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Canada crush defending champions

Canada stormed to a nine-wicket win over USA on Saturday to maintain their perfect start to the ICC Americas Championship.

Skipper Rizwan Cheema scored an unbeaten 114 as his side crushed the defending champions at the National Sports Centre.

Having won the toss and elected to field, Cheema's side made good use of the early damp conditions, restricting USA to 28 for one from their first 10 overs.

USA batsman Carl Wright and Orlando Baker did their best on a seaming wicket but once Baker became Colvert Hooper's first victim with the score on 20, wickets fell with alarming regularity from then on.

Only an eighth-wicket stand of 68 between Rashad Marshall (48) and Timroy Allen (37) saved the US from total humiliation, but even so 189 all out was never likely to be enough against a Canadian team trying to go top of the rankings.

Still the US would have expected to take more than just the wicket of opener Trevin Bastiampillai (27) who put on 98 for the first wicket with Cheema. The Canadian skipper then put on 93 with Hiral Patel (34) as Canada won with 11 overs to spare.

Cheema's side take on Argentina and Bahamas today and tomorrow before what could be a championship decider against Bermuda on Thursday.

In Saturday's other game, Cayman Islands completed an comfortable 111-run win over Bahamas at Southampton Oval.

Batting first, Cayman scored 271 for nine from their 50 overs, with Ramon Sealy, Ryan Bovell, and Ronald Ebanks all making half centuries. Albert Peters conceded just 19 runs from his ten overs, while spinners Narendra Ekanayake and Dwight Weakley both took a couple of wickets.

In reply, Bahamas never really got going, and as the run rate increased, the wickets fell. Gregory Taylor (28) aside, the 40 extras at that Cayman bowled were by far the biggest contributor to Bahamas score.

However, the miserly spin of Kevin Bazil, who took four for 26 from his 10 overs, proved too much for Bahamas and in the end they were all out for 160 in 44 overs.

Bahamas are likely to take another pounding today when they take on USA at Somerset. Cayman, meanwhile, face Bermuda today and then face Argentina at Bailey's Bay tomorrow.