Cayman Islands, Aug 17 (IANS) A dominant USA secured their third consecutive appearance in the ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup by comprehensively winning the 2026 Americas Qualifier in the Cayman Islands over the weekend.
Led by Chetna Pagydyala, a senior international and member of the 2025 Under-19 T20 World Cup squad, the USA delivered a flawless campaign by winning all six of their matches to finish six points clear of runners-up Canada and qualify for the 2027 edition of the tournament to be hosted by Bangladesh and Nepal, where India enter as defending champions after winning both editions of the competition.
The USA set the tone on opening day at the Jimmy Powell Oval in West Bay with an eight-wicket victory over Canada. A disciplined bowling effort, headlined by three-wicket hauls from Mahek Desai and Saanvi Immadi, restricted the Canadians to 65/7. The USA batters then clinically knocked off the target inside 11 overs.
The side maintained their iron grip on the tournament throughout, completing a sweep of wins against Canada with a second victory on the final day while also securing paired wins against Argentina and the NextGen XI, a regional composite side.
All-rounder Mahek Desai emerged as the standout performer of the competition and finished as the leading wicket-taker with 16 scalps to earn the Player of the Tournament award.
With this regional triumph, the USA join Samoa (East Asia-Pacific) and the United Arab Emirates (Asia) as regional qualifiers for the 2027 U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, with the African and European qualifiers scheduled to be held later this year.
The Chetna Pagydyala-led unit will look to build on the success of the 2025 USA squad in Malaysia, where they reached the Super Six stage and pushed powerhouse New Zealand in a tight contest after restricting them to 97, though they fell short by 18 runs.
–IANS
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