DALLAS: Aaron Jones struck an unbeaten 94 as tournament co-hosts USA started the T20 World Cup with an easy seven-wicket win over Canada in a Group A battle of the debutants here.
Put into bat, Canada posted 194 for five.
In reply, USA rode on Andries G'ous' 65 and Jones' unbeaten 40-ball knock to cruise home in 17.4 overs. Jones smashed 10 sixes and four boundaries in his whirlwind innings.
Canada began their powerplay with a positive intent, with Navneet Dhaliwal (61) and Aaron Johnson (23) giving them an aggressive start. Thereafter, Nicholas Kirton's 31-ball 51 lifted the total.
However, USA, who are hosting the tournament along with the West Indies, completed the task without much fuss.
Brief Scores
Canada: 194/5 in 20 overs (Navneet Dhaliwal 61, Nicholas Kirton 51) lost to USA 197/3 in 17.4 overs (Aaron Jones 94 not out, Andries Gous 65) by seven wickets.