Former New Zealand international Corey Anderson has been included in USA’s squad to face Canada, starting on 7 April. The co-hosts of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 will play five T20I against their neighbours in preparation for the mega-event, which will commence on 1 June.

Anderson, who last played for the Black Caps in 2018, is now eligible to play for the USA after migrating to America at the announcement of Major League Cricket (MLC). The 33-year-old has been in stellar form, aggregating over 900 runs in 28 innings at a strike rate of 146 in Minor League Cricket (MiLC), the developmental league for Major League Cricket (MLC).

Among the other inclusions are former India U19 player Harmeet Singh, former Canada captain Nitish Kumar and former South Africa domestic stars Andries Gous and Shadley Van Schalkwyk.

Despite being the leading run-scorer in MiLC history since its inception in 2021, former U19 World Cup-winning captain for India, Unmukt Chand, was notably left out of the squad.

Speaking about the squad selection, USA captain Monank Patel said: “With the ICC T20 World Cup looming, this series holds immense significance for our team.

We have some new players coming into the squad, and these games will help us get the right combinations and prepare well for the World Cup.”

The matches will take place from 7 to 13 April at the Prairie View Cricket Complex (PVCC), in Houston, Texas.

Squad: Monank Patel (c), Aaron Jones (vc), Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Gajanand Singh, Harmeet Singh, Jessy Singh, Milind Kumar, Nisarg Patel, Nitish Kumar, Noshtush Kenjige, Saurabh Netravalkar, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Steven Taylor, Usman Rafiq.

Reserve players: Juanoy Drysdale, Saiteja Mukkamalla, Shayan Jahangir.