The United States cricket team beat Hong Kong by 84 runs in Windhoek, Namibia in the WCL Division 2 on Wednesday to gain ODI status for the first time in its history.
Opener Xavier Marshall — who earlier represented West Indies — scored 100 to power the victory.
It is a coincidence that his innings came a few hours before West Indies' ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 squad announcement.
The Jamaica-born batsman is a seasoned campaigner. He had made his debut for West Indies in 2005. The 33-year-old right-hander turned out in 24 ODIs and seven Test matches before relocating to the US.
READ| USA bags ODI status for the first time
Marshall is one of those cricketers who came up through the U-19 ranks in the Caribbean. He even earned monikers like ‘a young Gordon Greenidge’.
Once he graduated to senior cricket, he recorded two Test fifties against Australia.
In ODI cricket, he had broken the record for most sixes in a match — previously held by Sanath Jayasuriya and Shahid Afridi (11 sixes) — in 2008.
Marshall hit 12 sixes in a score of 157 from 118 balls against Canada. The record stood till Shane Watson smashed 15 sixes against Bangladesh in 2011. India cricketer Rohit Sharma broke that record in 2013 with 16 sixes against Australia.
Now a strong force in the United States side, Marshall will be keen to deliver more; he still has the firepower.
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