If there ever was a time for USA cricket to reach the country’s consciousness, the 2024 T20 Cricket World Cup — jointly held in the U.S. and West Indies — would be a worthy choice.

The group stage is still ongoing. But through the U.S. team’s opening few matches, such a phenomenon seems to have already come true.

The Americans, led by head coach Stuart Law and captain Monank Patel, have been a formidable threat thus far, vanquishing Canada and, more recently, Pakistan to put themselves in position to potentially qualify of the knockout stage. 

A matchup against India and global superstar Virat Kohli awaits them in their next match, an even more daunting than their clash with the Pakistanis.

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Still, a golden ticket into the final eight is within sight. Anything more than that has to be considered found money, particularly for a side making its first ever appearance in the competition.

American cricket has made serious strides in recent years, establishing itself as a solid competitor on the international stage. The future only looks brighter, particularly with an appearance in the 2028 Summer Olympics already secured.

Here’s a look at the players who have made that happen:

USA cricket team roster

Team USA’s roster is teeming with experience, led by 31-year old wicket-keeper batter Monank Patel. As the team’s skipper, Patel — a Gujarati — has pursued a career in the sport for some time, receiving his green card in 2010 and settling into the country permanently in 2016 when he decided to attempt to open up a restaurant in New Jersey, according to the Indian Express.

He’s not alone. Multiple USA players hail from different shores, with many coming from the Indian subcontinent. Seasoned bowler Saurabh Netravalkar was formerly a member of India’s U19 team before opting to pursue a career in computer science. When he’s not making magic happen on the pitch, he’s enjoying a staff position with Oracle, one of the nation’s largest publicly traded software companies.

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Other notable names on the roster are Aaron Jones and Steven Taylor, harrowing presences in the batting order. Corey Anderson, a former stalwart for New Zealand’s squad, offers much-vaunted World Cup experience.

As for bowling, the team features a host of lively arms, including off-spinner Milind Kumar and Ali Khan, who took home man of the match honors in USA’s victory over Canada in its opening group stage match.

USA T20 Cricket World Cup roster:

• Monank Patel (c)
• Aaron Jones (vc)
• Andries Gous
• Corey Anderson
• Ali Khan
• Harmeet Singh
• Jessy Singh
• Milind Kumar
• Nisarg Patel
• Nitish Kumar
• Noshtush Kenjige
• Saurabh Netravalkar
• Shadley van Schalkwyk
• Steven Taylor
• Shayan Jahangir
• Gajanand Singh (reserve)
• Juanoy Drysdale (reserve)
• Yasir Mohammad (reserve)

USA matches at T20 Cricket World Cup

With wins against Canada and Pakistan, the U.S. finds itself in a great position to qualify for the knockout phase. Next up on its docket is a date with India. The Americans will end the group stage with a clash against 0-2 Ireland.