“Very happy with our effort”: Canada batter Navneet Dhaliwal after playing 61-run knock against US

Dallas [USA], June 2 (ANI): After playing a 61-run knock against the US in the inaugural match of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Canada batter Navneet Dhaliwal said he was happy with their efforts in the first inning.

Dhaliwal scored 61 runs from 44 balls at a strike rate of 138.64. He slammed 6 fours and 3 sixes during his time on the crease. He was dismissed in the 15th over by Corey Anderson.

Speaking during the inning break, Dhaliwal said it was a good wicket to bat on. He showered praise on his opening partner Aaron Johnson and said having a good start from him was helpful.

He also asked the Canadian bowlers to change pace which might help in the second inning.

“Good wicket to bat on, very happy with our effort. It is a high-profile (World Cup) game but we have played USA before and it is always a pressure game so we are used to it. Helpful to get a good start from Johnson. 180-185 is par on this pitch. We finished well but got to bowl well. (Message to the Canada bowlers) Bowl normal good areas and change of pace will help,” Dhaliwal said.

Recapping the first inning of the match, US won the toss and decided to field first. Navneet Dhaliwal (61 runs from 44 balls, 6 fours and 3 sixes) and Nicholas Kirton (51 runs from 31 balls, 3 fours and 2 six) were the standout batters for the Canadians as they helped them score 194/5 in the first inning.

In the end, Shreyas Movva’s (32 runs from 16 balls, 2 fours, and 2 sixes) and Dilpreet Singh’s (11 runs from 5 balls, 1 six, and 1 four) blitz knock in the death overs helped Canada to add few runs on the board.

Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, and Ali Khan picked one wicket each in their respective overs. The US bowling attack displayed a sloppy performance as they failed to keep a check on Canada’s run rate by taking early wickets.

The US need to make 195 runs to win the tournament’s opening match.