With the current focus of 2018 being 50 over cricket, expect the U.S. squad for the Regional T20 Finals in 2019 to look markedly different to the one competing in North Carolina this week.

2018 is an incredibly important year for the USA National Men’s cricket team, culminating in November in Oman, where they, along with 5 other teams will compete for two spots in Division 2 of the ICC World Cricket League. Division 2 is just one step away from the World Cricket League Championship, which guarantees more cricket against a higher standard of opposition, and greater financial backing from the ICC. It would almost certainly mean centrally contracted players in the first half of next year for the USA Cricket team. The team is literally 8 fifty over victories (from the 5 matches to be played at Division 3 in November, and another 5 at Division 2 in March/April) from full-time professional cricket.

But before that can happen the team needs to focus its attention on the ongoing World T20 qualifiers in Morrisville NC, and the upcoming Cricket West Indies Super50 tournament in Barbados.

The ICC Americas World T20 Sub Regional Qualifiers has seen the lowly ranked Belize and Panama facing off against the relative might of Canada, and hosts the United States. As expected the North American sides have wiped the floor with Belize and Panama in the matches to date. Canada has yet to lose a wicket to either side in three matches played, whilst the USA racked up the highest score of the tournament against Belize on Friday when they amassed 249/2 in their 20 overs batting first.

For the US team this tournament was always going to be about their twin battles with nearest neighbour Canada. The canucks are already a Division 2 side, but lost the Auty Cup to the men in red, white and blue for the first time in over 20 years recently, and their Super Over triumph in Saturday night’s encounter was celebrated with enough enthusiasm to suggest they are seriously worried about this current U.S. side.

If the Americans are able to get up over their neighbours tomorrow, then they will be in a great position to win the entire tournament, given that their net run rate is currently ahead of the Canadians. The U.S. team will take heart despite the loss, knowing they didn’t play their best cricket, and that massive improvements can be made. Either way both Canada and the United States will go through to the Americas Regional Finals to be scheduled for some time next year. From 2019 the ICC will grant full international status to T20 mens' matches played between member sides. Therefore, all the matches in the Regional Finals and the Qualifier itself, will be played as full T20 Internationals (T20Is).

They will go up against Bermuda and Cayman Islands in the Regional Finals for two spots at the full World T20 Qualifiers. 14 teams will be competing for 6 spots at the World T20 to be played in Australia in 2020.

With the current focus of 2018 being 50 over cricket, expect the U.S. squad for the Regional T20 Finals in 2019 to look markedly different to the one competing in North Carolina this week. There are spots up for grabs in a team that has a legitimate chance of going down-under in two years. The selectors and team management however, are ensuring that this current squad get to play as much cricket together as possible with an eye on Oman in November. That they are one good performance away from winning this stepping-stone tournament is an encouraging start to a legacy defining year.