USA captain Aaron Jones on legacy of world cup and England
USA captain Aaron Jones on legacy of world cup and England
22/06/2024
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
22/06/2024
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
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SportsTranscript
00:00Let's start taking questions for Aaron, one by one.
00:04Yeah.
00:05Hi, Aaron.
00:06Zizedi from Crick Exec.
00:09In the lead up to the match against England,
00:13America is not going to be able to advance to the semifinals.
00:16Mathematically, it looks really hard.
00:19But at the same time, you're on the biggest cricket stage.
00:24You are wearing your country's jersey.
00:27And you've got a proud nation behind you.
00:30What does the next match of the tournament
00:33mean to you and the team?
00:39I think every match we play, obviously,
00:41representing the country is important.
00:43So we'll definitely go hard against England
00:45and try to finish well.
00:47Obviously, we can't advance to the next round.
00:49But as I say, I think every match you play for your country
00:54is important.
00:54So we're definitely going to try to win the game, for sure.
00:59Aaron, Peter DelPenet.
01:01After a night like this, what do you
01:04say to the players to get them up again for the England game?
01:06Is it a case of you just put this in the rear of your mirror
01:10as quick as possible?
01:11Or do you try and dissect where things went wrong
01:13to try and figure out how to go about in a better way
01:16on Sunday?
01:18I think a bit of both, to be honest.
01:21Obviously, we know Weston is an experienced team,
01:23very good team, especially in this format.
01:26So it can't really be too hard on.
01:27So it goes sometimes.
01:28I think the boys wasn't really disciplined,
01:31as disciplined as we should be, both in bowling ways.
01:34So definitely something to look at.
01:36But we'll come hard next game, for sure.
01:39Aaron, Roger Sherman from GQ.
01:40Just what does it mean to be able to play in Barbados?
01:44What are the feelings for you representing Team USA?
01:48And what should people in America
01:52know about West Indies crowds, cricket crowds?
01:58It means a lot to me to play in Barbados.
02:00I've played at this ground many times.
02:02Obviously, I get a lot of support in Barbados as well.
02:06As it relates to the people back home in USA,
02:12cricket is the biggest sport in Caribbean, I would say.
02:15And definitely when West Indies is playing against us,
02:20we know for sure that a lot of people
02:21come out and support, for sure, West Indies and myself as well,
02:24and Steven Till as well, as obviously
02:27having Caribbean roots.
02:28So yeah, it was a really good atmosphere.
02:30We really enjoyed it, for sure.
02:33Aaron, do you feel that having now found yourself
02:37in a position where you can't advance, that in any way,
02:41do you think this has compromised the excellent work
02:45done so far?
02:46And therefore, as you go into the match against England,
02:50do you feel pressured to finish with a win,
02:52or you think that the guys will be able to pull themselves up
02:55and just give up their best?
02:57I don't think there's any pressure.
02:59I think when we first started the World Cup,
03:03a lot of people didn't think that we would be here right now.
03:07Obviously, we always believed, even before the World Cup started,
03:10that we could be any team in the world.
03:12And as I say, every time you put on your jersey
03:14and you go and play for your country, you want to win.
03:16So definitely, we want to win the game against England
03:18and finish well.
03:19Although we can't advance in the next round, for sure.
03:22I know you will not have much time here in Barbados,
03:25but this is where you had your upbringing.
03:27Since coming back on this trip, had you
03:29had a chance to maybe link with some of the guys
03:31from the foundation, from Wildy?
03:34Yeah, just a few.
03:36Obviously, as you said, I didn't have much time
03:38to really and truly mingle.
03:39But I'll try to link up with some of them
03:42tomorrow, for sure, since we have a free day.
03:44But yeah, it's been good to be back home, definitely.
03:49A lot of support from friends and family.
03:51I've been getting all the calls and stuff.
03:53So definitely happy to be here.
03:55How can the USA build on the success of this event
03:58in going forward, to taking cricket in the United States
04:01to an even higher level?
04:04Well, I think now, obviously, USA
04:07doing well in this World Cup.
04:09We obviously advanced for the 2026 World Cup as well.
04:12So I think the sooner we start preparing for that World Cup,
04:15it's going to be better for everything in the country.
04:19I think things over the last couple of years
04:21been on the rise.
04:22And I would believe that the board was
04:26focusing more on the World Cup.
04:28But I think definitely with the cricket
04:30we played over the last couple of weeks,
04:32we'll get some towards, for sure,
04:33as it relates to T20 cricket.
04:35So I don't think that's an issue.
04:37And obviously, we have ODI cricket around the corner
04:40as well.
04:40So I think the board will be focusing on both formats,
04:43for sure.
04:45Aaron, just to follow up on Sid's question,
04:48you didn't have any T20 eyes between July 2022
04:52after the Zimbabwe tour ended and April.
04:56And realistically, a lot of associate teams
04:58struggle to schedule fixtures against full members
05:01because of various issues, whether it's reputationally
05:04they feel like those fixtures can't generate enough money
05:06so that there's no sense of urgency to schedule them,
05:10whatever it may be.
05:12Of this match against England on Sunday,
05:14realistically, it could be your last match
05:16against a full member team before 2026
05:18and the next World Cup, seeing what's
05:20happened in prior history.
05:22Do you feel any added sense of responsibility,
05:26not just for USA, but for associate cricket in general,
05:28to put on a performance to kind of wave
05:30the flag for associate cricket to say, hey,
05:32it's not just USA that deserves more fixtures,
05:35but associate teams across the board who,
05:37if we put in a good performance, we
05:39can show that we're not going to be a team that
05:43should be avoided.
05:44And we command that respect to generate opportunities.
05:50Yeah, I think the game against England is important.
05:54As I said, for me personally, every time
05:55I put on a US jersey, I want to win the game,
05:57regardless of who we're playing against.
05:59I think over the last couple of weeks,
06:01starting from winning the series against Bangladesh,
06:05it really and truly opened the eyes of everybody
06:07in the world, not only for US cricket,
06:09but associate cricket in general.
06:12And then, obviously, moving on to beating Pakistan in the World
06:15Cup, and then having a close game against India,
06:17and then a close game against South Africa.
06:19So people know that associate cricket is on the rise,
06:23I would say.
06:25And yeah, I don't think it's going to be an issue
06:28to have fixtures against four member nations in the future,
06:31for sure.
06:32I don't think it would be an issue.
06:34Like, you go into this game with just focusing on England,
06:37or do you go into it with the fact
06:38that you might see the bigger picture at play?
06:42For me personally, I will go into the game
06:45just looking to win the game, and doing
06:47as best as possible as a team, and me personally as well.
06:50And then, let's see what happens after that.
06:54Aaron, picking up on Sid and Peter's questions,
06:57if it is the case that the US is going
06:59to have limited matches against full member teams between now
07:03and 2026, how important does franchise cricket become?
07:09You are one of the members of the team who's played.
07:12I mean, you played in the BPL, and you
07:14played last year in the MLC.
07:15You'll play this year in the MLC.
07:17But not everyone has, right?
07:20Muhammad Ali Khan played in the IPL.
07:23We hear that.
07:25But there's a lot left to be accomplished on that front
07:28by the US team players.
07:30But there are a lot of leagues around the world, right?
07:33Looking for top players.
07:34How important do you think it is for the team,
07:37and for the US sort of cricket scene in general,
07:40for as many of the national team players
07:44as possible to play in franchise leagues and tournaments
07:47around the world over the next couple of years?
07:49And how much will that help?
07:51For me personally, I think it's very important.
07:55For a number of reasons, I think when you really and truly
07:59go off to play the franchise leagues,
08:01you'll be playing against some of the best players
08:03in the world.
08:04So it's easy to really and truly learn a lot,
08:06especially being an associate cricketer.
08:09And as it relates to playing in different conditions as well,
08:11it's very important.
08:13Because you never know whenever you're going to play against,
08:15maybe, just for example, in India, or Sri Lanka,
08:18or Pakistan, whatever the case may be.
08:20So I think franchise cricket is really good and really
08:22important.
08:23And I think that any of the US guys that really and truly get
08:27an opportunity, they should go and play for sure
08:29and learn as much as possible.
08:31Last two questions.
08:33Corey Anderson came into the tournament
08:35with an international reputation even
08:37before representing the US.
08:39But he's not really fired during the tournament so far.
08:42What do you think you can say to him,
08:44or what you think can be done to boost his confidence
08:47and help him to believe even as he goes into this final match?
08:51I mean, look, I think Corey's a great player.
08:56I think everybody knows that, especially with his history.
08:59Sometimes that's how it goes.
09:01Definitely have a lot of experience and stuff.
09:03But he didn't really fire, as you say, in the World Cup
09:07thus far.
09:07But I mean, if you're looking at a lot of other world-class
09:11batsmen in the world and stuff like that,
09:14it didn't really fire in the World Cup either.
09:16So can't be too hard on him.
09:18That's how it goes sometimes.
09:19You're not going to perform every tournament.
09:21And yeah, I'll be backing him 110% for sure.
09:24Aaron, you mentioned your familiarity with this ground
09:27having played here so many times.
09:28As the captain, how big of an advantage?
09:31I'm sure most countries, when you go and play
09:34in another country, they don't have someone
09:36on the team with that level of familiarity with the place.
09:39And how will that help you against England?
09:42I'm sure the guys on the West Indies
09:43were also very familiar with it.
09:44But how does it help you go and get to the England match?
09:48I mean, for me personally, I think it's good.
09:50I think the England guys played here a lot as well.
09:53So I don't think it would be an advantage.
09:57I think actually the England team have a few Bajans
10:01on the team as well.
10:02So they definitely know how to bat on the wicket
10:05and stuff like that.
10:06So yeah, but it's a good place to play cricket for sure.
10:09I think the wicket is going to be really good
10:10and let's see how it goes.
10:13Thank you.
10:14Aaron, just finally, I just wanted to take you back
10:16to the start of that match and the moment of being out there
10:19with the national anthems, a full crowd,
10:23an amazing rendition of both anthems.
10:25What was that moment like for you?
10:30I mean, I think for me personally, growing up in Barbados,
10:36obviously the West Indies anthem
10:38will always have a place in my heart for sure.
10:40But now I'm playing for USA,
10:42so definitely I'll be on the USA for sure
10:44as it relates to the anthems and stuff.
10:47I can't really say much as it relates to,
10:49obviously me, I'll say I prefer obviously the USA anthem
10:54for sure because I'm representing US,
10:56but definitely the West Indies anthem
10:59have a place in my heart for sure.
11:01Yeah, just the moment in general though,
11:02like with the full crowd and what was that like
11:05standing out there on a ground
11:06that you obviously know so well and growing up here
11:08and playing an international World Cup match?
11:10I mean, it's amazing.
11:13Me growing up as a kid,
11:14I would never think that I'll be playing a World Cup game
11:17at home against West Indies.
11:20So, I mean, it's a dream come true, I like,
11:22I really enjoyed it.
11:24Obviously I would have loved USA to come out on top
11:27and me to score some runs tonight,
11:29but so it goes sometimes, it was amazing.
11:31And hopefully we could get some more pictures
11:33here in Barbados again.
11:35Thanks for your time.
11:36Cheers guys.
11:37Thank you.
11:38So embargo to 12 p.m. tomorrow everyone,
11:40well today actually, we're into Saturday, aren't we?