U.S. cricket debut a rout

LONDON — America's first foray into international cricket was a bit painful.

Playing on one of the sport's biggest stages, the ragtag bunch of cricketers from the Caribbean, Pakistan and India was routed by New Zealand on Friday in the Champions Trophy event. The Americans had a spirited start but eventually crumbled against the world's second-ranked team.

New Zealand scored 347 runs in 50 six-ball overs, with Nathan Astle contributing 145. The United States answered with 137 runs. New Zealand's 210-run win set several records — the country's largest winning margin in a match, the biggest score in the tournament's six-year history and the highest score at The Oval.

"We've met our expectations," American captain Richard Staple said. "Especially when we bowled, I think we did reasonably well in containing top batsmen. I think the most important thing is to stay positive, to stay in the game, to see how these guys build innings. I don't think we're disappointed, we knew it was going to be a tough task."

The United States qualified for the 10-team tournament being played at three venues in England. The Americans beat favored clubs like Scotland in a tournament in the United Arab Emirates six months ago to qualify for the mini-World Cup of cricket.

But they most likely will be remembered for being at the wrong end of record scores. It could be worse when the United States plays world champion Australia on Monday.