A record-breaking partnership by Disha Dhingra and Anika Kolan was followed by the second-best figures in USA Women's T20I history from medium pacer Isani Vaghela as the trio of teenagers propelled USA to a thumping win over Argentina on day one of the 2023 ICC Americas Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier. 

Photo credit: Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna in Los Angeles (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
The USA Women squad’s title defense of their ICC Americas T20 World Cup Qualifier Championship campaign got off to a winning start on Monday at Woodley Park in Van Nuys, California as a record-setting century partnership between Disha Dhingra and Anika Kolan laid the platform for a 79-run victory over Argentina on the opening day of play at the 2023 edition of the tournament played at Wright Field. 
 
Dhingra top-scored with an unbeaten 63 off 57 balls after opening the batting while Kolan also scored her maiden T20I half-century to finish with 54 not out off 57 balls as the pair added 116 not out for the second wicket, the highest partnership for any wicket in USA Women’s T20I history. But it was fellow teenager Isani Vaghela who claimed player of the match honors after taking 4 for 7 to rip through Argentina’s middle order in the chase as the visitors were eventually bowled out for 53 in 17.3 overs. 
 
Argentina won the toss and chose to sent USA in to bat first as three players made their senior team debuts on the day for the tournament hosts: Jessica Willathgamuwa, Aditi Chudasama and Chetna Reddy Pagydyala. Willathgamuwa opened the batting with Dhingra but the 22-year-old left-hander managed just 4 before she miscued a full toss from Mariana Martinez to Julieta Cullen at midwicket to make it 16 for 1 in the fourth over. 
 
Dhingra offered a life on 5 at backward point off of Martinez, but a straightforward chance was spilled by Lucia Taylor which came back to hurt Argentina severely as Dhingra and Kolan teamed to frustrate Argentina for the next hour of play. The pair reached 49 for 1 at the halfway stage of the innings, but an 11-run over in the 11^thoff of Constanza Sosa, which included a full toss swept for 4 by Kolan through fine leg, sparked the pair to add 83 off the last 10 overs to give USA more than enough to defend. 
 
Dhingra reached her maiden T20I half-century off of 40 balls after striking back-to-back fours off Albertina Galan in the 15^th over while Kolan reached her milestone off of 53 balls in the 19^th over with a single pushed through the ring. Along the way, the pair pushed past the previous USA Women’s T20I record partnership of 91 not out set by USA Women’s captain Sindhu Sriharsha and Lisa Ramjit against Bangladesh at the 2022 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier in Abu Dhabi last September. 
 
Martinez finished as the lone wicket-taker for Argentina ending with figures of 1 for 23 in her four overs. Lucia Taylor was the most economical bowler of the day for Argentina with figures of 0 for 16 in three overs while Galan was their most expensive ending with 0 for 21 in two. 
 
Willathgamuwa took the new ball for USA in the chase and struck with the final ball of her first over, bowling Taylor with a full and straight delivery for 1. Fellow opener Galan was then removed by Chudasama’s new ball offspin for 1 two balls into the second over as a skied heave found Kolan at midwicket in the ring to make it 3 for 2. 
 
Vaghela replaced Willathgamuwa in the attack in the fifth over and struck for the first time in the seventh, ending a 25-run partnership by getting Martinez for 12 flicking a low chance toward Kolan again at midwicket, who dove forward for a sharp take. Veronica Vasquez sliced a drive to Suhani Thadani at backward point for 10 in the ninth over for Vaghela’s second wicket before the 17-year-old from Northern California struck again on her next ball to bowl Maria Castineiras with a full delivery to put herself on a hat-trick. 
 
Argentina captain Alison Stocks fell for 2 in the following over, spooning a low full toss to Ritu Singh at extra cover for 2 before Vaghela rounded out her haul in the 11^th over, bowling Alison Prince with another full length delivery for a four-ball duck to make it 34 for 7. 
 
USA’s youngest debutant of the day, 15-year-old Pagydyala from nearby Orange County, California, then became the third player to take a maiden T20I wicket on the day, following up Willathgamuwa and Chudasama by getting Malena Lollo to pick out Kolan for a third catch of the day at midwicket for 9 to make it 45 for 8. Pagydyala and Dhingra teamed up to run out Julieta Cullen for the ninth wicket as a pull to square leg off Pagydyala’s left-arm spin resulted in confusion with Sosa in the middle and a relay from Dhingra on the edge of the circle to Pagydyala over the non-striker’s stumps was collected in plenty of time to take the bails off. Chudasama then returned to the attack to claim the final wicket of the day as Kolan completed her fourth catch at midwicket to dismiss Naara Patron for 2 with Argentina all out for 53. 
 
Aside from Vaghela’s figures of 4 for 7, Chudasama took 2 for 6 in 2.3 overs. Iftikhar ended with 1 for 4 in her two overs of offspin while Willathgamuwa finished with 1 for 7 in two overs of left-arm medium pace. Pagydyala’s final tally on debut was 1 for 7 in two overs. Thadani, Singh and Geetika Kodali combined for 0 for 22 in five overs to round out the rest of USA’s bowling attack with eight options used. 
 
In the second match of the day, Canada defeated Brazil by 53 runs. Canada made 98 for 4 in their 20 overs as Amarpal Kaur (30 not out) and Achini Perera (28) combined for a 56-run third wicket stand to take Canada through the majority of their innings. Danielle McGahey made history as the first transgender player to take the field in a Women’s T20I and opened the batting with Canada captain Divya Saxena. McGahey finished with 13 off of 23 balls before being trapped lbw by Laura Cardoso. Brazil struggled in their chase and were eventually bowled out for 45 in 16 overs as only captain Roberta Moretti Avery made it into double-figures, top-scoring with 14. 
 
USA takes on Brazil to start day two of the tournament at Woodley Park with a scheduled 9:30 am local time start before Canada plays Argentina in the second match of the doubleheader set for 2 pm local time in California.