"Things are just going to get better from here": Aaron Jones and keeping USA cricket flying high [Exclusive]

USA and cricket, you say?

Two terms that the average cricket follower would have deemed polar opposites not too long ago. Not that you can fault them for it anyway.

It all changed though at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 with the USA co-hosting the showpiece event along with the West Indies. The build-up was - to nobody's surprise - centered more on the marquee India-Pakistan clash with a new stadium set up in Long Island. But much before that contest, USA lit up the opening night in front of a sellout crowd at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas.

At the forefront of it all was Aaron Jones, the team's vice-captain and one of very few USA-born players. Their opponents, neighbours Canada, whipped up a solid 194/5 upon being asked to bat first. The task was an arduous one for the hosts, who were 42/2 halfway through the seventh over with skipper Monank Patel back in the hut.

With Jones having a sub-110 strike-rate in T20Is prior to that match, you wouldn't have been faulted for betting against him providing the counter-punch. But he put up a display that proved why sheer numbers alone can often be deceptive, unleashing a barrage of sixes to power his team into the driver's seat.

The USA not only won the match but absolutely cantered to the finish line with 15 deliveries to spare. Jones' unbeaten 40-ball 94 was the headline of what would eventually turn out to be a spectacular act with the USA emerging as one of the stories of that T20 World Cup.

Beating Pakistan, running eventual champions India close, making it to the Super Eights and securing a direct berth for the next event in 2026 - it was some ride. And it wouldn't be wrong to say that Jones' statement innings on the opening night sent a clear message to the rest of the world - USA cricket has arrived, and how!

Unsurprisingly, a gig followed at the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with the St. Lucia Kings signing up Jones. He wasn't needed a lot with the bat during the league phase, so much so that he went three matches on the spin without getting a chance to bat. But when the big night arrived, Jones was at the forefront of another fairytale story.

Chasing 139 on a sluggish Providence deck in the final, the Kings sunk to 51/4. The same old story seemed to be unfolding for the league's perennial bridesmaids before Jones walked out and joined hands with Roston Chase. A sluggish start saw him score just 10 runs off his first 19 deliveries before 66 runs were needed off the last five overs.

Eyes on glory - Aaron Jones went berserk in the final of CPL 2024 (Picture Credits: Getty)

It was time to go big. And Jones responded by clobbering Moeen Ali for a maximum. Chase then took over and ensured that 27 runs came off the 16th over to bring the game back into the balance. Dwaine Pretorius was tasked with bowling a crucial 17th over but he was met with similar treatment as Jones ransacked 20 runs off it.

There was no stopping him after that with Romario Shepherd also going the distance. In a span of three overs, the title swung towards the Kings and a long wait came to an end. The man who was struggling on 10 off 19, butchered his way to an unbeaten 48 off 31 balls to deliver the title.

In many ways, it was a homecoming to the Caribbean for Jones, who was raised in Barbados. Picking up the tricks of the trade in a cricket-obsessed nation, he broke through to the first-class setup before challenges for a spot in the side forced a reroute back to the nation of his birth.

Cut to the present, he's sure to look back upon that decision as one of the best he's made. Not least because he's now one of the flagbearers of an up-and-coming cricketing nation looking to stamp its authority on the world stage.

2024 has been a year of giant strides for Jones. He looks back at it all fondly in a recent chat with Sportskeeda, while also recollecting the beginning of it all, cricket in the States and a much-valued friendship with one of the big names of the sport he spent a lot of time growing up with.

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Excerpts from Aaron Jones' exclusive chat with Sportskeeda

Q. Let's start with the T20 World Cup and the stardom you catapulted yourself to with your performances. Does it feel surreal when you look back at the opening night and your innings of 94 against Canada?

Aaron Jones: I think it’s all sunk in now. This year was really good for USA cricket and I’m definitely looking forward to the years to come. A lot of exciting things on the cards. We just want to stay as focused as possible throughout all the hype and extra attention and stuff and keep doing well for the USA.

Q. Cricket in the United States of America has been on the rise. How do you see the sport being received by the native population in the country?

Aaron Jones: I think right now as it stands, we’ve been getting a lot of attention from the American born and raised public and that’s a really good thing. A lot of people have been asking questions about cricket and want to get a lot more involved and support cricket a lot more now that they know that the USA has a cricket team. Things are just going to get better from here, to be honest, especially in the next few years. We’re going to have cricket in the Olympics as well (LA 2028) - that’s going to be a really big thing. Right now I can see things getting better for USA cricket with a lot more support from the Americans for sure.

Q. You were born in New York but you played age-group cricket for Barbados. Where did the love for cricket come about?

Aaron Jones: I was born in New York but went back to Barbados to live probably when I was around 3 years old. So learning and playing cricket was normal for me because cricket is the biggest sport in Barbados. Everybody from my childhood would usually play for fun, play at schools, play on the streets with friends or play on the beach - stuff like that. So that’s really and truly where my love for cricket started. And obviously I realized that ‘hey I’m pretty good at this’ and I started to take it seriously.

Q. You clearly share a very healthy friendship with Jofra Archer. Could you tell us something about how that bond developed?

Aaron Jones: Jofra and I went to school together - both primary and secondary school. We were very close growing up. We were in the same class, same age group - catching a bus to go home and school together. We basically saw one another literally every single day either at school, cricket, maybe playing football or just hanging out and chilling at the other’s house. We had a really good relationship from the very start and we still keep in touch now. We don’t speak every single day because obviously both of us are pretty busy right now but we definitely have a good relationship.

Q. Let’s look back at the USA's run at the T20 World Cup. The team turned up as one galvanized unit on the back of a famous series win against Bangladesh at that. What were conversations like during that period?

Aaron Jones: To be honest we tried to keep it pretty simple and stick to our strengths. We had conversations about playing basic cricket, simple cricket, sticking to our strengths, doing the basics for long and I think that is one thing we truly mastered in the World Cup. We knew that it was going to be challenging, obviously being the first time playing in the World Cup and playing some of the better teams in the world. But we were up for the task. Everybody was mentally, physically and emotionally ready. And I think the more simple you keep things, the easier it is to come out on top, score runs or take wickets. And that is what we strived on - keeping things as simple as possible for as long as possible. And yeah we definitely had a great World Cup. Hopefully, we can play some more World Cups and win a World Cup one day.

Q. A big win against Pakistan in the Super Over made the world sit up and take note of the team. What were the celebrations like after that match as well as after you qualified for the Super Eights?

Aaron Jones: We got a lot of messages and all sorts of stuff after beating Pakistan. As for the conversations in the camp, we always knew that if we believed and did the right things for long, we could beat any team. We beat Bangladesh in the series before the World Cup. So we always had the belief and to see it come to life was really good and everybody was wonderful. And then to qualify for the Super Eights was unbelievable. A lot of people didn’t believe that we would but we always believed in ourselves and put in the work leading up to the World Cup and it paid off.

Q. Who is your go-to person when the chips are down?

Aaron Jones: Cricketing wise I’d probably say Pubudu Dassanayake. He was the first coach I had when I started to play for the USA. We have a good relationship and he’s the person I trust and I can go to for matters related to cricket and anything outside of cricket too. He’s a really good man. Outside of cricket, I’d probably say my parents. I have a really good relationship with my parents so I can go to them about anything, any situation in life and they’ll probably have an answer for me.

Q. Returning to the Caribbean for the CPL ought to have felt like a homecoming. How has your experience been with the St. Lucia Kings?

Aaron Jones: The CPL is awesome. It’s really good for me to get back home to the Caribbean. I definitely enjoy being back in the Caribbean for sure. The St. Lucia Kings are a great franchise. They’ve welcomed me with open arms and I’m grateful for the opportunity. The management is great, the leadership is great. Everything is great about the Kings. Obviously, rubbing shoulders with some of the best cricketers in the world, there’s a lot to learn on and off the field.

Q. What do you reckon are the challenges facing cricket in the USA at this point?

Aaron Jones: Right now we need to get a lot more time on turf wickets. That’s something we’ve been speaking about for the last few years - getting a lot more stadiums built, getting a lot more access to playing on pitches. We do a lot of work indoors and that’s not ideal but it is what it is. Outside of that, the weather could be a factor sometimes with some states getting snow for a few months and that could limit the time you have to train. One or two little challenges we face but it is what it is and we try to get stronger every day.

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