It was a disappointing start to the tournament for hosts Hong Kong who lost the toss and was put into bat by USA captain Steve Massiah on a cold morning. The side didn't let the loss of the toss have an effect on its batting with Najeeb Amar's side posting a competitive total of 256 in its 50 overs at Kowloon Cricket Club (KCC).

Opening batsman Roy Lansam led from the front with a hard-fought 83 before he was run-out by some quick fielding from Massiah as the 30-year-old batsman attempted a quick single. However, Lansam's fellow top order batsmen Courtney Kruger and Khalid Butt failed to score and it was up to Niskat Khan and later Amar to assist Lansam in raising the total for the hosts.

USA's Lennox Cush and Kevin Darlington claimed two wickets each with wicketkeeper Carl Wright taking two key catches in Kruger and later Waqas Barkat at a grey and windy KCC.

When the time came for USA to knock off the runs, the side did so with aplomb with Wright scoring a dazzling 82 runs that included seven boundaries and six sixes. Meanwhile, Massiah went about smashing his way to 97 not out in an innings that saw the 31-year-old hit four boundaries and six sixes.

'It's fantastic to start the tournament off with a victory and we had some solid batting performances today with Carl Wright and myself contributing to our victory.

'However good it feels to start with a win we definitely cannot rest on our laurels. Tomorrow we're playing Denmark and they'll be looking for a win after losing to Italy today, we can't afford to lose focus' said man of the match Massiah.