Canada leaves USA T20I series with lessons to learn

Canada was left to lick some self-inflicted wounds in the final T20I of the five-match series against the USA, losing by four wickets to hand the Americans a comprehensive 4-0 series win. The third match was washed out.

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Canada's innings progressed at a steady, if not brisk, pace through the first 12 overs before 77 runs from the last eight overs took the team to a solid 168/5. Harsh Thaker top-scored with 38 off 24 while Aaron Johnson and Dilpreet Bajwa added 33 each in quick time. Captain Saad Bin Zafar also had a handy cameo at the end with 20 off 13.

Poor fielding let the Canadians down when it came time to bowl, as a dropped catch, a missed run-out and a couple of fielding errors saw the USA escape from a precarious 9/3 after 1.2 overs to complete the chase with two balls to spare.

Corey Anderson and Nitish Kumar added a team T20I record 104 for the fourth wicket off 72 balls to turn the match in the USA's favour, with some handy shots from the bat of Harmeet Singh and Nisarg Patel completing the proceedings. Kumar was named player of the match for his 64 off 38 deliveries. USA's Harmeet Singh was named Player of the Series for taking six wickets, including a brilliant all-round performance in the fourth match with 4 for 18 and 34 not out.