USA's golden generation eyes validation on cricket's biggest stage

Snapshot

The USA enter their second consecutive ICC Men's T20 World Cup on the back of a breakthrough run at the 2024 home edition, highlighted by a memorable Super Over victory against Pakistan. That surge on the field has unfolded against a backdrop of sustained off-field instability, with the suspension of USA Cricket casting uncertainty over the administration of the game in America. The victory over Pakistan might have been expected to open the door to regular full-member fixtures, but ongoing administrative turmoil ensured that momentum was never translated into an expanded international calendar. Yet, the returns on the pitch were quite the opposite as the men's team were recognised as Associate Team of the Year at the ICC AGM 2025, capping an impressive run in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2.

Fuelled by heavy investment and exposure through Major League Cricket, the novelty around American cricket is steadily giving way to expectation, as a settled core of players who have become familiar faces across the global T20 circuit. Consequently, transforming the USA from long-regarded sleeping giants of the cricketing world into giant-killers in 2024, and entering the 2026 World Cup as a side ready to step out of the fringes of international cricket.

The squad, and what it tells us

Monank Patel (c), Jasdeep Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane

The USA are unusually well stocked with experience across all key disciplines, a luxury seldom afforded to associate sides. Much of their batting responsibility will rest on Monank Patel, the architect of the landmark win over Pakistan and the leading run-scorer in the 2025 edition of Major League Cricket, alongside the explosive Andries Gous. Gous has continued to make his mark across the global T20 circuit since leaving South Africa in 2020 and arrives in form after a century in the knockout stages of the ILT20, with the pair expected to form the batting bulwark of USA.

With the ball, USA will lean heavily on Saurabh Netravalkar, their spearhead and a proven new-ball operator at associate level, who is set to partner the seasoned Ali Khan. While Khan is in the latter stages of his career, his pace and intensity remain valuable assets, particularly for games against India and Pakistan, where he is expected to have his tail up for those contests. Harmeet Singh and Mohammad Mohsin complete the all important spin puzzle for the USA, a decisive component of any bowling attack in subcontinental conditions. Singh, in particular, has been invaluable across the franchises he has represented, and has increasingly carved out a reputation as a reliable lower-order hitter, adding depth to the balance of the side.

The road to the World Cup

It is perhaps unfortunate that the momentum generated by the home ICC Men's T20 World Cup did not translate into a sustained launchpad for the USA to enter the cricketing mainstream, for reasons largely beyond the team's control. Yet what can reasonably be described as the USA's golden generation has continued to separate itself from its associate peers, particularly in the 50-over format. The side has emerged as the most consistent associate outfit of the past two years and currently sits atop the standings in the ICC Cricket World Cup League 2, underlining its growing depth and competitiveness.

Results in the T20I format, however, have been more uneven. A 3-0 series defeat to Nepal proved a low point, in a tour overshadowed by the high-profile departure of head coach Stuart Law following internal unrest within the squad. Since then, the USA have sought to reinforce their T20 ambitions, adding firepower through the inclusion of hard-hitting batter Shubham Ranjane, former Sri Lanka international Shehan Jayasuriya, and the wrist-spin of Mohammad Mohsin, additions that lend further heft to an already experienced core group.

The way they play

The USA play an enterprising brand of cricket today, a far cry from their pre-pandemic years, when they endured humbling defeats including losing twice to Bermuda within the space of a week in 2019. That side is largely unrecognisable from the team that takes the field now, even if several familiar faces remain. What defines this current American outfit is an abundance of confidence: a team comfortable in its own skin, unburdened by the inferiority complex that often shadows associate sides. With many players having been shaped within full-member cricketing ecosystems, the USA no longer carry themselves with the vibe of an associate team.

The USA will enter the tournament encouraged by their batting depth, with Monank, Gous, and Shayan Jahangir all enjoying prolific 2025 campaigns on the T20 circuit. Jahangir, in particular, underlined his potential with a match-winning 99 in the recently concluded ILT20, repaying the faith shown in him by the Capitals franchise after first catching their eye during his stint in Seattle. The ice-cool Ranjane shapes as a genuine dark horse in this line-up, adept at entering under pressure and closing out innings, a role he has executed effectively for his Super Kings franchises in both America and South Africa.

Where the USA may find themselves tested is in the pace department. Beyond Khan, there is a lack of outright pace capable of consistently checking batters at the death. Netravalkar has at times been vulnerable once the new ball stops swinging, while his advancing age has seen his pace hover in the 122-126 kmph range. Vice-captain Jasdeep Singh, long relied upon as a hit-the-deck option, will have a significant role to play in the death overs, though his effectiveness in subcontinental conditions against elite batting line-ups remains an open question.

Who can bend a match in 10 balls

Sanjay Krishnamurthi has emerged as the find of the season for the USA. Just 22, he belies his modest frame with remarkable hitting power, striking the ball cleanly and consistently to all parts. Already, Krishnamurthi has cleared the ropes 43 times in his fledgling T20 career, underlining the impact he has made in a short span. He offered a glimpse of his fearless approach during the World Cup warm-ups, blasting an 18-ball 41 against India A.

Scheduling

What a good World Cup looks like

The ICC's long-running Project USA now reaches its India checkpoint. Within associate cricket circles, it has often been argued that the USA have received disproportionate funding and attention from the ICC compared to their peers, driven by a belief that the world's largest media market should have a stronger foothold in the game. For years, there has been a perception that a lobby within the ICC has sought to cultivate a second power centre in world cricket. One that could eventually exist alongside the commercial and competitive dominance of the BCCI.

There is no stage bigger to test that ambition than India, and no opponent more exacting than India themselves. Any meaningful resistance to the Indian T20 juggernaut, in whatever form it takes, would go a long way towards convincing the cricketing world that the USA's breakthrough in 2024 was not a flash in the pan, but the first tangible return on the ICC's most ambitious long-term investment.