball taken on a sharp diving effort at deep midwicket by Mukkamalla. A single by Brassell on the final ball took Namibia to their end total of 298 for 9. 
 
Adil finished with 4 for 41 off eight overs to lead USA in the field. Jayasuriya did not enter the attack until the 38^th over but impacted the game significantly with his 3 for 30 off five overs. Netravalkar ended with 1 for 45 off 10, the only USA bowler to bowl a full quota. Milind finished with 1 for 31 off eight overs including USA’s only maiden over. Ranjane wound up being USA’s most expensive bowler conceding 0 for 54 off eight. Harmeet was their least economical going for 0 for 53 off six. Mohammad ended with 0 for 41 off five overs in his first ODI for USA since February 2025. 
 
USA now has three rest days before returning to action on Sunday when they play UAE for the second time in the tri-series.