T20 WC 2024: 'Sky is the limit, we're ending with heaps of learnings' - Corey Anderson on USA's campaign
After succumbing in the Super 8 matches to South Africa, West Indies, and England, the USA bid farewell in the T20 World Cup 2024, having shown promise in the group stages by defeating Pakistan and challenging India.
FollowThe USA's impressive journey came to an end against cricket giants, but Corey Anderson, their batter, states that despite the setbacks, their diverse team exits the T20 World Cup 2024 with pride and valuable lessons.
After succumbing in the Super 8 matches to South Africa, West Indies, and England, the USA bid farewell, having shown promise in the group stages by defeating Pakistan and challenging India.
"I mean sky's the limit really...the last few years there's always been whispers around what's happening in America with cricket...hopefully in years to come as well, we can kind of grow that," Anderson, originally from New Zealand where he played 93 games before moving to the USA, remarked after their defeat to England concluded their campaign.
"I mean there's probably a lot of areas that we need to improve on. We are still an Associate nation, growing, trying to get a bigger player pool. Making it through the Super 8s was obviously a historic occasion for the USA," he added.
When questioned about the USA's loss of momentum following an inspiring league phase, Anderson attributed it to the 'Big Boys' elevating their game when it counted, contrasting with a predominantly inexperienced team.
"The last couple of games have just been not quite there, but that's what happens in the Super 8 competition is the bigger boys start to really show up and they're kind of hitting their stride right at the back end of this competition," he said.
"We don't get to play against these big teams often or at all. So, anything that we can play against these guys is hugely valuable. It's probably a little bit raw at the moment obviously, but yeah there's heaps of learnings out of that," he added.
Anderson, aged 33, is among several talents recruited by the USA team, which comprises players of West Indian, Indian, and Pakistani origin.
One standout performer was Saurabh Netravalkar, of Indian descent, who excelled as a pace bowler while balancing a full-time role as a software engineer at Oracle.
Anderson acknowledged that while there is disappointment within the team currently, there is also a strong sense of achievement.
"...they're disappointed. They're hurt. I'm hurt. Your pride's always on the line when you're playing these games and you never want to lose badly or have performances like that," he said referring to the 10-wicket loss to England.
"But again, it's looking at the bigger picture of it too. If we're a team and we first started and we're beginning to be disappointed about how we play against these big teams and knowing that we can do better, that's a great sign because it means we can give more," he explained.
Anderson's lack of significant contributions during the campaign was acknowledged by himself, admitting it was a setback for the team, given his status as one of the most experienced players in the lineup.
"My performance has been lacklustre for what I expected myself. I think as a team we did a fantastic job to get to where we were and we had different guys stepping up at different times. Unfortunately, I couldn't chime in and help when we probably, the wheels were falling off a little bit. I needed to play better than what I did and there was probably opportunities that I missed out on," he concluded.
