'USA can beat any team in the world': Aaron Jones issues warnings after historic Super Eight qualification at T20 World Cup

NEW DELHI: USA's vice-captain Aaron Jones has voiced strong confidence in his team's ability to challenge and defeat full member sides in the T20 World Cup, provided they play 'proper cricket' and reach their potential.
The USA, co-hosts of the tournament, secured their place in the Super Eight. This achievement came after their Group A match against Ireland was washed out, resulting in both teams sharing a point.
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The USA began their campaign with a seven-wicket victory over Canada, later achieving a thrilling Super Over win against former champions Pakistan, making their debut appearance in the tournament unforgettable.
"Definitely looking forward to the challenge (of Super Eight) for sure. Over the last couple of weeks, we've shown that obviously we could definitely compete and beat some of the full member nations," Jones was quoted as saying by PTI at the post-match press conference.

In the Super Eight stage, USA will compete against notable teams like South Africa, West Indies, and possibly England. Jones is optimistic about their chances against the world's best.
"To be honest with you, a lot of people don't really pay much attention to US cricket. Probably the whole world doesn't already know how much talent we have here and how good the players that we have here are. That could be a little advantage to us, but definitely on any given day, once we play proper cricket, we believe that we can beat any team in the world for sure," he added.
Their advancement to the Super Eight has also secured the USA's automatic qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

"It's a big thing for us, to be honest. Over the last couple of years, we've been speaking about playing in the World Cup, playing more games against the full member nations and stuff like that. Here we are doing it right now and obviously qualifying for the Super Eights is really good," he said.
"Not only for us right now at the moment, but I think we'll qualify for the 2026 World Cup as well, it's a big thing for us. It is really good for us, and not only for us, but the fans around America as well. We really appreciate them for sure and not only for the fans but for the younger generation in America as well is really good," Jones concluded.