Playing well against Ireland will send out big message, says USA captain Monank Patel

Florida [US], December 21 (ANI): United States (US) captain Monank Patel said the Ireland series will act as a start for upcoming global qualifiers for the American team and playing well against the Irish side will send a strong message to other associate nations.
Ireland men's cricket team is set to become the first Full ICC Member nation to tour the United States to play against the USA men's senior national team.
USA and Ireland will lock horns in the T20I series, starting from Wednesday.
"This is the biggest home series we have had. This means a lot to the team and this acts as the start for the global qualifiers for the big tournaments coming up," said Monank Patel in a statement.
"Playing well against Ireland will send out a big message to the other associate teams we compete with," he added.
Monank Patel will lead the hosts in both formats. Former India U19 player Saurabh Netravalkar will also feature in the American team. For Ireland, Andrew Balbirnie will captain across both formats.
The series will feature two T20Is followed by three ODI matches. The five-match series will be played at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Florida. The two sides last met in 2015 in Belfast, Dublin, for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier where the Irish side won by 46 runs.
The tour will be exclusively live-streamed on the FanCode App and www.fancode.com to provide a comprehensive match experience through interactive live streaming, fastest live scores, match highlights etc. (ANI)