Saint Lucia Kings signs USA cricketer Aaron Jones ahead of CPL 2024
United States of America player Aaron Jones has joined the Saint Lucia Kings ahead of the 2024 Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The 2024 edition will begin on August 29.
The opening match will pit the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons. The final game of the tournament will be played on October 6 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
In a major development ahead of the season, it was announced on Monday (July 15) that the Saint Lucia Kings had roped in American player Aaron Jones. The right-handed batter played a big part in the 2024 T20 World Cup for the United States, which saw them qualify for the Super-Eights.
Jones stole the limelight in the 2024 T20 World Cup opening game when he smashed 94 runs off 40 balls against Canada. He also became the second player after Chris Gayle to hit 10 or more sixes in a T20 World Cup inning.
In the second game, he continued his good form against Pakistan, going undefeated on 36 of 26 balls. The match went into the Super Over, which saw the USA register a famous win against the Men in Green.
Jones' form dipped considerably towards the end of the tournament, which is one of the reasons why the USA failed to win a single game in the Super-Eights.
The right-handed batter is currently playing in Major League Cricket (MLC) for the Seattle Orcas. He had a poor outing in the only game he played against MI New York in the tournament (12 off 16 balls).
Saint Lucia Kings will be looking to win their maiden CPL title
Saint Lucia Kings will be looking to win their first CPL in the upcoming season. They were eliminated from the 2023 edition after losing the eliminator match against the Jamaica Tallawahs.
Lucia Kings will face St. Kitts and the Nevis Patriots in the first game of the tournament on September 1. The franchise has retained big names like Faf du Plessis and Alzarri Joseph and has also signed match-winners, including Noor Ahmad and Heinrich Klassen.