ESPNcricinfo Awards 2024 Associate Men's batting nominees: American beauty
Four T20 World Cup performances and a boundary-studded hundred make the shortlist
Ashish Pant
31-Jan-2025
Aaron Jones' 94 not out is the second-highest score by any batter in their first T20 World Cup game • ICC/Getty Images
Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton
101 vs Nepal
first T20I, Kirtipur
Namibia were off to a modest start in this match - they got to 36 for 1 in the powerplay and 66 for 3 after 11 overs. Nepal might have harboured hopes of restricting the visitors to around 160, but Loftie-Eaton had other plans. He smoked the second ball he faced for six, then took another six and a four off Gulsan Jha in the same over. By the time he had faced 18 balls he had his fifty. And instead of slowing down, he found another gear. He bludgeoned six fours and four sixes in his next 15 deliveries to record the fastest T20I hundred at the time, off just 33 balls. He scored 92 of his runs in boundaries alone - the most by a batter in T20Is. Namibia racked up 206 in their 20 overs and won by 20 runs.
101 vs Nepal
first T20I, Kirtipur
Namibia were off to a modest start in this match - they got to 36 for 1 in the powerplay and 66 for 3 after 11 overs. Nepal might have harboured hopes of restricting the visitors to around 160, but Loftie-Eaton had other plans. He smoked the second ball he faced for six, then took another six and a four off Gulsan Jha in the same over. By the time he had faced 18 balls he had his fifty. And instead of slowing down, he found another gear. He bludgeoned six fours and four sixes in his next 15 deliveries to record the fastest T20I hundred at the time, off just 33 balls. He scored 92 of his runs in boundaries alone - the most by a batter in T20Is. Namibia racked up 206 in their 20 overs and won by 20 runs.
Aaron Jones
94 not out vs Canada
T20 World Cup, Dallas
Canada, coming into the T20 World Cup off a 4-0 loss to USA, cobbled together 194 in the opening game of the tournament. It was the highest total by an Associate team at the men's T20 World Cup. USA's innings began with the loss of star batter Steven Taylor and captain Monank Patel inside seven overs, and the required rate was by then already past 11.50. Jones came in at No. 4 and started slowly. His first five balls yielded a solitary run, before he decided to get the party started. He smashed offspinner Nikhil Dutta into the second tier in the ninth over, which went for 19, before laying into Saad Bin Zafar and Pargat Singh. Jones raced to a fifty off 22 balls. When Andries Gous, who provided able support was out for 65, Jones kept going. A chase that looked tricky halfway into it was done and dusted in 17.4 overs.
94 not out vs Canada
T20 World Cup, Dallas
Canada, coming into the T20 World Cup off a 4-0 loss to USA, cobbled together 194 in the opening game of the tournament. It was the highest total by an Associate team at the men's T20 World Cup. USA's innings began with the loss of star batter Steven Taylor and captain Monank Patel inside seven overs, and the required rate was by then already past 11.50. Jones came in at No. 4 and started slowly. His first five balls yielded a solitary run, before he decided to get the party started. He smashed offspinner Nikhil Dutta into the second tier in the ninth over, which went for 19, before laying into Saad Bin Zafar and Pargat Singh. Jones raced to a fifty off 22 balls. When Andries Gous, who provided able support was out for 65, Jones kept going. A chase that looked tricky halfway into it was done and dusted in 17.4 overs.
Monank Patel
50 vs Pakistan
T20 World Cup, Dallas
Patel's innings was the lynchpin of one of USA's most historic wins. USA elected to bowl and their bowlers' disciplined performance restricted Pakistan to 159 for 7. Steven Taylor was out early in USA's chase but Monank ensured they didn't lose the powerplay battle. He struck four fours inside the first six overs and kept the chase going with Gous. He handled Pakistan's pace quartet of Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi with maturity and did not let his guard down in the middle overs. He got to his fifty off 34 balls with a four and six against Shaheen, and though he was dismissed in the over after, USA held their nerve to tie the game and then trounce Pakistan in the Super Over.
50 vs Pakistan
T20 World Cup, Dallas
Patel's innings was the lynchpin of one of USA's most historic wins. USA elected to bowl and their bowlers' disciplined performance restricted Pakistan to 159 for 7. Steven Taylor was out early in USA's chase but Monank ensured they didn't lose the powerplay battle. He struck four fours inside the first six overs and kept the chase going with Gous. He handled Pakistan's pace quartet of Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi with maturity and did not let his guard down in the middle overs. He got to his fifty off 34 balls with a four and six against Shaheen, and though he was dismissed in the over after, USA held their nerve to tie the game and then trounce Pakistan in the Super Over.
Brandon McMullen
60 vs Aus
T20 World Cup, Gros Islet
McMullen was sent in to bat early at No. 3 after Scotland lost opener Michael Jones in the first over. It didn't take him long to get going: he smashed Nathan Ellis for a six over long-off on the fifth ball he faced, before depositing Mitchell Starc for one over the off side five balls later. A six and a four off Adam Zampa got him going through the middle overs. He then smashed Ashton Agar for two sixes in the eighth over to reach his half-century off 26 balls and celebrated it a little while later by tonking Glenn Maxwell over long-off for his sixth six. McMullen was out for 60 off 34 balls, but he had laid a solid foundation for Scotland - though they would go on to lose the match.
60 vs Aus
T20 World Cup, Gros Islet
McMullen was sent in to bat early at No. 3 after Scotland lost opener Michael Jones in the first over. It didn't take him long to get going: he smashed Nathan Ellis for a six over long-off on the fifth ball he faced, before depositing Mitchell Starc for one over the off side five balls later. A six and a four off Adam Zampa got him going through the middle overs. He then smashed Ashton Agar for two sixes in the eighth over to reach his half-century off 26 balls and celebrated it a little while later by tonking Glenn Maxwell over long-off for his sixth six. McMullen was out for 60 off 34 balls, but he had laid a solid foundation for Scotland - though they would go on to lose the match.
Andries Gous
80 not out vs South Africa
T20 World Cup Super Eight, North Sound
Gous had match-winning performances against Canada and Pakistan at the T20 World Cup, but he produced his best against the country of his birth, South Africa. In the first game of the Super Eight, South Africa amassed 194 against USA. Steven Taylor got USA off to a decent start but Gous was circumspect up front. He took five balls to get off the mark and managed just one boundary in his first ten, but once he teed off, he put some fear into South Africa. With USA requiring 92 off 36 balls, Gous took on Anrich Nortje, smashing him for a four and two sixes in the 15th and getting to his fifty off 33 balls. Then he laid into Tabraiz Shamsi to bring the equation down to a very manageable 28 off the last two overs. But Kagiso Rabada bowled a nerveless 19th, and USA fell 18 runs short - with Gous finishing on a valiant 80 not out off 47.
80 not out vs South Africa
T20 World Cup Super Eight, North Sound
Gous had match-winning performances against Canada and Pakistan at the T20 World Cup, but he produced his best against the country of his birth, South Africa. In the first game of the Super Eight, South Africa amassed 194 against USA. Steven Taylor got USA off to a decent start but Gous was circumspect up front. He took five balls to get off the mark and managed just one boundary in his first ten, but once he teed off, he put some fear into South Africa. With USA requiring 92 off 36 balls, Gous took on Anrich Nortje, smashing him for a four and two sixes in the 15th and getting to his fifty off 33 balls. Then he laid into Tabraiz Shamsi to bring the equation down to a very manageable 28 off the last two overs. But Kagiso Rabada bowled a nerveless 19th, and USA fell 18 runs short - with Gous finishing on a valiant 80 not out off 47.
Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo