Sai teja mukkamalla

World Cup League: USA have dropped Aaron James from the ODI squad for the World Cup League 2 (WCL-2) tri-series starting on Friday. His snub came after he opted to play for the CPL franchise St. Lucia Kings and missed the Namibia tour with the USA in September. The selection panel named an unchanged squad that last toured Namibia for WCL-2.

It is believed that Jones' decision to participate in the CPL, despite "warnings" from USA Cricket, may have caused tension within the selection committee and higher authorities at USA Cricket. Ultimately, Jones played as a local in the tournament and didn’t require an NOC from USA Cricket.

In contrast, Andries Gous, who limited his stint with the Trinbago Knight Riders to rush to Namibia, has retained his place in the team. In Jones' absence, USA continued their unbeaten run in four ODI matches in Namibia which gave selectors confidence to make the bold decision to drop him. Although Jones was recalled for the T20I series due to his CPL final heroics, his place in the T20I squad is also under threat following a series of low scores in the recent Nepal T20I series. Jones has been a constant presence in USA’s white-ball squads since his debut in 2018.