INTERVIEW
Follow UsBorn in the United States of America and raised in the Caribbean, Aaron Jones continues to be vigorously involved in both regions. Born in Queens, New York, he plays internationally for the USA, and now in the Caribbean, he played a crucial part in helping Saint Lucia Kings to their maiden Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title.
At 51/4 in the 10th over, in pursuit of 139, it seemed to be an uphill task for the Kings, for whom the elusive title seemed like it was going to slip away once again. However, that’s when Jones came in. He is no stranger to scoring at the big stage, as he showed at the T20 World Cup.
Another wicket at that point could have proved disastrous. His counter-attack left Guyana stunned, and in the end, he finished with an unbeaten 48 off 31 to guide his side to a comfortable victory.
“It was really good to come back to the Caribbean to play against some of the guys I have grown up with. I am still close with some of them. So, it was like playing in childhood days. It was really great to get back to the Caribbean, especially against some familiar faces,” Jones said in a chat with Cricket.com.
Jones is no stranger to such knocks. At the T20 World Cup earlier this year, a tournament where the USA played for the first time, Jones played one of the best knocks of the tournament. It could not have come at a more opportune time than at the first match of the tournament against rivals Canada.
The 29-year-old smashed an unbeaten 94 off 40 that included TEN hits over the fence. The highlight of that innings was how he targeted the region over mid-wicket, especially against the spinners, and cleared the fence with ease.
“On my knock on the opening night against Canada...It opened the eyes of the world to people about knowing about USA cricket,” Jones said.
“Not only knowing about USA cricket, but USA cricket have a lot of quality players. So, my knock against Canada was important in putting the USA on the world map. Hopefully, I can keep doing that for the USA and spreading the word that the USA can be one of the top nations in the world.”
All this may not have happened had Jones not taken the plunge and moved away from his familiar surroundings to the US, where he eventually made a name for himself.
“When I made the switch, I was in the first-class team in Barbados. I thought if I am going to elevate my career, I need consistent playing time,” Jones, who went to school with Jofra Archer, recalled.
“Barbados had a lot of guys playing for the West Indies. So, when the West Indies tour, then I'll come in and play. But when the West Indies guys came back, I would be on the bench. I thought then that my going to play for the USA would be better for my career. The rest is history. I never second-guessed my decision.”
If you think winning a World Cup match in your first attempt was a massive achievement, what they achieved five days later in Dallas was nothing short of extraordinary. They not just beat former champions Pakistan via a Super Over, they also took a huge step in ensuring that they make it through to the Super 8s.
Jones, who was at the crease at the end of 20 overs, says that the belief that they can beat any side came in when they won a series over Bangladesh ahead of the World Cup.
“It was crazy. We got a lot of messages and calls after beating Pakistan,” Jones who scored 11 of the 18 runs in the Super Over, said.
“We always knew that if we believe and do the right things for long, we could beat any team. It didn't even start when we beat Pakistan, but it started before that when we beat Bangladesh in the series before the World Cup.
“We always had the belief. We just had to go out there and enjoy ourselves, express ourselves and that's what we did. We were happy, because we have been speaking about it for the last couple of years of playing a lot more games against the full-member nations. If you want to improve as a nation, we need to not only play against them but to beat them. So, seeing that come to life was really good, and everyone was joyful.”
That’s not all. Jones unexpectedly ticked off one more bucket list item. With Monank Patel injured, Jones was entrusted to lead the US in the Super 8s, which was a matter of huge pride for him.
“It was a great honour for me to lead the USA, especially in the World Cup. I think that as a kid growing up, I wanted to play a World Cup, World Cups I should say. Getting to do so, not only but to lead the team in the biggest tournament in the world, is a great honour. Definitely, one of the proudest moments of my career,” Jones said.
One of the perks of making it to the Super 8s is that you automatically qualify for the next World Cup. They may have qualified for this edition as the co-hosts, but there’s no denying that they deserve their place at the marquee event in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.
The USA are still well-placed in League 2 as well, and if things go to plan, they could also play in the 50-over World Cup in 2027. The US have been trying hard to crack the cricketing code for a few years now. Playing one World Cup after another would certainly go a long way in attaining that goal.
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