T20 World Cup Global Qualifier: Jersey lose by eight wickets to United States in opening game

Asa tribe has scored three half-centuries in T20 matches for Jersey this month

Jersey's hopes of making the 2022 T20 World Cup suffered a blow as they lost by eight wickets to the United States in their opening qualifying match.

Having lost the toss Jersey struggled to get a foothold in the game, scoring 50-2 off their first 10 overs.

But Asa Tribe put in another impressive showing, hitting 73 off 45 balls as Jersey ended their innings on 154-5.

In reply the Steven Taylor's impressive 101 not out saw the United States reach 159-2 off 18.1 overs.

Jersey will face hosts Zimbabwe in their second game on Tuesday - the hosts top the pool on net run rate having thrashed Singapore by 111 runs on Monday.

America's bowlers kept the run-rate down as openers Harrison Carlyon and Nick Greenwood could only make 10 and 16 respectively, while Jonty Jenner was trapped lbw for three by Nisarg Patel trying a reverse sweep, before the United States spinner claimed Ben Stevens' wicket.

But 18-year-old Tribe, who scored 72 not out and 67 in warm-up games against Namibia last week, impressed again as he smashed seven sixes to make his highest-ever international score.

He and Ben Ward (38 off 22 balls) put on 75 for the fifth wicket to give Jersey a defendable score of 154-5.

Jersey's bowlers did well to restrict their opponents in reply, but they struggled to take wickets - Monank Patel was caught by Jenner off Dominic Blampied's bowling for 15 to leave the score at 47-1 off seven overs.

The wicket came just a few balls after what proved to be a crucial dropped catch, as Julius Sumerauer put down an effort by Taylor - and it was a mistake that would cost his side.

Taylor and Aaron Jones put on what proved to be a match-winning 88-run second-wicket stand.

They stepped on the accelerator with six overs to go as they smashed 19 runs off Ben Ward and 15 off Charles Perchard in successive overs to get ahead of the required run-rate.

Jones went on to score 37 from 29 balls before he was caught off Blampied's bowling while Taylor's career-best T20 international total came off a 55 balls, including five sixes and 12 fours.