Admin October 28, 2024
Shayan Jahangir scored a second career ODI century, both of them coming against Nepal, to help USA haul down a target of 287 for their highest ever successful ODI chase.
Photo credit: Peter Della Penna
By Peter Della Penna in Grand Prairie, Texas (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
Shayan Jahangir reprised his batting success against Nepal from the 2023 ICC World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe with more heroics on Sunday, scoring a century to lay the platform for USA’s highest ever successful run chase in ODIs as the home side hauled down a target of 287 with two balls to spare in a three-wicket win at Grand Prairie Stadium. Jahangir’s first career ODI century came against Nepal after arriving in the middle-order in a losing effort in Zimbabwe last year, but this time his three-figure contribution after being promoted to the top of the order paved the way for USA to get across the line.
Jahangir was sent to open USA’s chase after USA opted to drop Sushant Modani from the lineup in favor of Sanjay Krishnamurthi, who joined the squad after Smit Patel was ruled out for the rest of the tour due to an injury sustained on the tour of Namibia which he had failed to recover from. Modani had opened in USA’s loss to Scotland two days earlier and his departure from the lineup created a vacancy at the top. USA had several batting options in the lineup who are known domestically as openers, but it was Jahangir who was given the opportunity and he made the most of it with a composed 104 off 97 balls.
USA suffered an early hiccup in the chase when Andries Gous was dismissed lbw for 1 in the second over by a full delivery from Sompal Kami. But for the next 90 minutes it was mostly one-way traffic for USA as Jahangir was joined by captain Monank Patel and the pair combined for a 161-run partnership. Monank survived a very tight lbw shout on 9 in the 13th over against left-arm spinner Lalit Rajbanshi and was mostly methodical while Jahangir served as the aggressor at the opposite end. Jahangir brought up a 51-ball half-century in the 15thover with a single that came just after he launched Sandeep Lamichhane’s legspin for six in the previous over.
Jahangir punished Gulshan Jha further in his three-over spell after replacing Lamichhane in the 18th, blasting his medium pace for a four in his first over before blasting another six in the 20th and then knocking him out of the attack for good in the 22nd with a majestic extra cover drive that cleared the ropes for six more. Monank brought up his own half-century off 62 balls in the 25th over with a single off Lamichhane before Jahangir moved into the 90s in the following over with another six, this time driven back over the head of Dipendra Singh Airee’s offspin.
The partnership finally ended with Monank fell to Rajbanshi for 62, bowled when missing a flick to the leg side that resulted in the ball deflecting off Monank’s pads and onto the stumps to make it 165 for 2 in the 29th. Jahangir was nearly runout on 95 in the following over on a tight throw at the non-striker’s end on a second run called for by Sai Mukkamalla. But the relay could not be corralled by Kushal Bhurtel. Jahangir hit a boundary when he came back on strike to move to 99 and then brought up three figures off 94 balls in the following over with another four flicked off Rajbanshi through long-on, his 12th and final four to go along with four sixes. Jahangir would add just one more single before falling in the next over to Bhurtel, who had him slog sweeping to deep midwicket where Karan KC held onto a sharp catch in stride running along the boundary to make it 179 for 3.
It was the start of a mini collapse by USA with Bhurtel serving as the catalyst. In his next over, he claimed Milind Kumar dragging a half-tracker low to short midwicket where Rohit Paudel held onto a good catch for 5. Drinks were taken at the fall of the wicket in the 34th over but when play resumed, Bhurtel continued creating chaos. Krishnamurthi was sent in next at No. 5 and after scoring an immaculate unbeaten 167 just a few days earlier on this same ground for USA A, he fell first ball to Bhurtel playing back to a googly that beat him to knock back the stumps. Sai Mukkamalla fell for 11 in the 36th when cramped for room playing a cut only to edge to slip where Aarif Sheikh took a superb chest high catch to his left to make it 197 for 6.
The required run rate was strongly in USA’s favor, but the rapid fall of wickets put their chances of victory in doubt. However, Shadley van Schalkwyk joined Harmeet Singh and the pair settled USA’s nerves with a 71-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Harmeet was the dominant partner in the stand, continuing to attack anything lose. It also helped that Nepal captain Paudel made a questionable call to take Bhurtel out of the attack when he had figures of 4 for 23 in six overs. Paudel instead brought himself on to bowl, only for Harmeet to club him for six during an 11-run over in the 42nd.
Things see-sawed during a three-over sequence from the 46th to the 48th which began with Karan KC giving away 10 runs, including a boundary and a couple of singles to Harmeet which took him to a 35-ball maiden ODI half-century. Lamichhane returned for the 47th and after being poor all day managed to just concede two singles in the over, leaving USA with 26 off 18 balls to win. Harmeet then belted Sompal for six in the 48th, but fell trying to repeat the shot next ball, skying a slower delivery that swirled over third man before it was taken by wicketkeeper Aasif Sheikh to dismiss Harmeet for 57 and leave USA needing 19 off 16 deliveries to win.
Nepal had a golden opportunity to heap more pressure on USA in the 49th when van Schalkwyk drove Lamichanne flat in the air toward Bhurtel at long-on while on 19, but the fielder’s effort diving forward was shelled. The single taken off the drop allowed Jessy Singh to come on strike, and he slog swept the next delivery from Lamichhane for 6. Instead of a wicket and a new batter on strike, USA took seven runs in the sequence and took the equation under a run a ball. Paudel saved a would-be game-ending six to end the over, leaping to knock it back into play for just a single to end the over as USA entered the 50th needing five runs to win. After a leg bye to Jessy, van Schalkwyk flicked a two off Sompal before a short ball was given a tennis racquet swat over long-off for a six to end the match. Van Schalkwyk ended on 29 not out while Jessy remained unbeaten on 11.
Aside from Bhurtel’s team-best figures of 4 for 23 in six, Sompal ended with 2 for 37 in 6.4 overs. Rajbanshi was the only other wicket-taker, ending with 1 for 29 in eight. Lamichhane had a poor day overall, conceding 63 off nine overs. Jha was Nepal’s least economical bowler, giving away 32 off three overs.
Nepal was bowled out for 286 in the first innings after being sent in to bat first by USA. Playing their first match after the firing of Stuart Law as USA men’s head coach, USA looked flat in the first hour of play as Nepal’s openers took them to 97 for 0 in 15 overs. USA finally struck in the final over before drinks when a half-tracker from Jessy Singh was edged behind on an attempted cut shot by Bhurtel for 52. Jessy was close to having a wicket in his following over as well but a difficult chance skied over mid-on was put down by van Schalkwyk running back from the edge of the ring with Anil Sah on 45. Sah clipped a single two overs later to bring up a 51-ball half-century but then fell for 56 in the 23rd, swatting a thigh high full toss from left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige to Mukkamalla at long-on to make it 118 for 2.
Kenjige continued to whittle away the middle order with some help from a fantastic diving effort by van Schalkwyk to dismiss Bhurtel for 11 in the 25th. An attempted flick through the leg side produced a leading edge that floated to van Schalkwyk’s right at extra cover and he proceeded to lay out full extension for a one-handed catch to make it 121 for 3. Kenjige fumbled a runout opportunity in the 35th over with Aarif Sheikh on 34 after he fanned on an attempt to remove the bails despite a clean relay collected from Jessy Singh at backward point to the bowler’s end. But Kenjige made up for it in his following over by removing Aarif for 37 by inducing a slog sweep to Jahangir at deep midwicket. Kenjige took his fourth in the 43rd, bowling Airee for 13 after the allrounder was cramped for room trying to cut an arm ball making it 216 for 5. Gulshan Jha fell in the 44th, poking away from his body to edge van Schalkwyk behind for 1 to make it 219 for 6.
Paudel was in the 40s by this stage and powered on through the end of the innings to give Nepal a challenging total. He doubled his tally in the final six overs having coasted upon entering in the 23rd. The Nepal captain brought up a 57-ball half-century in the 45th over with a two and barely gave any acknowledgement after sinking to his haunches to catch his breath on a warm Dallas afternoon. It set up a wild finish to the innings as Paudel plundered runs at one end while wickets fell at the other.
Sompal was runout for 2 in the 46th after confusion on an lbw appeal resulted in him being stranded halfway down the pitch before Kenjige fielded from backward point and ran to the stumps himself to take off the bails making it 235 for 7. Paudel then dominated a 41-run stand for the eighth wicket with Lamichhane – the latter contributing just five runs – which involved a 21-run over against Saurabh Netravalkar in the 48th where Paudel capitalized on two no balls, the second over waist height which was slashed over third man for six.
Another six driven off Harmeet in the 49th took Paudel into the 90s, but USA continued to eat into the tail on the opposite side. Lamichhane fell four balls into the over, charging Harmeet before slapping him to Jessy at extra cover. Karan KC fell three balls into the final over for 3, skying Netravalkar to Harmeet at long-on. A single by Rajbanshi at No. 11 put Paudel on strike for the final two balls of the innings on 92. He shoveled a full toss over mid-off on the penultimate ball to move within one shot of a century, but his attempt to reverse Netravalkar on the final ball resulted in him being bowled for 96.
Kenjige ended the innings with USA’s best figures of 4 for 52. Netravalkar rebounded from a poor 48th over to take two wickets in the final over and end with 2 for 63. Harmeet claimed 1 for 46, van Schalkwyk 1 for 57 and Jessy 1 for 64 in each of their 10 overs respectively.
USA gets into action again on Thursday October 31 against Scotland for their third ODI of the tri-series with play scheduled to begin at 10:30 am.
