USA recorded their first ever 10-wicket win in ODIs, and their sixth overall in their limited overs cricket history, as Jessy Singh took career-best figures of 4 for 18 to help bowl out UAE for just 106. 

File photo credit: Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
USA’s bowling unit produced a relentless display after choosing to field first at the toss, first from a devastating new ball spell from Saurabh Netravalkar before Jessy Singh came on to wipe out the middle and lower order with 4 for 18 as UAE were bowled out for 106 in 31.2 overs before Smit Patel and Andries Gous combined for an unbeaten century stand to take USA across the line in just 15.5 overs to complete a 10-wicket win on Wednesday at United Cricket Club in Windhoek. 
 
Jessy was named Player of the Match for his spell, which began with wickets off back-to-back balls in his opening over in the 13^th before he took two more in the 31^st to complete career-best ODI figures. It was USA’s first ever 10-wicket win in official ODI cricket and their sixth overall in their limited overs history. Their most recent such win came against Papua New Guinea at 2019 WCL Division Two in Namibia, two matches before USA officially secured ODI status. 
 
Netravalkar was borderline unplayable during an initial seven-over new-ball burst which saw him return figures of 2 for 10 with four maidens. After conceding three runs in the first over, he struck twice in the third with a pair of identical deliveries angled across right-handers from over the wicket to produce two edges behind to Smit. First was UAE captain Muhammad Waseem, who poked a thin edge for 2. Two balls later, Alishan Sharafu got a healthier each pushing away from his body for a second-ball duck to make it 3 for 2. 
 
Nosthush Kenjige replaced Juanoy Drysdale in the eighth and struck with his fourth ball when what initially appeared to be a very strong lbw shout was instead given as a bat-pad catch caught at slip by Andries Gous to remove Vishnu Sukumaran for 2 making it 27 for 3. Kenjige struck again in the 12^th as Aryansh Sharma fell for 31 to make it 40 for 4. One ball after slogging Kenjige over midwicket for six, Sharma closed his bat too soon trying to flick a length ball through midwicket and instead sent a leading edge to Milind Kumar at cover. 
 
Netravalkar was taken off for the 13^th over in order to switch ends, allowing Jessy Singh to enter the attack for the first time on the day. After a couple of wides and a single to Rahul Chopra, new batter Aayan Khan came on strike for the first time but left just as quickly, prodding inside the line to be bowled for a golden duck. Basil Hameed arrived and became the third UAE batter to fall without scoring when he prodded an edge behind to Smit to put Jessy on a hat-trick at 43 for 6 in the 13^th. 
 
Ali Naseer safely left the hat-trick ball alone wide outside off stump and proceeded to fight back with Chopra as the pair added 40 for the seventh wicket. Naseer in particular was aggressive with his strokeplay, which wound up backfiring in the 22^nd over when Milind Kumar teased him fractionally out of his crease attempting a flamingo flick resulting in a stumping for 23 to make it 83 for 7. 
 
Jessy returned in the 29^th for a second spell and struck twice more in the 31^st. First was Rahul Bhatia, who was pinned deep in his crease by a fuller delivery from around the wicket to be given lbw for 8. Junaid Siddique lasted three balls before he was bowled defending down the wrong line for Jessy’s fourth scalp. Down to his final partner, Chopra decided to slog Milind two balls into the following over and a top edge was easily held by Gous at midwicket for a top score of 32 as UAE lost their final three wickets for no run in the space of seven balls. 
 
Aside from Singh’s Player of the Match figures, Netravalkar finished with 2 for 21 in nine overs. Kenjige claimed 2 for 20 in six while Milind ended with 2 for 15 in 4.2 overs. Drysdale started off with a maiden but only bowled three overs conceding 17 runs while Harmeet Singh returned 0 for 13 in four overs. 
 
Gous was USA’s only change from their winning XI against Namibia, coming in to make his ODI debut at the top of the order in a straight swap with Sushant Modani. He made an emphatic statement in the first over of the chase against Siddique’s pace, punching him through the off side for four consecutive boundaries and did it once more off the first ball he saw from Siddique in the third over. Gous showed he was equally comfortable against spin, smashing a straight six off Aayan in the ninth over. Another four in the 10^th over off Bhatia’s left-arm spin brought up a 37-ball half-century as USA ended the Powerplay at 71 for 0. It also meant that Gous became the first USA player to score a half-century on both his T20I and ODI debut. 
 
Smit found his rhythm upon the entry of Naseer into the attack in the 13^th, hitting him for a pair of boundaries before striking two more off the UAE medium pacer in the 15^th. Gous then ended the match in the following over against Bhatia, getting a four through the off side courtesy of a misfield before his 12^th boundary finished the match five balls into the 16^th over. Gous ended on 66 off 54 balls while Smit remained unbeaten on 38 off 41 balls including five fours. 
 
Siddique wound up being the most expensive bowler for UAE, giving away 25 runs off two overs. Bhatia also conceded 25 off 4.5 overs. Aayan was UAE’s most economical bowler, returning 0 for 18 in four overs. 
 
USA now has three rest days before taking on Namibia on Sunday in their third ODI of the tour at 9:30 am local time.