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A dinner conversation with a fellow cricketer led Aaron Jones, who grew up playing cricket in Barbados, to move to his birth country of USA and represent them in international cricket. Jones, who played a starring role in USA’s qualification to the Super Eight stage in last year’s ICC T20 World Cup, is now in Bangladesh, playing for the Sylhet Strikers in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Recently, the 30-year-old spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan regarding his journey from Barbados to USA and the dream T20 World Cup run. The excerpts are as follows:
DS: You were part of the Rangpur franchise two years back. This time you are with Sylhet Strikers. Does this year’s BPL feel different in any way to you compared to your previous stint?
AJ: I think there is much more hype. I think there’s a much bigger fan base. I have seen a lot of comments on my social media accounts. So in that regard, it’s much better. I didn’t get to play much when I was with Rangpur two years ago. Hopefully, I can change that this season, get on the park and win some games for my team.
DS: How much have things changed for you and your USA teammates since last year’s ICC T20 World Cup?
AJ: I think I had a really good 2024 to be honest. Obviously, the T20 World Cup brought a lot for me and the USA Cricket, which is really good. We’re getting opportunities now. It’s just about taking these opportunities and perform.
DS: You are from Barbados and played alongside current West Indies stars like Shai Hope and Jason Holder at age-level cricket. But then you moved to the USA and started playing cricket over there. Why?
AJ: I was born in New York. My parents are from Barbados. So I was living in New York for the first five years of my life. Then my parents decided to go back to Barbados. So I played majority of my cricket as a youngster in Barbados and that’s how I ended up playing with Shai Hope and all these guys who are playing for the West Indies right now.
There’s a funny story. The USA was playing in our local List A tournament in Barbados. My good friend Steven Taylor, who is actually here for Rangpur this season, just called me to have dinner one night. Then the conversation just came up about me having a USA passport. He was so excited and he talked to the coaches. I was not playing for Barbados in the tournament because I had broken my finger previously in a club game. I played for the USA in the same tournament. I scored like 70-something on debut and the rest is history.
DS: Talking about history, the USA created history when they beat Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. How satisfying was the tournament for you guys?
AJ: Definitely. But this wasn’t an overnight thing. This was something we had been working on for the last couple of years. Playing in a World Cup is a great honour. And then doing really well in the World Cup and getting into the Super Eight is fantastic, especially as an associate nation.
DS: Can you describe how it felt winning in the Super Over against Pakistan?
AJ: It’s hard to put it into words. It was a great feeling. I think that’s why we play the sport. We really need to embrace these moments. It’s not often you will get these moments.
DS: The Super Eight finish has earned the USA a place in the 2026 T20 World Cup. What more has that World Cup brought to cricket in the USA?
AJ: A lot of people didn’t know or follow USA cricket prior to the World Cup. When the ICC announced that the World Cup is going to be in the USA, a lot more focus started coming. Not only did we play and host the World Cup, but we actually did pretty decently and got to the Super Eight. I think it will now only get better. One thing that’s important for us is targeting the locals. We want the American-born-and-raised public to really and truly follow and like cricket. We will try to play every World Cup. The standard is set now. We are going to try to play in every World Cup and hopefully some time soon, we can actually win a World Cup as well.
A dinner conversation with a fellow cricketer led Aaron Jones, who grew up playing cricket in Barbados, to move to his birth country of USA and represent them in international cricket. Jones, who played a starring role in USA’s qualification to the Super Eight stage in last year’s ICC T20 World Cup, is now in Bangladesh, playing for the Sylhet Strikers in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). Recently, the 30-year-old spoke with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan regarding his journey from Barbados to USA and the dream T20 World Cup run. The excerpts are as follows:
DS: You were part of the Rangpur franchise two years back. This time you are with Sylhet Strikers. Does this year’s BPL feel different in any way to you compared to your previous stint?
AJ: I think there is much more hype. I think there’s a much bigger fan base. I have seen a lot of comments on my social media accounts. So in that regard, it’s much better. I didn’t get to play much when I was with Rangpur two years ago. Hopefully, I can change that this season, get on the park and win some games for my team.
DS: How much have things changed for you and your USA teammates since last year’s ICC T20 World Cup?
AJ: I think I had a really good 2024 to be honest. Obviously, the T20 World Cup brought a lot for me and the USA Cricket, which is really good. We’re getting opportunities now. It’s just about taking these opportunities and perform.
DS: You are from Barbados and played alongside current West Indies stars like Shai Hope and Jason Holder at age-level cricket. But then you moved to the USA and started playing cricket over there. Why?
AJ: I was born in New York. My parents are from Barbados. So I was living in New York for the first five years of my life. Then my parents decided to go back to Barbados. So I played majority of my cricket as a youngster in Barbados and that’s how I ended up playing with Shai Hope and all these guys who are playing for the West Indies right now.
There’s a funny story. The USA was playing in our local List A tournament in Barbados. My good friend Steven Taylor, who is actually here for Rangpur this season, just called me to have dinner one night. Then the conversation just came up about me having a USA passport. He was so excited and he talked to the coaches. I was not playing for Barbados in the tournament because I had broken my finger previously in a club game. I played for the USA in the same tournament. I scored like 70-something on debut and the rest is history.
DS: Talking about history, the USA created history when they beat Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. How satisfying was the tournament for you guys?
AJ: Definitely. But this wasn’t an overnight thing. This was something we had been working on for the last couple of years. Playing in a World Cup is a great honour. And then doing really well in the World Cup and getting into the Super Eight is fantastic, especially as an associate nation.
DS: Can you describe how it felt winning in the Super Over against Pakistan?
AJ: It’s hard to put it into words. It was a great feeling. I think that’s why we play the sport. We really need to embrace these moments. It’s not often you will get these moments.
DS: The Super Eight finish has earned the USA a place in the 2026 T20 World Cup. What more has that World Cup brought to cricket in the USA?
AJ: A lot of people didn’t know or follow USA cricket prior to the World Cup. When the ICC announced that the World Cup is going to be in the USA, a lot more focus started coming. Not only did we play and host the World Cup, but we actually did pretty decently and got to the Super Eight. I think it will now only get better. One thing that’s important for us is targeting the locals. We want the American-born-and-raised public to really and truly follow and like cricket. We will try to play every World Cup. The standard is set now. We are going to try to play in every World Cup and hopefully some time soon, we can actually win a World Cup as well.
আবহাওয়া অধিদপ্তর জানিয়েছে, এর উৎপত্তিস্থল ছিল চীন। রিখটার স্কেলে এর মাত্রা ছিল সাত দশমিক এক।
