Monank Patel is leading the United States in the T20 World Cup 2024, which is taking place from June 1 to 29. The 31-year-old hopes to help the USA perform well in their first ICC event.
In 72 matches (47 ODIs and 25 T20Is), Patel has scored 1,887 runs, including two centuries and 10 fifties. His highest score is 130, which he made against Ireland in June 2022.
Here are five interesting facts about the USA captain.
1. Played age-group cricket for Gujarat
Monank Patel was born in May 1993 in Anand, Gujarat. He began playing cricket when he was 11 years old. He played for teams of younger players, like under-16 and under-19 teams.
In 2010, he got a Green Card, which lets him live and work in the United States.
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2. Permanently moved to the United States in 2016
In 2016, Patel moved to the USA because of his family. He opened a restaurant there called Teriyaki Madness in Florence, South Carolina. But he also wanted to show his talent in cricket for the USA. So, he made videos of himself playing cricket and sent them to the USA coach, Pubudu Dasanayake.
Even though he hadn’t played for a long time, Patel did really well in a camp and scored 100 runs in 80 balls. This helped him get into the USA cricket team. He was the best scorer in a tournament called the ICC World Twenty20 Americas Qualifier in 2018, where he scored 208 runs in six games.
In another tournament called the 2018–19 Regional Super50, Patel became the first American player to score 100 runs in a match.
Finally, in March 2019, Patel got to play his first T20 International match against the United Arab Emirates.
3. Played an important role in helping USA achieve ODI status
Monank Patel was one of the second-best scorers for the USA cricket team in a tournament called the ICC World Cricket League Division Two in 2019. He scored 177 runs in six matches, with an average of 35.40, and his highest score was 70 not out.
The USA team finished fourth in the tournament, which helped them gain a special status called ODI after 15 years. This status lets them play in another important cricket event, which they hadn’t been able to since 2004.
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4. Announced as the captain of the USA in 2021
In September 2021, Monank Patel scored his first ODI century while playing against Oman. Because he’s been doing really well and can handle tough situations, he became the captain of the USA cricket team in October 2021. He’s been doing a good job leading the team ever since.
USA recently won a T20I series against Bangladesh, and they’re aiming to do great in the T20 World Cup 2024.
5. MI New York included Monank Patel’s in MLC 2023
Monank Patel played for the MI New York team and they won the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2023 championship. Even though he only scored 63 runs in six games, his best performance helped his team get to the playoffs.
In an important match against Washington Freedom, Patel was the first batter for his team. He scored 44 runs from 29 balls, which helped his team start well in chasing a target of 162 runs.
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