Magnificent Monank!
By MI New York Media
2023 in USA cricket history was an inflexion point. For their skipper, it was an inflexion point and a half. He’d witnessed a masterclass from close quarters: Nicholas Pooran’s 137*.
“It was a dream innings. He single-handedly won us the title. Not just in the final but he scored runs in all every game in that 2023 season. He won us almost every game with the bat that season. Lifting the trophy in the first year will always be history,” said Monank Patel in an exclusive chat with minycricket.com.
The Major Cricket League has touched down. MI New York had bagged Monank in the Draft, and he was watching history being made from the sidelines.
“The first season of the MLC was obviously a new experience for everyone, playing with and against international players,” he said.
“That first year helped all of us grow our skills and our game. It’s because of that first year of the MLC that this year we are able to use that experience and do the basics right. We have played in front of a lot of crowds in international games, but the MLC was a new experience and the first season definitely helped all us local players.”
The seed was sown.
The first shoots were seen in 2024 at the T20 World Cup. Unfancied, underdogs USA, shocked the cricketing world with their mature brand of cricket, holding their nerve in a thrilling super over win over Pakistan. But Monank had seen it coming.
“Before coming into the 2024 T20 World Cup, we performed really well against Bangladesh. We had good momentum and confidence after beating a Test playing country. We had that hunger to do well in that World Cup. We were playing in our home ground against good quality teams and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity playing in front of crowds. It gave us a lot of motivation. The way we played against Pakistan got us into the Super 8s, and yeah, even in the 50-over tournament, we are at currently at the top of the table (Cricket World Cup League 2 2024/27). The growth of cricket has been tremendous,” he said.
Come 2025, Monank’s batting is right up there. He had one fifty across 2023 and 2024 combined. He already has three in 2025. 62 (44), 20 (14), 93 (50), 32 (20), 60 (33), 20 (14), he’s not just holding his own, he’s setting the benchmark. For a player who’d admitted to needing a bit of time to get his innings started earlier, his strike-rate of 161 is testament to his growth.
The first set of fruits are ripe and ready for picking in the form of Magnificent Monank.