The future stars of USA Women’s cricket showed that they have plenty of talent during a winless but encouraging display at the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2023.
Wins – 0
Losses – 4
Finishing position – Knocked out in first group stage
The draw was not kind to the USA, who had both the giants of Australia and hugely impressive Bangladesh to face in the group stage.
A strong performance with the ball pushed Sri Lanka close in their opening match, and there were encouraging individual displays against the two strongest opponents. But a lack of consistency, particularly with the bat, meant they rarely looked like making it through to the Super Six stage.
That’s not to say there weren’t positives to take from the experience. A number of batters played well in patches, and the runs and wickets were spread quite evenly across the squad, showing a depth of talent that not all national set-ups can match. And with the ball there was impressive control shown at times, which gives a number of the players a strong base on which to grow.
And in 16-year-old Snigdha Paul, USA have a player who showed moments of real class, particularly – and encouragingly – against the higher calibre teams in the group.
THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES VIEW
Sonali Dhulap is part of the ICC’s team on the ground in South Africa, and had this to say about her experiences working with and alongside the USA squad:
“If there was one thing the USA women brought in abundance it was…
