USA Cricket's (USAC) five-member Men's National Selection Committee has selected 15 members to compete in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.
Monank Patel will once again lead the team in the tournament, which is scheduled to begin June 1 and will be co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies, according to a press release issued by USA Cricket on Friday. The same team will also face Bangladesh in Houston, Texas in three bilateral T20I matches ahead of the World Cup.
The two changes in the team are the addition of right-handed batsman and wicketkeeper all-rounder Shayan Jahangir in place of middle-order batsman Gajanand Singh and fast bowler Ali Khan in place of Usman Rafique.
The U.S. team also features some familiar names, along with those who played in the recent T20I series against Canada in a 4-0 win. Ali Khan, who has great explosiveness and is expected to boost the team's bowling stock, is fit for this tournament after overcoming a hamstring injury that prevented him from participating in the Canada Series. The 33-year-old, who plays in several domestic leagues around the world, can also feature in the film clip for the official anthem of the T20 World Cup.
Other familiar names include Saurabh Netravalkar, the most capped player for the U.S. national team, Aaron Jones, and opener Stephen Taylor, the highest run-scorer in international cricket. Off-spinner Milind Kumar, who made his debut in the same series, was also included in the team.
The U.S. cricket team will play its opening match and tournament opener against Canada on June 1 in Dallas, Texas, followed by key matches against Pakistan, India and Ireland in the league stage.
USA Team: Monank Patel (captain), Aaron Jones (co-captain), Steven Taylor, Corey Anderson, Saurabh Netravalkar, Jesse Singh, Harmeet Singh, Noshtosh Kenjige, Shadri van Schalkwyk, Nitish. Kumar, Andrees Gu, Shayan Jahangir, Ali Khan, Nisarg Patel, Milind Kumar. Reserve players: Gajanand Singh, Juanoy Drysdale, Yasir Mohammad.