USA vs Pak T20 World Cup 2024 – Aaron Johnson: That was my best international innings

Canada now has a long shot at reaching the Super Eights but for a while it was a dream. All thanks to Johnson’s century when all the batters struggled. No wonder Johnson called it the best international innings of his career.

“I think it’s my best innings so far in international cricket,” he said. “And on the rise, you know Pakistan, one thing they have is a fast bowling attack, right? And to be able to get a satisfactory number on the board for my team, I think that’s the top, maybe the top two. It’s the best innings for me.”

Johnson took it long and never looked back. “When it’s at my place, my teammates, my coach, they give me permission to hold back and play my shots. So, when I set off, I knew they were going to slow down the length because they saw that I was playing.” I score a goal, so it’s up to me to score for a long time in the team.”

The relentlessness of the big attack was something that stood out for Johnson. “One thing I’ve learned, if you’re going to score runs, you have to hit a lot, a lot,” he said. “You have to focus. Because again, these guys, just think, I hit well against Shaheen Shah [Afridi], then Babar signals Amir to come and bark. And you think to yourself, I remember when I was playing cricket in England, these guys were playing for the Pakistan international team. I went down and watched them play. So, playing against them, it’s a great experience.”

“I’m here representing the Canadian national team and as you say my teammates in the West, Carlos, Chris Gayle, and these guys. In the last game we won, I got a personal message from Russell – we’re great friends. Chris Gayle and these guys can text you sometimes or just like what you post .

“Yes, I get some inspiration from them. And one thing Carlos said to me when we met about two, three weeks ago in Toronto is enjoy the opportunity and express yourself. Someone who can change the game of your team. So don’t stress too much, don’t think too much about it, just react to what you see.”

Perhaps Canada’s last game of the World Cup will be against India, and Johnson knows the line between respect and fear. “Again, like I said it’s just football,” said Johnson when asked about the challenge of Bumrah and Co. “The ball is round when you walk on the field, anyone can win. Yes, you have to respect these guys. They have been doing it for years.

“There are some of them, like a guy like Babar today, he’s a legend. I’m sure he’s going to be a legend of the game, right? And hopefully we’ll play with Kohli, Rohit, all these guys, the list goes on and you have to respect them, but at the end of the day, you have to know that he’s a professional cricketer and respect yourself, but respect yourself too.”