USA named youthful squad for North American Cup , Monank Patel to lead USA .

USA selectors have rung in as many as seven changes from their last T20 outing in Oman for the upcoming North American T20 Cup. With an eye on the future, they've decided to inject some young blood by resting several well-established names in a tournament the USA is expected to ace. The North American Cup will see the USA take on lower-ranked Associates like Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Cayman Islands, alongside Canada - which will make up the marquee clash of the tournament. Monank Patel will lead the young T20 side without some of his trusted lieutenants. Andries Gous is set to miss out owing to his commitments with Islamabad United in the PSL. Left-arm spin twins Harmeet Singh and Nosthush Kenjige have been rested, along with spearhead Ali Khan and Juanoy Drysdale. Additionally, Steven Taylor, who endured an underwhelming comeback to the national fold in Oman, finds himself on the sidelines once again. Taylor failed to enter double digits in either of his two outings against Oman in February. Young left-arm spinner Stephen Wiig has surprisingly been shown the door despite a decent showing of 2 for 11 in one of his two T20 appearances on the tour. Gous' vacant spot at the top of the order has paved the way for a surprise call-up for Rahul Jariwala. The 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman is back in the USA mix after a hiatus of almost three years, having last played an international in September 2022. The absence of frontline spinners puts the spotlight on leg-spinner Yasir Mohammad, who has largely been relegated to the bench due to the presence of Harmeet and Kenjige. Off-spinner Akhilesh Bodugum has earned a maiden national call-up after strong performances in the Minor League. Bodugum, 24, has been omnipresent in T10 leagues around the world and has previously represented Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The spin department will be further bolstered by the addition of left-arm spinner Vatsal Vaghela, returning after an interval of three years. The 23-year-old Vaghela was discarded early in his USA career despite promising performances, including a three-over spell of 2 for 16 against Ireland on debut. Young fast bowler Aarin Nadkarni, son of former USA captain Sushil Nadkarni, is also set to get his first taste of international cricket. The junior Nadkarni created quite a stir with his devastating spell of 4 for 14, which broke the back of Nepal's batting order in a tour game in October last year. Left-arm seamer Ayan Desai also returns after being overlooked following the Namibia tour last year. The North American T20 Cup is scheduled to run from April 18-27 in the Cayman Islands. USA Squad: Monank Patel (c), Jessy Singh (vc), Rahul Jariwala, Aaron Jones, Shayan Jahangir, Saietja Mukkamala, Milind Kumar, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Ali Sheikh, Yasir Mohammad, Akhilesh Bodugum, Vatsal Vaghela, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ayan Desai, Aarin Nadkarni