Aaron Jones on USA-Canada rivalry before T20 World Cup opener

With the United States co-hosting the T20 World Cup for the first time ever, there is a lot of anticipation for the June 1 curtain-raiser at Grand Prairie Stadium. In a five-match Twenty20 International series that took place in April, the USA recently defeated Canada 4-0; however, the third Twenty20 International was cancelled due to inclement weather.

Speaking at the pre-game press conference, US vice captain Aaron Jones recognised the importance of the game and the intense rivalry. As a World Cup match, the first-order hitter said, there would be tremendous pressure on both teams to win, and the fact that it was the first round of the tournament would only raise the stakes. The long-standing rivalry between the two teams would put a lot of strain on them, and he predicted that the squad that can handle the pressure the best will win in the end.

This World Cup match is the inaugural World Cup match. There will be pressure applied to both groups. Both sides will be under pressure because, well, we all know how fierce our rivalry with Canada is. To be honest, whoever can take the pressure the best tomorrow [will win],” Aaron Jones stated at the pre-game news conference, according to ESPNcricinfo.

Canada likes to play against us, and we enjoy playing against them. Aaron Jones

He said that although the fans of each team saw them as rivals on the pitch, the players from those teams had a close bond and positive friendships with each other. Many meetings have cultivated this relationship, especially in World Cup qualifying in the 20-over and 50-over divisions. He said they were excited and ready to take on the Canadians, and he realised the difficulties of the forthcoming encounter.

In terms of the players, we are all close friends who have spent years playing both together and against one another. We all know that there is some rivalry among the supporters, even if everyone is nice and cool. As much as they enjoy playing against us, we adore playing against Canada. We are excited for the task because we are certain that it will be difficult,” Jones said.