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USA Cricketer
June 2010 - Posts
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By Peter Della Penna
On May 23, four days before the USA
squad was set to depart for their tour of Bermuda for the ICC Americas
Division One Tournament, the youngest member of the designated touring
party had his trip ended before it even started. While fielding at long
on, 19-year-old Andy Mohammed took a full length dive trying to pull
off a spectacular catch and save a boundary in the final Twenty20 match
of The Pearls Cup against Jamaica. He accomplished neither and in the
process split the webbing between his middle and ring fingers. It
wasn’t long before the tears came streaming down his face, not from the
pain, but from the realization that the necessary five stitches to
close the wound would cause him to miss going to Bermuda to play with
USA.
On June 15, in only his second competitive game since returning from
the injury, Mohammed notched an unbeaten 109 for his SuperStars team
against Royal Stars in the NYPD Cricket Twenty20 Cup. For Mohammed,
overcoming hardship is old hat.
Picture (Right): Azurdeen Mohammed [Courtesy: Azurdeen Mohammed]
To the casual observer, Mohammed gives off the appearance that life
is easy. It’s hard to catch the young man doing anything other than
smiling and cracking jokes at every opportunity. This is even more
remarkable when you discover the path he has taken to make it into the
USA national team.
“My heart goes out to my sister whenever we talk about their
situation,” said Ajaz Asgarally, Mohammed’s uncle, as he reflected on
how his nephew had managed to make it to New Zealand with the USA U-19
World Cup squad in January. Almost nineteen years before, Fazie Khan
took her five-month old baby boy Azurdeen, Andy’s birth name, along
with her other son Fazurdeen and daughter Sadia away from Trinidad to
Guyana. Her husband Saieed had gotten mixed up in drugs and alcohol and
she made the decision that this was not the environment to be raising
her children.
“He was in the wrong crowd of people so he went in the wrong
direction,” said Khan about Saieed, whom Andy has never met. “The
situation was very bad. In our family, back home in Guyana, we never
grew up in that kind of environment around alcohol. I wanted to get
away from that because of the kids. I wanted them to grow up in a
decent family.” Instead of being surrounded by vices as his father had,
Andy has been consumed with cricket for as long as his mother can
remember.
“When Andy was growing up, since he could walk, he was always holding a
bat in his hand,” said Khan. “All of his cousins and uncles are
cricketers so he always followed behind them going to the cricket
ground.” His Aunt Seema took notice of the boy’s love of cricket and
started calling him Andy Caddick, who had recently debuted for England
at this point in time. The name stuck.
With Saieed out of the picture, Asgarally became one of the primary
masculine figures in the life of Andy. The fact that Asgarally had
played cricket at the U-19 level for Guyana certainly gave Mohammed
someone to look up to early on. It seemed that Mohammed could follow in
his footsteps too, but when he was 12, the family moved to Orlando,
Florida, and he wasn’t too sure he would be able to play cricket in
America.
“It was a change. I was little. I didn’t know what was going on,” said
Mohammed about the transition to life in a new country. “When it comes
to cricket, I didn’t know if I was going to play cricket anymore. I
thought that part of my life was done.” This initial skepticism was
fleeting though. A short time later, he found himself on the same field
as one of his heroes who lived right in his new neighborhood.
 “One
week I got a call saying that [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul is playing a
game and they want me to play with him. So I actually got a chance to
bat with him,” said Mohammed. The starry-eyed kid got to bat with the
West Indies superstar. While the chances are good that Chanderpaul
doesn’t remember the encounter, it’s clearly a seminal moment in the
cricketing odyssey of Mohammed as it clued him in to the idea that he
could sustain his passion for the game while growing up in America.
Pic (Right): Andy Mohammed hooks on his way to a heroic 70 against Australia at the ICC U-19 World Cup [Picture Courtesy: Daniela Zaharia]
“He scored a hundred that game, but he got out early,” said
Mohammed. “I couldn’t remember what I scored. I was just enjoying all
of that. I was just like, let me take in this moment. He got out
earlier but the crowd wanted him to bat so he batted again. Ever since
then, I realized that cricket is in the United States and when I moved
to New York, that’s when my Uncle Ajaz, he took me up and he put me to
play Under-15 in New York. He took me to trials and I made the team in
’04 and I captained the team to Chicago. That’s when I made my first
hundred when I was 13. I made my first century over there. We won five
games and the championship.”
The performance in Chicago is when Asgarally says that Mohammed first
demonstrated that he could be a very promising player. The next year,
New York’s U-15 squad went to Southern California and defended their
national title. Then in 2007 and 2008, Mohammed kept up his winning
contributions with the New York Region as he helped the U-19 squad to
back-to-back national championships.
“He was talented, like most of the kids that come from the Caribbean,”
said Lester Hooper, the New York Region U-19 Team Manager, about his
first impressions of Mohammed. “He knew a lot about the game, very
enthusiastic, had a great appetite, always wanted to play, the ideal
person that you would try to mold to be a senior player for the US.”
Hooper isn’t kidding when he says Mohammed always wants to play.
According to his mom, the first thing she sees when she comes home from
a long day is Mohammed walking around ready to practice his shots.
“Every day I get home from work, he has his bat in his hands,” said
Khan. “He has his bat in his hands and he asks, ‘Mom, can you toss me
that chicken bone?’ and he just imagine a ball in front of him with
that chicken bone. He is so into cricket.”
Sometimes though, there have been distractions that have gotten in the
way and almost managed to cost him some golden opportunities. After
such a long run of dominance with the New York Region, the Queens
Village resident found himself without a roster spot when it came time
for the 2009 National U-19 Tournament, after which a squad was going to
be picked from the event to represent USA at the first round of U-19
World Cup Qualifying matches in Toronto.
“We decided to exclude him from the trials,” said Hooper. “The New York
youth program has specific criteria in order to be selected for the
team. Up until the time we had the trials, he did not meet any of those
requirements. It was unfortunate because he’s a talented player, but we
have to go by the rules. The rules are the rules and we don’t bend them
for anyone.” The major part of those requirements mentioned by Hooper
apparently was a series of winter practices that took place at indoor
facilities on the weekends.
“It was every Saturday,” said Hooper. “Given the fact that the USACA
tournament was held early in the summer, we were basically practicing
in the indoor facility during the winter. It was not just practice
bowling and batting. It was basically assessing each player mentally,
trying to assess them off the field as well. Unfortunately, he didn’t
show up. For whatever reasons, he never communicated that to us until
after he found out that he was excluded from the trials. It was very
unfortunate because he was surely missed.”
Mohammed and Asgarally both claim that Andy was working at a law office
part-time to help support his single mother. Khan works as a
housekeeper and looks after an autistic child to make ends meet for
Andy, Fazurdeen and Sadia, as well as Sadia’s toddler daughter Zaarah,
whom Sadia is raising alone after divorcing her husband. Other sources
claim that Mohammed’s problems with New York Region management date
back a year earlier to the 2008 National U-19 Tournament in Florida
when among other things, he was allegedly caught in the hotel bar as a
17-year-old.
Asgarally called up Mahadeo Ajodhi, the Manager for the North East
Region U-19 squad, who allowed Mohammed to come to their region’s
tryouts and practices in Connecticut. Mohammed is very grateful to his
uncle, who drove him there from New York on three consecutive weekends
to fit in with the team’s plans. North East Region U-19 Coach Tony
Boyke says that Mohammed made a quick adjustment to his new squad in
that tournament.
“He listened to my directions and he did outstanding for me at those
games. I didn’t have a problem with him,” said Boyke. “He brought to my
team, at that time, an opening batsman who could guide the team. When
you have opening batsmen, that’s what you need, leadership, and he
showed leadership at the top, and batted well, fielded well and
wicketkeep well for me. He was an all-round outstanding player for me
at that tournament.”
Mohammed was selected for the USA U-19 squad after two half-centuries
and 157 runs in three innings for North East. It was only a sign of
things to come. In his first major contribution for USA’s U-19 team, he
turned in a Man of the Match performance in a crucial encounter against
Bermuda at the ICC U-19 World Cup Americas Qualifier last July. The
left-hand batsman scored 60 opening the match before taking 3 for 15
bowling left-arm orthodox spin to push USA to victory by 61 runs.
In the Global Qualifier two months later, Mohammed notched USA’s
highest score in the tournament as he grinded out 90 runs from the top
of the order in his team’s loss to Afghanistan. Mohammed spent time
fluctuating between the middle order and playing as an opening batsman
throughout the USA U-19 squad’s path to New Zealand and it was from the
number six slot that he had perhaps his most impressive performance
scoring 70 runs in a defeat to Australia. Mohammed’s innings brought
some respectability back to his team after they had been reduced to 28
for 7 by Alister McDermott and Josh Hazlewood, who made his ODI debut
for Australia’s senior side on June 22 against England.
“I think I became more experienced being that I faced better bowlers
than we have here in the United States,” Mohammed said of his U-19
World Cup journey. “You just have good bowlers coming at you spell
after spell, especially when you’re playing teams like South Africa,
Australia and Ireland. I learned how to put away the good balls. That’s
what I’m working on actually. When you play at that level, you have to
learn to put away balls that in the United States you normally don’t
score off of. When you’re playing at that level, you need to score off
the good balls.”
Mohammed was a shooting guard on the varsity basketball team for two
years at Forest Hills HS in Queens and counts ten-pin bowling as one of
his favorite hobbies. But they just can’t compete with the feeling he
gets every time he steps out onto a cricket field. The fact that his
mom works so hard to support his passion only makes him more driven to
succeed.
“I think when it comes to cricket, she always pushes me. My mom, she’s
like my best friend,” said Mohammed, who currently works overnight
shifts as a security guard while juggling the pursuit of a college
education along with his cricket career.
“I work Monday to Friday, but I never take a weekend job because of
Andy,” said Khan. “I always want to be there to support him. I work
from morning until night Monday to Friday but not on Saturday when Andy
has his games.”
Mohammed hopes that his most recent century in the NYPD Twenty20 Cup
shows the USA senior team selectors that he’s healthy again and that
despite missing an opportunity to go to Bermuda, he wants a chance to
prove he belongs. Even though he’s still a teenager, he feels he has a
lot to offer USA at the senior level.
“I think I can add youth,” said Mohammed. “I feel like I add a better
intensity in the field being that I’m very active in the field and
hopefully bring a lot to the table when it comes to the batting.”
If Mohammed gets selected to be a part of USA’s team to go to Italy for
World Cricket League Division Four in August, it would be one more
instance of his will to triumph over adversity and make things happen.
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By Partab Ramchand
Ray Robinson put it aptly in his
classic `From the Boundary’ when he observed ``Wicket keepers are like
office boys. Few people take notice of them until something gets in a
mess - a folder or a chance is lost, an inkpot or a catch spilt, a mail
or a stumping missed. For hours on end they may do their duty well and
truly but mostly they are out of focus so to say as the onlooker’s gaze
is held between wicket and wicket by the principals in the contest,
bowler and batsman.’’
Robinson’s words came to my mind when I went through the news item that
Mark Boucher had notched up his 500th dismissal in Tests. It was buried
somewhere in the sports pages of the newspapers I was reading,
something very much in keeping with a feat accomplished by a wicket
keeper. A significant landmark achieved by Brian Lara or Sachin
Tendulkar or Shane Warne or Muthiah Muralitharan would have received
far more publicity but let’s get this straight. Getting to 500
dismissals even with the proliferation of Test matches is nothing short
of significant.
A tally of 200 plus dismissals was for long the ultimate ambition of
wicket keepers but the proliferation of Test cricket made 300
dismissals a distinct possibility and sure enough Australia’s Rodney
Marsh became the first to break the barrier before retiring with 355
victims. His successor Ian Healy went past that mark before finally
settling on 395 thanks to the fact that he played 23 more Tests than
Marsh’s 96. The brilliant Adam Gilchrist was always going to be a
candidate to surpass that mark and perhaps be the first to reach 400
dismissals. After a yo-yo contest between the two great contemporaries
Boucher beat Gilchrist to the record, became the first to go past 400
dismissals and now has gone where no other stumper has reached. It is
another matter that Boucher has also scored over 5000 runs in Tests
besides more than proving his worth in front of the stumps and behind
them in limited overs cricket.
A picture of modesty the 33-year-old Boucher wants to play on for some
more time and why not? Age has not withered his skills and he is in
fact talking of achieving goals now in the limited overs format. In
ODIs he has a tally of 422 dismissals besides 4664 runs so another
double of 5000 runs and 500 dismissals beckons. As humble as ever
Boucher says he will keep working on his game to become a better
cricketer. That’s the kind of hunger for success and an insatiable
appetite for self improvement and never being satisfied that has seen
Boucher reach the zenith. He is the only one with the double of 5000
runs and 500 dismissals (478 catches and 22 stumpings) and while it is
dangerous to make such predictions his record looks safe for a very
long time for the next 13 players on the list of most successful
wicketkeepers have all retired.
The record could not be in the hands of a nicer guy or a more intense
competitor. In this dog eats dog professional world where no quarter is
asked for and none given Boucher has maintained high standards of
discipline, fitness and wicket keeping skills not to mention his
pugnacity with the bat. The fact that he has played 133 Tests and 292
ODIs since his debut more than a dozen years ago is proof of his
durability. Batsmen and bowlers have come and gone since 1997 but
Boucher has remained a permanent fixture in the South African side and
a bulwark of strength. Professional integrity, strategic input as vice
captain of the side and the uncanny ability to star in both forms of
the game have made Boucher a key component in the South African side.
He has scored the second fastest century in ODIs – off just 44 balls –
and has also notched up five centuries in the longer version. While
batting he is adept in playing both pace and spin, in keeping he is adept at keeping to both pace and spin. He has a low proportion of
stumpings compared to Healy and Gilchrist but they had Shane Warne to
offer them plenty of stumping opportunities. Boucher has mainly kept to
an all seam attack and overall his record of about 3.8 dismissals per
Test makes him second-best among the successful keepers, marginally
below Gilchrist.
Thrice voted South African Player of the Year (in 1998, 2000 and 2006)
as well as Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2009 Boucher still holds the
world ninth wicket partnership record with Pat Symcox the two putting
on 195 runs against Pakistan at Johannesburg in February 1998 in what
was only his second Test match and his first on home soil. The real
relevance of this feat lay not so much in its numbers but in the fact
that it was pieced together with South Africa in deep trouble at 166
for eight. Such feats are typical of Boucher the fighter who is
remembered both for starring in numerous rearguard actions as well as
his acrobatic work behind the stumps. Indeed of late he has acquired
the title of ``the finisher’’ for he displays no nerves at all while
batting however tense the situation. And with the end nowhere yet in
sight one can only speculate on what his final tally of runs and
dismissals will be.
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World Cricket League Division 4 Preview - The long road to Italy
By Venu Palaparthi
Comments
On paper, based on their ICC ODI rankings, the countries of the
ICC Division 4 are all at the same level. Cayman Islands - 25,
Argentina - 26, Italy - 27, Tanzania - 28, Nepal - 29, USA - 30.
Nothing could be further from the truth. How else can you explain that
USA, ranked 10th in 2007, is now ranked a lowly 30th?
They are ranked similarly because they are currently in the same
Division, their fortunes fluctuating with the vagaries of the
WCL system. Their ranks do not reflect their performances outside of
WCL. And some of them have never even played each other in the WCL.
Pic (Right): Lennox Cush in a WCL Division 5 match in Nepal.
It will be some more years before the World Cricket League
stabilizes and all the countries find their rightful place in the
pecking order. Meanwhile, here's an attempt by DreamCricket.com to
seed the teams taking part in Pepsi ICC WCL Division 4 in Italy based
on a review of their performances in the regional championships and the
WCL.
1. NEPAL: Nepal and USA have been unlikely
companions in the World Cricket League. Having started out in the
same group as USA in Jersey in 2008 ICC WCL Division 5, Nepal did well
to win all their matches in the Group Stage (just like USA). While
USA was thrashed by the lowly Jersey in its semis in wholly avoidable
circumstances, Nepal was thrashed by the mighty Afghans. Having
failed to climb out of Division 5, Nepal (just like USA) was forced to
wait until 2010 for another chance. In the Division 5 tournament in
2010, both countries led the pack this time and finished first and
second overall earning a promotion to Division 4.
Nepal's superior ranking in DreamCricket.com's estimate is based on
results in the two Division 5 tournaments. In 2008, in the third place
playoff match in Jersey, Nepal gave USA a massive drubbing bowling USA
out for 93. USA returned the favor on February 26, 2010 in a match
that was cut short owing to crowd trouble - but not before USA reached
the revised target of 157 with 12 overs to spare.
However, in the final the very next day, Nepal, perhaps not inclined
to give the crowd another opportunity to express their discontent with
stones and assorted missiles, dismissed USA for 172 and went on to
reach that target with 5 wickets still in hand. Based on this 2-1
record against USA, Nepal are the top seeds in this tournament. Nepal
is also planning a tour of Sri Lanka ahead of the tournament in Italy,
a positive step that can only help them with their preparation.
2. USA: USA was shortchanged by its
administrators' inability to clean house between 2005 and 2008. After
being placed in Division 3 when the WCL system was conceived, thanks to
its 10th place finish at the 2005 ICC Trophy, USA was suspended for
non-cricketing reasons involving the said administrative machinery.
Upon readmission in 2008, USA was invited to join the league at the
bottom of the totempole - Division 5. Once there, USA found it
difficult to get out, finishing fourth in the 2008 ICC WCL Division 5
tournament in Jersey owing mainly to an uninspired performance against
the hosts in a crucial semi-final match.
Afghanistan, which was in a far worse position, managed to shake off
its past and proceeded to take the fast lane to ODI status. USA
resumed its upward journey in 2010 with a much improved performance in
Nepal finishing second - losing only to the hosts.
Ironically, when USA was suspended in 2005, Cayman Islands took
USA's spot in the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2005 and Argentina replaced
USA in the ICC WCL Division 3, joining Cayman Islands in that group.
USA has not lost a single match to Cayman Islands or Argentina in 5
editions of the ICC Americas Championships beginning 2000, and yet
finds itself playing these two countries to regain its place in
Division 3.
In Division 4, Nepal will be a hard nut to crack for USA - the
Nepalese are no pushovers against USA. The one thing going for USA is
that Nepalese cricketers are unaccustomed to the astro-turf
wickets in Italy. Natural turf is Nepal's preferred surface but USA
has no such luxury and regularly plays on astro-turf and assorted other
surfaces!
3. CAYMAN ISLANDS: When WCL was first conceived,
the twelve participants of the 2005 ICC Trophy were to be bucketed in
Divisions 1 thru 3 according to their ranking in that tournament. In
addition, Division 3 had room for a leader from each ICC development
region. Since USA, Canada and Bermuda had already booked their berths
via the ICC Trophy route, Cayman Islands which was ranked behind these
countries in the Americas region was the automatic next choice for
Division 3.
To its credit, Cayman Islands retained its Division 3 spot at the
end of the 2007 ICC WCL Division 3 tournament in Darwin (Australia)
after inflicting defeats on lower ranked Tanzania and Hong Kong. But
Caymans could not deliver a repeat performance in the 2009 ICC WCL
Division 3 tournament held in Buenos Aries, scoring just one win
(against the winless Argentina) and finished among the bottom two,
which sent it down one notch to Division 4. Although Cayman Islands
lost to Argentina in Bermuda last month, its overall record against
Argentina affords Cayman Islands a seeding ahead of Argentina.
4. ITALY: Italy, like Cayman Islands, earned a
spot in ICC WCL Division 3 in 2007 because it was the leader among the
ICC's European associates - Netherlands, Ireland, Denmark and Scotland
having already qualified via the ICC Trophy route.
However, its only wins in the 2007 tournament were against Argentina
(in a last-ball run out) and Fiji, and it was relegated to Division 4.
In ICC WCL Division 4 tournament in 2008 held in Tanzania, it won three
matches finishing ahead of Tanzania, Jersey and Fiji, thus retaining
its Division 4 position. Italy defeated Argentina in 2007 and
Tanzania twice in 2008. This should put them ahead of these two
countries in DreamCricket.com's rankings.
5. ARGENTINA: Argentina earned an improbable
wildcard entry in Division 3 after USA was suspended in 2007 for
non-cricketing reasons. This was possible because they were next in
line in Americas as winners of ICC Americas Division 2 championship.
To everybody's surprise, the Argenentians grabbed that opportunity
by the horns finishing second in Darwin in 2007. Argentina then moved
to ICC WCL Division 2 but then lost the plot completely as evidenced by
its downward slide post-Darwin. Argentina finished winless in 2007 ICC
WCL Division Two tournament in Namibia and was relegated back to
Division 3.
In the Division 3 tournament at home in 2009, Argentina once again
finished without a single victory - sending it further down to
ICC WCL Division 4. A 13-run victory over Caymans and an improbable
tie against the Bahamas in Bermuda will hopefully instill confidence in
Argentina. Argentina is proof that to truly defy gravity, you have to
both improve and win consistently once you get into the higher
divisions like the Afghans have done.
6. TANZANIA: Tanzania, as the leader among the
remaining African associates, was placed in Division 3 in 2007. Having
lost to all teams except Hong Kong in Division 3, it was relegated to
Division 4.
In the Division 4 tournament in 2008, Tanzania was soundly beaten by
all teams with the exception of Jersey, which somehow managed to lose
to Tanzania after having won against better teams in Division 5
previously. In a three way tie for relegation from Division 4,
Tanzania was saved by superior NRR and thus remained in Division 4.
Tanzania recently toured Kenya, and although they were beaten in nearly
all their matches, the experience should serve them well.
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By John L. Aaron
 USA
Cricket’s Under-19 player Abhijit Chidambar Joshi, recently signed with
the United Kingdom’s Painswick Cricket Club in the Gloucestershire
Division, and has already established himself as the club’s top scorer.
Joshi, who will turn 18 this October, is a right-handed batsman and
right-arm off-break bowler. He scored a massive 147 runs (18x4s, 7x6s)
against Gloucester Harlequins last Wednesday, June 16. Painswick went
on to win the match by 77 runs.
The Bangalore, India-born USA batsman is the son of Chidambar Joshi,
Youth Cricket Coordinator of the Central East region of USA Cricket.
An All-America cricketer, Joshi has represented the USA at the Under-15
and Under-19 levels. Earlier this year he was part of the USA’s
Under-19 World Cup squad in New Zealand.
According to Painswick’s skipper Wayne Neville, commenting soon after Joshi signed with the club, "I read about him on a website
where he said he was keen to play as much cricket as possible, so we
contributed to his air fare to bring him over. He's certainly got
pedigree, having played for the USA in the Under-19 World Cup, so it
will be interesting to see how he goes. Apparently he's a useful spin
bowler as well as an opening batsman. It could be an exciting signing."
And exciting it has been. In nine innings so for Painswick, Abhijit
Joshi has scored 440 runs at an average of 48.89, recording 24.93% of
his teams total run tally, an excellent contribution indeed. The
youngster has two half-centuries and a couple of innings where he fell
just shy of a 50 or another century.
In Joshi’s top five innings for Painswick Cricket Club, he has recorded
scores of 147 (18x4s, 7x6s) vs. Gloucester Harlequins CC Midweek XI, 85
(6x4s, 1x6) vs. Frocester – Friendly XI, 55 vs. Old Down CC’s Under-17,
49 (7x4s) vs. Walls Crescent CC Midweek XI, and 48 vs. Redmarley CC –
1st XI. With a batting strike rate of over 200% Joshi also ranks in
Painswick’s bowling line-up at number eight, with figures of
26.1-2-131-9 at an average of 14.56 per and best bowling figures of 3
for 9.
No stranger to big innings, Joshi struck 122 in an inning last
July against Naper United in the Central East Region of USA Cricket,
and has match figures of 5 for 7 at the Under-15 level bowling for the
Central East Region vs. New York Region in a USA Cricket inter-regional
national tournament.
The aspiring business engineering student and cricketer has been
accepted at Birmingham University in the United Kingdom; however, a
decision has not yet been made regarding whether he will attend college
in the USA or the UK.
The Waubonsie Valley High School, Aurora, IL graduate admires
Test cricket star Rahul Dravid, and states, "Family is very important
to me. They are the ones that will be with me for the rest of my life.
I can do anything for them."
The senior Joshi, said his son was enjoying cricket in a caring and
nurturing environment in the UK, adding “There is a lot of competition
there (UK) too, but a very healthy one. Abhijit says he is learning a
lot from all of his teammates, coach and hosts both about the culture,
people, pitches and the game.”
The experience being gained in the UK by the young cricketer should
prove invaluable because he has been playing on all-turf wickets, many
of them first-class pitches. Abhijit’s dad said “Now that he has played
on turf wickets in the UK, West Indies, Bermuda, India, New Zealand,
and Canada, as well as turf, Astroturf and matting in the USA, I am
sure it is enriching his experience as a cricketer and a human being. I
hope that he gets his due chance to serve US cricket under a similar
nurturing and caring atmosphere.”
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By Michael Makin
Michigan Cricket Academy was victorious in its own Memorial Day
Weekend Tournament, 2010, emerging top on net-run-rate after a
three-way-tie for first place between the hosts, Great Lakes Cricket
Conference Colts (the runners-up), and the Michigan Cricket Association
Colts, with a very young Chicago Combined team, captained by tournament
MVP Srijay Kumar, fighting valiantly throughout the weekend, but
eventually occupying fourth place. GLCC’s captain, Salman Ahmed, won
the Best Bowler award, while MCA’s Jai Nirban was Best Batsman.
Pic (Above): Michigan Cricket Academy - Winners of the Memorial Day Weekend Tournament [Courtesy: MCA]
The round-robin tournament, played primarily at U-19 level, with
teams allowed to field up to four U-21 players (although, in fact, both
Chicago and MCA had significant numbers of U-15s and U-13s in their
squads), entered the final day with every team in with a chance of a
trophy: MichCA had beaten both GLCC and Chicago on the opening day, and
could be champions with a defeat of MCA; GLCC had recovered from a
rather lethargic defeat to MichCA to beat the hosts on Saturday
afternoon, and had a chance of either the runners-up or winners
trophies, as did MCA, which had beaten Chicago handily and lost
narrowly to GLCC on Saturday, while Chicago, although winless, could
still get its hands on a trophy if it could beat GLCC on Sunday.
SUNDAY’S MATCHES
Sunday’s Chicago-GLCC match was played at Bloomer Park, Rochester
Hills, and, with the out-of-towners now strengthened by two senior men
(Fahad and Moin Barbar) who had been unavailable on Saturday, a close
contest looked likely. GLCC, batting first, made 150/9 off the
regulation 30 overs, with the key contributions coming from Naeem (29)
and Wasim Patel (a sterling 56 not out, and the third half-century of
the tournament). Chicago’s opening bowlers played a leading role for
the visitors, Moin taking 3/27 and the captain Srijay 2/19. Chicago
must have thought the target more than within reach of a strengthened
batting line-up, but when Fahad, Parth, and Vybhav all fell within six
overs, with less than fifteen on the board, it was clear that the
visitors were bound to struggle. Only Srijay offered real resistance,
his fighting 23 ended by opposing captain Salman, who had him caught
for 23, one of four wickets taken by the GLCC skipper. Chicago were
all out for 92 in 29.1 overs.
Meanwhile, at Lyon Oaks Park, MCA played MichCA in a new edition of
a familiar rivalry. MCA, led by eighteen-year-old Kishan Patel, won
the toss and elected to bat, with the skipper unworried by the morning
dew. He instructed his openers, fourteen-year-old Gordon Makin and
fifteen-year-old Ani Mayasandra, that their job was to stay in, and see
off the new ball, hoping to neutralize the threat of MichCA’s star
all-rounder Taimoor Ahmed, who had played a key role in MichCA’s two
victories the day before. Gordon and Ani did their captain’s bidding,
with an opening partnership of 48, which provided the foundation for a
final score of 153/8 in thirty overs. Gordon batted 21 overs for a
patient 30, before falling to a slower ball from Haris Ahmed (another
of the tournament’s top bowlers), while quick knocks from Kishan and
Dhwanit Patel contributed 15 each, and Jai Nirban played his usual role
for the weekend by taking the attack to the MichCA bowlers and scoring
a rapid 31. Haris took the key wickets of Gordon and Jai, but MCA lost
only Deepak to Taimoor, late in the innings. MCA also managed, late in
the innings, to rattle MichCA in the field, just as MichCA had done the
day before to GLCC — the hosts reached their final score with a run
five off the last ball.
In reply, keeper Hamza Ansari (who had an excellent all-round
tournament) and Ali built a good base for MichCA in a solid opening
stand, with Hamza lasting into the final overs before falling for a
careful 21 to Gordon, who turned one and had Hamza play on. However,
earlier, when Taimoor fell, caught behind by Anurag Yerabati, to Jeet,
for only 13, MCA began to feel confident (knowing that Taimoor’s team
included among the lower-order batsmen several players with little
experience of the hard-ball game). When Jeet dismissed Haris in exactly
the same way with the next ball, the hosts could not contain their
delight, and Kishan Patel, whose vocal and often witty leadership on
the field kept his team energized throughout the innings, later
identified those two balls as the keys to MCA’s victory. Like Hamza,
Deepa (19) offered stout resistance, and, like Hamza, he fell late to
Gordon’s leg spin, caught and bowled. Once the two of them were out,
the lower order crumbled, and MichCA were all out for 116 in 26.4
overs. MichCA, under the excellent captaincy of Taimoor, who had a
very fine all-round tournament, must have felt desperately unlucky that
Sunday’s loss moved them from first place to third, but MCA had done
its job.
Senior MichCA umpire (and distinguished first-class cricketer) V. V.
Giri chose Gordon Makin as his man-of-the-match, “not for his runs, not
for his wickets, but for his patience”.
MCA and MichCA left Lyon Oaks for Sunday’s closing ceremony at
Bloomer Park with only a vague sense of who might get a hand on which
trophy, and so there was much delight in the MCA motorcade when the
news came through that the hosts’ net run rate put them well ahead of
the two other teams with two victories.
[A more detailed report covering all matches is available here.]
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By Peter Della Penna
With five new players in USA’s squad that toured Bermuda, it was going
to be hard for USA to defend their ICC Americas Division One title
after going undefeated at the 50-over event two years ago in
Lauderhill, Fla. While USA fell to Canada and finished second in that
portion of the event in Bermuda, they did very well to come back to win
the Twenty20 competition only days later in what USA captain Steve
Massiah said was a flawless performance.
“The tournament as a whole I would like to think was a success for the
United States,” said Massiah in an interview on Monday. “It was good
for us to be crowned inaugural champions of the Twenty20 tournament
because we’ll always be remembered in history as we won the first one.
I thought it was the crowning achievement of the tour because it was
known that we can play 50 overs but now we’ve demonstrated that we can
be a force to be reckoned with in the Twenty20 game.”
USA team manager Imran Khan agreed that it was an impressive
performance for the squad considering the fact that they were missing
several frontline bowlers including Usman Shuja and Kevin Darlington as
well as Imran Awan, who was the leading wicket-taker at the same event
in 2008.
“I think we did much better than was expected of us,” said Khan in a
separate interview on Monday. “The realistic proposition by everyone
was not to finish below third, but we knew we could do quite well. The
challenge was only in reality from Bermuda and Canada. I think we
punched above our weight. I’m pretty happy with what happened.”
The solid performance in the 50-over event where the team went 4-1,
including the demolition of Argentina and Cayman Islands, has given USA
a big confidence boost ahead of the World Cricket League Division Four
tournament in Italy this August.
“We knew we’re going to play against Cayman Islands and Argentina in
Italy,” said Khan. “Our objective was to go out there and set a
precedent and establish a psychological edge over them. We didn’t want
to just go out and beat them. We wanted to smash them and it worked.
They now know our strengths. Italy and Tanzania are kind of unknown
quantities and it’s going to take some strategic planning on USACA’s
part to help us out.”
“There’s two countries that we’re going to be coming up against in
Italy and we will have already demoralized them in the sense that we
completely outplayed them in the 50 over,” said Massiah. “We scored in
excess of 300 against Argentina and bowled them for 200 and then we
would have defeated Cayman Islands by 10 wickets in 15 overs. So I
thought going forward we have taken the psychological edge so hopefully
that can make it easier for us going to Italy.
“I’m pretty confident that we’ll come out of that division, but one
thing we have to be conscious about is not to get complacent or not to
think that we defeated these guys in this tournament and the same thing
is gonna happen. Everybody is capable of playing anyone on a given day
so we need to take a professional approach and we need to understand
how important it is for us moving forward that we play good cricket on
a consistent basis and not to take anyone for granted. The key thing is
guarding against complacency. In the past we may have been guilty of
being a little complacent, if you go back two years ago maybe when we
lost to Jersey and failed to qualify in Jersey, so that’s the one thing
I’d like to stress on is for us to not get complacent.”
While USA and Nepal, the two teams moving up from the WCL Division
Five, are also favored to advance from Division Four into Division
Three in Hong Kong next January, Massiah wants to stress that USA must
keep focused in order to keep climbing up the ladder to get to the top
rung of Associate teams.
“We’ve gotta stay focused and think of what’s ahead of us and how
important it will be for us to continue to move forward because if we
do well, there’s a good chance that by next year we could be back among
the Associates,” said Massiah. “My immediate goal is to try my best to
get USA back to where I think it belongs. It’s quite evident that
Bermuda and Canada are ranked ahead of us. For us to defeat them, it
just goes to show our talent level and to know that we are missing some
of our key players in this tournament, hopefully when they are back we
will definitely prove a handful for most of the teams.”
One of the features of this tournament was the infusion of young and
fresh legs into the squad, something that had a great effect on the
fielding.
“Unbelievably, surprisingly and magically good,” said Khan when asked
to sum up the overall fielding performances on tour. “We did not drop
catches. Our performances against Bermuda and Canada were some of the
best I’ve ever seen. That may have something to do with our young guys
on the field. [Muhammad] Ghous, [Moazzam] Imtiaz, Timroy Allen in the
field really brought a lot of energy to the field. It’s the best US has
fielded for quite some time and I think it had a lot to do with our
younger legs as well.”
“That definitely is helpful when you’re younger because the legs are
much younger and you’re able to withstand playing 9 games in 10 days,”
said Massiah. “So I thought that really helped because when you’re
younger it’s expected that you’ll have more energy and your fitness
levels should be better than someone who has been playing competitively
for 20 years.”
In terms of the veteran players, they did their part too. Aditya
Thyagarajan had the highest individual score of any player in Bermuda
with his 159 against Argentina and also finished second in the runs
column. Ashhar Mehdi was named the best wicketkeeper at the event while
Orlando Baker was once again a very crucial player for USA wherever he
batted and bowled. However, it was 23-year-old Allen who seemed to be a
catalyst for USA’s success in the eyes of Khan.
“Timroy Allen was the key to most of our victories,” said Khan. “When
he opened the bowling in the T20s, he was fast and he was accurate and
he shook everybody up. If we take the time to develop him, he could
become a world class bowler.” Massiah also credited the start that
Lennox Cush and Allen gave opening the bowling against Canada in the
Twenty20 final as a major reason for winning the title.
Collectively, the new players did very well, but it was 20-year-old
Ghous who turned the most heads in Bermuda. After delivering a series
of strong performances while playing for the USA U-19 team over the
last year, Ghous continued to demonstrate some impressive bowling in
his first chance playing for the senior squad.
“The one new player which I would like to single out and I thought
responded brilliantly was Ghous,” said Massiah. “Given that it’s his
first opportunity at the senior level, I thought he responded
brilliantly. His bowling was outstanding and I think he has the right
attitude. He’s willing to learn and that’s good.” Ghous had the best
economy rate for all bowlers in the 50-over competition with 2.56 runs
per over. He also took six wickets in three matches before taking
another four wickets in four Twenty20 games for USA.
“Muhammad Ghous was the find of the tournament,” said Khan. “He fielded
well and bowled exceptionally. He bowled in tight situations, in the
power plays. Cayman Islands got off to a great start and then he came
on and tore them apart.”
Massiah also gave credit to Ghous for keeping a cool head batting at
the end of the Twenty20 semifinal against Bermuda which helped push USA
into the final against Canada and eventually to the Twenty20 title.
“I thought his innings against Bermuda in the semifinal, for a young
player I thought it was very responsible the way he batted and full
credit to [Rashard] Marshall for trusting him and giving him the
confidence he needed,” said Massiah. “We required 14 runs in the last
over and Marshall was the last recognized batsman there and he
basically trusted Ghous with the strike and the young man responded
brilliantly. His bowling was very good. It definitely augurs well for
the future of cricket. I’m sure his performance should motivate the
other younger players and the message should be clear that there’s a
place for them in the future of US cricket.”
Khan also hopes that giving opportunities to players like Ghous will
not just be a one off and that USA should start to lean more toward
bringing in and keeping younger players in the squad for the future.
“I think the selectors need to identify them not because they have
energy, but because they are promising,” said Khan. “We should not just
leave them behind now, we should help develop them. By the time that
Division Three and Division Two come around, some of the older guys
might not be around so we need to start giving some of the younger guys
a chance.
“Hopefully we’ll invest more time in our younger players, help them
develop, and no matter where we go commercially, we need to focus on
our younger players in the cricketing structure. Once we have that in
place, everything will go forward. The impetus for us is to blood some
younger players in the next tournament as well and look for some sort
of domestic program to be initiated in the USA and start to build that
and get the right people involved because there are some really good
people involved and credit must go to them.”
Another thing that is necessary is consistent preparation and a greater
amount of matches against better competition. USA got a chance to play
against Jamaica before heading off to Bermuda. However, USA will be
missing out on an opportunity to play in the newly formed West Indies
domestic Twenty20 competition after it was announced over the weekend
that Canada will be included to fill the eighth spot in the July event
along with the seven regional first class teams in the Caribbean. The
winning team will then move on to participate in the Champions League
Twenty20 in South Africa this September.
“Talking to Andy [Mohammed], Adrian Gordon and Muhammad Ghous and
Imtiaz and Bilal Khan and Ashhar Mehdi, because their first match was
against West Indian opposition, that kind of established the benchmark
for them and that’s what they expected to have to play at for every
match at this level,” said Khan. “So then when they came across the
Cayman Islands and Bahamas, etc., they didn’t think about bowling to
club players. They were thinking about bowling to Test match level
players. Myself and [USA coach] Clayton Lambert are trying to impress
upon USACA to get more involved in West Indies first class competition
because the competition is higher.”
While Massiah has said in the past that USA’s failure to advance out of
WCL Division Five in 2008 was due to a lack of preparation, he points
to the fact that when USA has had good preparation, they have played
very well.
“I’ll give two good examples of what America can be if we prepare
well,” said Massiah. “The previous Americas championship that we won in
Florida, prior to that we went to Guyana and played in a 50-over
tournament and we came back and we played brilliantly. We went 5-0 and
won the Americas Cup. Before going off to Bermuda, we had good
preparation in terms of playing against a quality side in Jamaica. We
went to Bermuda and we performed very good. So it just goes to show if
we prepare very well moving forward, definitely we would be able to do
well in future tournaments.”
At the moment, there is no planned preparation before the team leaves
to go to the WCL Division Four in Bologna, Italy, scheduled for August
14-21, but Massiah hopes that USACA will organize something to get the
team in rhythm before their first match.
“They will have us engaged in some sort of activities before we leave to Italy,” said Massiah.
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By John L. Aaron
 The
Public School Athletic League (PSAL) of the New York City Department of
Education’s high school system held their annual dinner and awards
ceremony on Monday, June 14 at St. Francis College in Brooklyn, NY,
where the 2010 Wingate Awards were distributed to some 37 athletes. Pic (Right): Fast bowler Kavishwar Bridgepaul was instrumental in taking Richmond Hill High School to the PSAL final
Started in 1903 by President Teddy Roosevelt, the PSAL operates sports
programs in 230 high schools engaging 20,000 student athletes and
hosting 40 championships, each year. It is the longest running program
of its kind in the United States. More athletes compete in PSAL
programs than the NBA, MLB and the NHL combined. There are more than
2,000 coaches and 5,000 officials, who manage the PSAL program that has
seen such world-class athletes as baseball players Manny Ramirez and
Willie Randolph, along with basketball player Stephon Marbury, emerge
as success stories.
There were well over 200 guests in attendance at the awards dinner,
including student athlete honorees, parents, family and friends,
coaches, commissioners and top officials of the city’s Department of
Education, as well as the evening’s guest speaker and former New York
Jets footballer – Marty Lyons.
The annual event honors those outstanding senior year student athletes,
acknowledging their athletic prowess and accomplishments, both in the
sport of their choice and their academic accomplishments, while doing
so.
“These students have shown prowess on and off the field, and I
congratulate them,” said Deputy Chancellor for Infrastructure and
Planning Kathleen Grimm. “The PSAL teaches students how to compete and
the value of good sportsmanship, both attributes that will put them in
good stead as young adults.”
The evening’s senior student cricket athlete was Kavishwar Bridgepaul,
a senior at Richmond Hill High School in Queens, NY and a 2009 USA
Cricket All-America cricketer. Bridgepaul was born in Guyana and has
been playing cricket competitively from age nine.
Words such as exciting, invigorating and fantastic were used to
describe the PSAL program by several of the evening’s speakers,
including the Executive Director of the PSAL Donald Douglas, who
reaffirmed his commitment to the program by stating, “I believe in our
student athletes.”
Marty Lyons, a mainstay defensive tackle of the NY Jets’ renowned “Sack
Exchange” during the 80’s offered some inspiring words to the
graduating senior athletes, based not only on his 12 year NFL career
with the Jets, his college years at Alabama State university under the
legendary football coach Paul Bear Bryant, and some of his more
emotional experiences as president of the Marty Lyons Foundation –
dedicated to granting the wishes of terminally ill children.
Mr. Lyons, a 1984 recipient of the Walter Payton Award for his
humanitarian endeavors, in quoting Coach Bear Bryant said, “A winner in
the game of life is one who takes time to help others grow.” He urged
the athletes to use the evening’s awards as a stepping stone to life,
commenting “You don’t have to be an athlete to save someone’s life, all
you have to do is care.”
Receiving a standing ovation at the conclusion of his remarks, the
former football jock urged the athletes to prioritize their lives by
taking time to prepare themselves to enjoy life, stating “…your active
involvement in the sport will end, but you must learn to live, learn
and be happy.”
A very happy Kavishwar Bridgepaul was accompanied to the awards dinner
by his father Daneshwar Bridgepaul, high school coach Lomarshan
Persaud, a younger cousin, USA Cricket’s Executive Secretary John
Aaron, President of the NY/Nassau Cricket League Paul DaSilva, and PSAL
cricket commissioner Bassett Thompson.
One of the fastest bowlers on his high school team, Kavishwar led
Richmond Hill High School to the 2009 PSAL finals. The accomplished
batsman has scored more than 600 runs for his team, while taking more
than 30 wickets in the last three years. According to his high school
coach, “He is Mr. Everything. He’s the most gifted and hard-working
athlete I have ever coached, as well as a dedicated student.”
The 6’ 1” Bridgepaul will be attending Queens College of the City
University of New York in the fall to pursue a career in law
enforcement.
Several individuals and organizations were acknowledged for their
financial and other contributions to the PSAL program, including the
United States of America Cricket Association.
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By Ricardo Inniss
Team USA defeated Team Lauderhill before a large noisy Saturday
evening crowd of enthusiastic Night Cricket fans to take the 2010 MAQ
T20 Lauderhill International Night Cricket Mayor’s cup, as the curtain
came down on the Tournament on Saturday evening June 12th.
Picture (Above): Team USA were winners of 2010 MAQ T20 Lauderhill International Night Cricket Mayor’s cup
 Team
USA’s MVP Shawn Beckford entertained the crowd with a boundary studded
sizzling 94 to steal the spotlight. All the action took place at the
Lauderhill Sports Park.
Picture (Right): Shawn Beckford receives his prize for an entertaining knock of 94
Sent in to bat first after losing the toss, Team Lauderhill could only
muster 148 all out off 18.5 of the allotted 20 overs. Glen Anglin,
banged 5 fours and 2 sixes in a brisk 39, Dunae Nathaniel hit 30 (3
fours & 2 sixes), Jamekell Douglas got 21 and Victor Charles
chipped in with 21 also. The best bowler for Team USA, was Rhaines
Boothe who snared 3 for 26, from 3 .5 overs.
In reply, the hard-hitting Shawn Beckford, in a belligerent mood,
plundered the lack-luster Lauderhill bowling, smashing 10 scorching
fours and 6 huge sixes off only 56 balls, in a superb and compelling
undefeated 94, to be the chief architect in the winning score of 151
for 3 in just 13.5 overs.
Picture (Above): Team Lauderhill receive their Runner-up Award from Maq Quereshi
Anil
Bhawani scored an enterprising 35, spiced with 3 fours and 2 sixes, and
shared 110 first wicket partnership with Beckford, to help inflict the
comprehensive 7 wicket victory. Bowling honors for Team Lauderhill,
went to Ken Wright, who scalped 2 for 19. Congrats are in order for
Team USA.
Players Awards:
Shawn Beckford - MVP of the Championship Match
Vaibhav Nayar - Most runs
Ken Singh - Most wickets
Vaibhav Nayar - Tournament MVP.
Updates from the 2010 SFCA Premier League 45 overs Competition
International vs. Lauderhill United at North Dade Middle School:
Occupying the crease first after winning the toss, Lauderhill United
was dismissed for a paltry 97 after 24.5 overs of the allotted 45.
Keyonie Gayle carried his bat for a well played 24 (2 fours), Nicholas
Mittoo got 16 (2 fours) and Sunil Mittoo 14 (1 four). Bowling for
International, Doane Ranger took 4 for 35 from 9 overs, Andrew Williams
2 for 15 from 6, Timothy Surjubally 1 for 9 from 3 and Zac Sattaur 1
for 12 from 1.5.
In reply, International reached 99 for 6 from 24.2 overs to secure a 6
wicket victory. Mark Johnson top scored with 27 (2 fours & a six),
Baliram Nayaik was undefeated on 26 (1 six) and Joey Pierre got 12 (1
four & a six), with extras 25. Bowling for Lauderhill United,
Durrant Dennis took 2 for 23 from 6.1 overs, Milton Barnes 2 for 25
from 9 and Nicholas Mittoo 1 for 15 from 3. There was 1 run out.
Myrtle Grove vs. Sportsman at Myrtle Grove Elementary School:
Winning the toss and taking to the crease first, Myrtle Grove was
bundled out for a paltry 59 in 19 of the regulated 45 overs. Andrian
Carey who hit 43 (3 fours & a six) was the only batsman to reach
double figures. Bowling for Sportsman, Shameer Khan bagged 4 for 15
from 5 overs, Andre Forbes captured 3 for 12 and Masood Mohamed 2 for
12.
In a brisk reply, Sportsman hustled to 60 for 2 off only 11.1 overs, to
win convincingly by 8 wickets. Ayaz Mohamed cracked 6 fours in a
quick-fire 39, whilst Aleem Ghana remained on 6 not out in the victory
hunt. The Ahmed brothers took a wicket each for 10 and 16
respectively, bowling for Myrtle Grove.
Lauderhill Jammers vs. Parkway at City Hall Park:
Parkway won the toss, and electing to bat first, posted 159 all out
after 34.2 of the arranged 42 overs ( overs reduced to 42 from 45).
Oneil Walker got 41, Robert Hinds 25 and Comel Peart 23. Bowling for
Lauderhill Jammers, Mike Graham scalped 3 for 13 from 5.2 overs, Ken
Singh took 3 for 36 in 7 and Naveed Ahmed 2 for 26 in 4. In reply,
The Jammers, knocked up 162 for 6 in 19.4 overs, to register a 4 wicket
victory. Earl Stephens hit a sparkling 58, Graham got 36 and Singh 24.
Bowling for Parkway, Hinds took 3 for 64 from 7.4 overs, Vernet Hosang
2 for 28 in 6.4 and Walker 1 for 41 in 4.
Alliance vs. United Sports at Gaines Park:
Summarised scores are as follows: United Sports 189 for 9. J. Douglas
and L. Stewart 29 each and C. Salmon 28. M. Wallace 3 for 38, Nick
Thomas 2 for 33 and V. Crawford 1 for 26.
Replying, Alliance made 190 for 6 winning by 4 wickets. C. Dormer 61,
L. Crichton 46 and O. Nelson 28. Douglas 4 for 33, R. West 1 for 41 and
B. Mckenzie 1 for 43.
In the other match , Osswald Park 1 defeated Palm Beach at John Prince Park.
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By Peter Della Penna
On June 10, the West Indies Cricket Board announced the
introduction of a domestic Twenty20 competition. The announcement
declared that the July event will include the seven regional first
class teams in the Caribbean as well as one international team. The
winner of the tournament will go on to participate in the Champions
League Twenty20 scheduled for September in South Africa this year.
Over the weekend, Cricket Canada posted a message on their web site
announcing that they will be the international team participating in
the competition. Meanwhile, members of the USA national team that
defeated Canada on June 6 to win the first ever ICC Americas Division
One Twenty20 championship will be playing club cricket!
Full credit should go to Cricket Canada for swooping in and seizing a
golden opportunity to not only give enhanced competition to their
country’s cricketers, but also present them a chance to qualify for a
lucrative global tournament.
Many people who were in Florida for The Pearls Cup believed that having
USA play three matches against Jamaica was a great thing for the
preparation of the team before the ICC Americas Division One
Tournament, especially since the USA squad was going to have six new
players heading to Bermuda the following week. With the unavailability
of several of USA’s first choice players for the games in Bermuda,
those same players were omitted from the games against Jamaica. The
result was that USA was outclassed by a Jamaica team that cruised to a
series sweep.
It would have been very interesting to see whether or not a full
strength USA squad could have defeated a Jamaica team that will be one
of the seven regional teams in this West Indies tournament. The fact
that USA lost all three games might have created a stronger case for
the WICB to consider Canada ahead of USA for inclusion in the event.
At the same time, Jamaica and by extension the WICB, may have taken
into consideration the fact that USA didn’t field their best eleven.
The approach on the field in those matches was that USA was treating
the series as a set of warm-up matches before jetting off to Bermuda
rather than approaching it as a truly live contest in which they were
desperate to notch a win against a first class team. In the two games
that USA won the toss, they elected to field first. It was a clear sign
that they were not confident they could bat 50 overs or 20 overs and
that it was more important to make sure the young bowlers would have an
opportunity to bowl their full complement.
Make no mistake, USA was in all three matches. In particular, they were
in a very good position after the first innings of each Twenty20 game
against Jamaica to win both matches. USA batted last in all three
games, but at no point did they look remotely interested in making a
dash at the targets set. If USA didn’t have the most serious attitude
towards giving their guest the most competitive games possible, why
should Jamaica stump for the WICB to invite USA to the West Indies?
Jamaica could afford to not have their best players participate if they
wanted to win, USA could not.
Of course, there are challenges involved for USACA that do not exist
for other boards in terms of organizing and selecting teams. Several
players who missed out on the Bermuda tour could not go because they
could not miss another week of work so soon after having taken a month
off for the team’s February tour of the UAE and Nepal.
However, they surely would have been able to miss a day to play
against Jamaica for a weekend of games. Obviously that would have
deprived some of the players who would be going to Bermuda of getting a
chance to gel in their new roles so it is a tricky balancing act
figuring out what was the right course of action.
It would
have been fresh in the minds of WICB administrators though that Canada
fielded a full strength outfit when they played Jamaica and the West
Indies in the Jamaica Cricket Festival this April. Canada also sent
their U-19 squad to St. Kitts in December ahead of the ICC U-19 World
Cup in New Zealand for matches against the West Indies U-19 squad.
It is crucial that USA’s players become contracted professionals as
soon as possible, something which Canada has already started to do.
USACA CEO Don Lockerbie stated in an open letter in January that he
wants to do this. In an interview for Dreamcricket.com
in February, he claimed that along with hiring a full-time national
coaching staff, professionalization of USA players “should happen in
2010.” The year is almost halfway gone, and it is not clear if
contracts for players will be offered anytime soon.
USA defeated Canada to be crowned the best Twenty20 team in the
Americas for 2010. Canada, the second best Twenty20 team in the
Americas for 2010, will be vying for a chance to go to the Champions
League Twenty20 in South Africa when they participate in the West
Indies Twenty20 tournament in July.
[Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.]
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By John L. Aaron
 The
New York Police Department last Saturday launched its third season of
its NYPD United Cricket Youth League. Flushing’s Kissena Park in
Queens, New York was the scene of many colorful uniformed teams and
several of New York’s bravest in blue, as New York City Police
Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly launched the program which he cherishes
and keeps close tabs on, through his Community Affairs Bureau headed by
Chief Douglas Zeigler. Pic (Right): Opening day action [Courtesy: NYPD]
The cricket program has gained worldwide recognition, with Commissioner
Kelly featured on a recently released International Cricket Council’s
(ICC) documentary titled “Cricket in America.” The documentary
distributed throughout the 104-member countries by the world governing
cricket organization and on the organization’s web site
www.icc-cricket.com highlights the NYPD’s community outreach program
aimed at creating an atmosphere of mutual trust. In the documentary
Commissioner Kelly talks about his department’s outreach effort and his
new found admiration for the sport.
This year’s NYPD cricket league features ten teams of players between
the ages of 15 and 19 years old, and although the same number of teams
as last year, there has been a 40 percent influx of new players due to
the maximum age restriction of the league. The NYPD cricket league with
some 200 players, is managed by a core group of some twelve community
affairs police officers headed by Deputy Inspector Amin Kosseim and
includes some very dedicated officers. Funded by the Police Foundation,
the co-ed program spares no pains in outfitting the young men and a few
young women with colored uniforms, protective gear, and other playing
equipment, as well as ample refreshments.
A physically fit Police Commissioner Kelly usually dressed very
dapper in a suit, was sporting casual attire, while interacting with
the cricket players while taking some time out to answer questions from
the press. He later displayed some of his strokeplay with the cricket
bat, before retreating to play catch football with some of his
officers, and showing off some fine athleticism and form.
Sunday’s season opener saw all ten teams participating in two
double-headers at the Kissena Park in Queens, NY with a supporting
police presence from the neighboring precincts and community affairs
personnel. One of the opening matches saw 2009 champions Lycans up
against Superstars in a rematch of last season’s final. Superstars
would however prevail on this occasion of the round-robin tournament.
Results of the rematch were - Superstars 153-9 (20 overs) beat Lycans
135-6 (20 overs). Superstars 17 points, Lycans nine points.
To make the matches even more exciting the NYPD has established
a system of awarding bonus points for milestones reached in each match.
The system has sparked added interest and keener competition amongst
the teams, as they seek to add to their bonus tally by the milestones.
 The
program continues to grow, as much as the trophy sizes. Last year the
championship trophy measured 48 inches in height, this year it towers
at 56 inches. The program is a collaborative effort between the NYPD
and the cricketing community. As the involvement of the players and
other local cricket enthusiasts are sought in designing the format,
rules and other playing conditions, so that it’s a total team effort.
Pic (Left): NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly tries a shot [Courtesy: NYPD]
Cricket
in the NYPD ranks has now attracted an NYPD team of its own, as several
officers who have previously played the sport have formed a city-wide
NYPD Cricket Team and are seeking friendly matches against “Friendly
teams,” according to an informed source. One such match is tentatively
scheduled for Saturday, July 18 at Kissena Park in Flushing, NY. The
NYPD XI will come up against an Australian Community XI. The match is
being sponsored by the Eight Mile Creek and The Australian restaurants,
both located in New York City.
For more information on the NYPD cricket team e-mail NYPDcricketclub@gmail.com
Results of the NYPD United Cricket Youth program’s opening day matches can be found at http://twitter.com/nypdunited
Bonus points - Batting: 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 runs. At each
marker, one point for each amount reached for a possible total of five
points.
Bowling: 3, 5, 7, 9, all out and a total of five (5) possible points.
The top six teams will make playoffs. The 1 and 2 seeds draw first round byes, while 3 vs. 6 and 4 vs. 5.
The full schedule can be seen at the website.
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By Tom Melville
Comments
The Mirage of T20
 In my many years of working with Americans at cricket I’ve found
they have four pronounced stereotypes about the game: (1) it takes
forever to play (2) it’s a dumb, boring, game (3) it’s impossible to
understand, and (4) it’s not a big time sport played by top class
athletes. With T20 you’ve got over the first hurdle, maybe the
second. But you still have to get over the others, and they’re just as
tough.
I’ve always thought it rather naïve on the part of the cricket world to
think that all you have to do is shorten cricket and Americans will
come flocking to the game. A soccer game is “short”; a rugby game is
“short”; an Aussie rules football game is “short.” But being “short”
hasn’t boosted the popularity of these sports with Americans and it’s
unrealistic to think this alone will boost cricket’s popularity.
“But,” everyone says, “T20 is the most exciting form of cricket.”
Perhaps, but the matches at Lauderhill clearly showed “excitement’ is
highly unpredictable. Some matches are exciting. Many are not. Sports
that have shown the greatest staying power are those that can hold fan
interest not only during the “exciting” moments but during those long
stretches of non-excitement (how many boring stretches does a fan have
to endure over t he average baseball game?).
Sure, you have to show Americans cricket is “exciting.” But they must
also feel comfortable and at ease with the game as a totality. They
must feel this is a game they can identify with. And to accomplish
this any first class cricket match staged in American must have much
loftier aims than to just show Americans cricket is “short” and
“exciting.” It must be approached as an opportunity to completely
remake cricket’s image with Americans.
The Need for an Integrated Approach
When I was watching the Lauderhill matches only one thing was going
through my mind: “What’s going to happen when all this is over? What’s
going to happen when the lights are out, the teams are gone, and the
gates are locked?”
 The event was intended to energize American interest in cricket. But
how was this “interest” to be directed, channeled, or even monitored?
Sports interest exists in a closed loop system; spectator interest
generates grass roots interest which, in turn, generates more spectator
interest in a self-reinforcing cycle.
But if an American, after watching a Lauderhill match, was motivated to
play cricket, or have his son/daughter play, where could he turn? How
could he start? Who would help him? And the answer is: nowhere and
no-one. Right now, there’s virtually no outlet in this country for an
American novice to comfortably and easily interface with cricket. No
rec programs, no school programs, no college programs. He can try
joining a local cricket club (if there happens to be one in his area),
but most of these clubs don’t want to bother with beginners.
I’ve always thought an American’s first experience with cricket should
be playing the game, not watching it. Once he experiences the game
from the inside, with a bat in his hand, it opens the door for
everything else. Staging first class matches is fine. But this should
be just part of a more integrated promotional plan that will make the
game easily accessible for Americans, of all abilities, and at all
levels of sports play.
To use an analogy from the business world: with Lauderhill the USACA
has rolled out cricket to the American public. Now it has to get the
product on the shelves.
[Opinions expressed here are those of the author. Tom Melville
is a member of the rare species of American-born cricketers, he is the
author of The Tented Field: A History of Cricket in America (Bowling
Green State University Press).]
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By Daun Jacobsen  June 4, 5 and 6 saw three days of
beautiful weather and enthusiastic women as the 2010 USA National
Women's Cricket Tournament took place at the Cupertino Library ground in
California.
Pic (Right): Indomatie Goordial-John, Tournament MVP
Five teams of female players from around the country
converged in the San Francisco bay area to compete for the National
Championship. They represented many walks of life from the east,
central and west parts of the USA. And they ranged in age from high
schoolers to grandmothers! But all had one common goal - to play the
best cricket they could.
Each team played two matches over the three days. The North East
team stood out and took the top honors. But the other four teams had
respectable showings and it came down to net run rate for determining
the Runners-Up. This went to the local team, Western Firebirds as they
held off the New York team for just enough overs to pass them in the
ratings.
"This was a fantastic tournament for the USA Cricket Association as
we hosted some great players who showed us their best. From this pool
of women, we are selecting the players who will represent the USA in
Canada next month during the ICC Americas World Cup Qualifier
Tournament" states Raj Padhi who is the USACA Director for the Western
Region. "We couldn't have asked for a better time with these ladies
really going at it, showing us they can be fierce competitors while, at
the same time, forming great friendships across team boundaries."
Out
of the 60 plus players, Indomatie Goordial-John of the North East team
stood out with her heavy hitting, especially in the first match.
Racking up 95 runs as well as taking one wicket during that match
against the Western Chargers, her effort was the base for a 281 score
in their 40 overs which the Chargers could not overcome in the second
inning.
Doris Francis of the New York team was one of the outstanding
bowlers who gave only 10 runs in 8 overs while taking 3 wickets in the
match against the Western Firebirds. During the match with the Western
Chargers, Gul Imran from the Atlantic team also showed great bowling
capabilities by not only grabbing 2 wickets in 8 overs with only 10
runs given but also taking catches to get 3 batters out. And in
fielding, Erica Rendler of the Western Firebirds showed off her
softball background, moving fast on the outfield, collecting the balls
cleanly and throwing them back in a flash.
The women were definitely fired up and are excited to see who among
them will be selected to be part of Team USA. Those top players will
travel to Canada for that ICC Qualifier tournament which starts July
12. And all are looking forward to future tournaments in the USA. "I
am looking forward to be back next year to participate in your
forthcoming tournaments" states Ivy Mahabir, captain of the Atlantic
team.
As
women around the country see this kind of action in the USA, it is
bound to encourage more to participate. So next year's tournament will
very likely see more teams participating and more enthusiastic play.
Here is a summary of this tournament's results:
Five teams participated:
Atlantic, New York, North East, Western Chargers, Western Firebirds
Player
of the Match Awards - one for each of the five matches:
Match 1
- Indomatie Goordial-John, North East (75 runs; 1 wicket)
Match 2 - Durga Das, Western Firebirds (29 runs)
Match 3 -
Shondell Ward, North East (8 overs for 8 runs)
Match 4 - Doris
Francis, New York (8 run; 3 wickets, 10 runs in 8 overs)
Match 5
- Gul Imran, Atlantic (11 Not out; 3 catches; 2 wickets, 10 runs in 8
overs)
Best Fielder of the Tournament: Erica Rendler, Firebirds
Best
Wicket Keeper of the Tournament: Catherine Crowe, New York
Best
Bowler of the Tournament: Beulah Pidakala, Atlantic
Best Batter of
the Tournament: Indomatie Goordial-John, North East
Most Valuable Player of the Tournament: Indomatie Goordial-John,
North East
Champions: North East
Runners-up: Western Firebirds
Third
place: New York
Fourth place: Atlantic
Fifth place: Western
Chargers
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In the 2010 South East Region cricket tournament last weekend, the
Central Florida Cricket Association won the championship on better run
rate after ending with a tie on the points table with Florida Southeast
Cricket League (FSCL).
Central Florida's first match was rained out against last year's
champions, Georgia Supreme Cricket League, but they defeated Atlanta
Georgia Cricket Conference convincingly in the second match, and in the
third, they crushed Mid Atlantic Cricket Conference (MACC) to take the
2010 Southeast Regional Tournament (SER).
Notably, last year’s champion Georgia Supreme Cricket League was
defeated by FSCL. South Florida Cricket Association (SFCA) entered a
young team in the competition - losing the near-term battle but laying
the foundation for the long-term. Luther Anderson’s
undefeated 106 stole the spotlight for Central Florida and Victor
Charles and Ricky Nayar stood out for FSCL and SFCA respectively.
Central Florida are champions of the South East Region [Courtesy: CFCA]
The tournament began on Friday, June 4, with FSCL playing against
Atlanta, SFCA playing MACC and CFCA playing GSCL. While SFCA
convincingly defeated MACC by an eight-wicket margin, the remaining two
matches were rained out.
Day 1 (Friday, June 4, 2010)
In the first match between SFCA and MACC, the visitors were put to
bat after losing the toss and were restricted to 194 for 8. Only G
Persaud got going and remained not out for 43. In the reply,
SFCA opener Timothy Surujbally inflicted maximum damage on the bowlers
getting 106 not out from 68 balls with 15 fours and 6 sixes.
SFCA reached its target in 22.2 overs without breaking much sweat.
Meanwhile, at Miramar Regional Park, Central Florida, led by a
hard-hitting Maksood Indawala who scored 82 off 61 balls (8 fours and 3
sixes), reached 249 for 6 0ff 45 overs reduced from the regulated 50,
due to inclement weather. A well played 33 from Aurangzeb Baig off 40
deliveries (5 fours) and 25 from Oneil Hylton (4 fours), helped to
boost the total.
Bowling for GSCL, Andre Hooper captured 3 for 47 from 9 overs and
Lyndon Johnson, 2 for 50 from 7. In reply, Georgia Supreme was on 135
for 5 in 19.3 overs, when rain curtailed play for the day, leaving the
end a no result, as the mandatory 20 overs were not completed. Leon
Garrick, banged 10 fours and 2 sixes while facing 51 deliveries in a
sparkling undefeated knock of 70 to topscore. The best bowler
for Central Florida was Robert Cresser who snared 3 for 24 from 4 overs.
In the match featuring FSCL and Atlanta, Victor Charles scored 85
runs in 64 balls comprising 10 sixes and 1 four helping FSCL post 210
runs. He was supported by Farhat Ullah who scored 48 runs that included
1 six and 6 boundaries. Ashton Denis also chipped in with 30 runs. Amin
Khan was the best bowler for AGCC taking 3 for 43 while Nimir Desai,
Japen Patel, and Jibran Gul chipped in with 2 wickets each. In reply
AGCC was 44 for 2 when rain came in and play had to be abandoned. Ken
Singh took both the AGCC wickets that fell. Victor Charles was
adjudged Man of the Match for his blistering score of 85.
Day 2 (Saturday, June 5, 2010)
FSCL beat MACC by 149 runs on Saturday, June 5. Once again, Victor
Charles dominated the proceedings top scoring with an unbeaten 144 with
the help of 7 sixes and 12 fours. His full repertoire of strokes was on
display as he drove, lofted, pulled, and hooked with disdain. This
time, the FSCL made a mammoth 426 for 4 in 50 Overs. He was supported
in his efforts by Ashton Denis who scored 85 with 5 sixes and 11 fours.
MACC fielders could only look on helplessly as the ball soared over the
ropes or crashed to the boundary many times during the FSCL innings.
The brutal display of power hitting, lovely strokes, and delightful
batting from the blades of Victor Charles and Ashton Denis was enjoyed
by all spectators in attendance.
Syed Hasan chipped in with a useful 51 off 39 balls that included 6
boundaries. Neil Mungal hit 5 fours in his score of 43 that came off 60
balls. Waseem Shazada scored a quick fire 40 that included two sixes
and 4 boundaries. Victor's knock will be remembered for a long time in
the South Florida cricket annals as well as the South East region
leagues. The crowd was thoroughly entertained by the lusty hitting of
Victor and Ashton. Boundaries flowed freely during the whole inning and
MACC bowlers never troubled the FSCL batsmen.
In reply MACC was bowled out for 277. Mike Neuson was the only batsman
who offered some resistance and the top scored with 68. H Patel scored
42, Sunny Singh with 36, and Sanjay Patel with 33 also chipped in to
help MACC. Hyder Hussain was the best FSCL bowler on display as he took
3 for 42 in his 10 overs. Victor Charles was adjudged Man of the Match
for his brilliant innings of 144.
Georgia Supreme lived up to its reputation as the defending champion
on June 5th in its encounter with SFCA after being unlucky with the
rain-out the prior day. SFCA's bowling was not much of a challenge
to Georgia and every bowler with the exception of Ricky Nayar conceded
at a rate of a run a ball. The result of which was that Georgia
amassed 344 runs all out with two balls to spare. The mountainous
task got even more difficult for SFCA after the entire top order
imploded and the score was just 65/5. B Naiyak attempted a phenomenal
rescue taking his side from 125 for 8 to 224 for 9 but afterhe fell,
the SFCA innings came to and end on 233 giving Georgia a 111-run
victory.
At Brian Piccolo Park, occupying the crease first after winning the
toss, Atlanta Georgia posted 164 all out off 46.2 of the allotted 50
overs. A. Tummala top-scored with a sedate 27 off 40 balls (1 four), N.
Sanvam carried his bat for 25 (1 four) and Jibran Gol, got 20 (2
fours). Bowling for CFCA, Duane Nathaniel bagged 3 for 16 from 5.2
overs, Sai Ramesh took 3 for 35 off 10 and Samih Sadiq, 2 for 24 from
5.
In reply, Central Florida cruised to 165 for 5 off 39.2 overs, to
inflict an emphatic 5 wicket victory. Taking them there, skipper Chris
Chung smacked 6 fours and a six in a sizzling unbeaten 34 ball 44,
Ramesh hit 38 off 36 deliveries that included 5 peppery fours,
Nathaniel got 29 (1 four) and Sadiq 23 (2 fours). Bowling for AGCC, M.
Aminkhan took 2 for 32 from 5 overs, whilst Desai H. Choudory and Gol,
each took a wicket.
Day 3 (Sunday, June 6, 2010)
In the match against Central Florida, MACC opted to bat first after
winning the toss and was dismissed for a modest 131 off 36.3 of the
arranged 50 overs. Sunjay Patel, in a measured knock scored 43 off 74
balls (4 fours) and H. Patel, got 25 (2 sixes). Bowling for Central
Florida, Robert Cresser scalped 3 for 20 from 8.3 overs including a
maiden, Sai Ramesh prised out 3 for 22 from 10 including 3 maidens and
Asif Chan, 2 for 10 from 4.
In a bold and dominant reply, Central Florida led by a blistering
undefeated 106 from Luther Anderson, spiced with 5 fours and 10
towering sixes off only 54 balls, rushed to 135 for 1 after only 13.1
overs, to win decisively by 9 wickets. Bowling for MACC, R. Patel took
the only wicket to fall at a cost of 49 runs off 4.1 overs.
Meanwhile, FSCL defeated Georgia Supreme Cricket League by 9 runs in
a thriller. FSCL won the toss and elected to bat. Farhat Ullah and
Neil Mungal went after the Georgia Supreme bowlers from the start.
Farhat scored a brilliant 47 with the help of 6 boundaries. Neil
Mungal played an achor role and scored a valuable 57 with the help of 4
fours. Neil steadied the FSCL innings and was involved in many useful
partnerships. Just when Syed Hasan was beginning to come into his
element and was looking to post a big score he threw away his wicket
after a good knock of 31 that included 5 hits to the fence. FSCL was
170 for 4 and looking a post a huge total. However, the side collapsed
after the umpire allowed Georgia Supreme to take a new ball after 34
overs despite protests from the FSCL captain and management. The
outcome of which was a middle order collapse and FSCL was bowled out
for 236. Only Waseem Shazada offered some resistance and scored 19 runs
with three scorching hits to the fence. E Dyer had figures of 3 for 46,
J Slocumb took 2 for 41, and A Hooper took 2 for 38.
Georgia Supreme lost their first wicket in the first over when L
Johnson was controversially given out LBW to Ken Singh for a
duck. Alexander top scored with 45, Harper scored 33, M Mumby scored
32,and T Powell scored 23. Leon Garrick was run out for 9 when he tried
to take a cheeky single. Hussain Hyder got the important wickets of M
Mumby and T Powell in one over. Syed Hasan took 2 for 17 in 4 overs. In
an exciting end Pieter Potgeiter delivered the final blow when he clean
bowled Husut with GSCL still needing 9 runs. Neil Mungal was adjudged
Man of the Match for his valuable knock of 57 and four dismissals
behind the stumps.
 In
the match between SFCA and Atlanta, a 57 run ninth partnership between
S Khaja (41) and H Choudry (23) took Atlanta past the finish line after
the team looked precarious with the score reading 173 for 8 chasing
229. SFCA opted to bat and other than Ricky Nayar, who scored an
impressive 125, nobody really got going. To SFCA's credit, they played
a young team in the tournament.
Pic (Right): Ricky Nayar collects his centurion award. [Courtesy - SFCA]
Central Florida's match against Georgia Supreme was rained out on
the first day. It defeated Atlanta on Saturday and MACC on Sunday.
Match reports and scorecards for these matches could not be accessed
but DreamCricket.com received confirmation that they were ahead on NRR
and were the overall champion. Victor Charles also received the trophy
for Best Batsman of the series and was declared tournament MVP as well.
----------------
In other news around the region, the 2010 South Florida Cricket Alliance (SFCA) Premier League and Division 1
(North & South) competitions with 22 clubs competing, will bowl off
on Sunday June 13th. The Premier League will play a 45-over
competition, and the Division 1 (North & South) will play a 40-over
league.
The clubs competing in the Premier League are as follows:
International, Lauderhill United, Palm Beach, Osswald Park 1, Myrtle
Grove, Sportsman, Lauderhill Jammers, Parkway, Alliance and United
Sports. The clubs in Division 1 North are as follows: Ambassador S.C.,
Osswald Park 2, Islanders, MCC, Melbourne and Leewards United. The
clubs in Division 1 South are as follows: St. Bes, India United,
Westside Cavaliers, Titans, South Shore and St. Lucie.
Meanwhile, the MAQ Twenty20 Lauderhill Night Cricket Final, Team USA
vs. Lauderhill, scheduled for Saturday evening June 5th , was rained
out, and will now be played on Saturday evening June 12th. The action
will get underway at 6 PM sharp.
[FSCL, SFCA and Ricardo Inniss contributed to this article]
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By David Sentance
Organized deep in the heart of Silicon Valley by Hemant Buch and Raj Padhi of the Bay Area Cricket Alliance, the second annual selection for the US Women’s team in Cupertino went off flawlessly. Five teams participated in the tournament - North East (Connecticut), New York, Atlantic Region (New Jersey), the West Region Firebirds (California and beyond) and the West Region Chargers based in Seattle.
“Every cricket facility in Cupertino is within a mile,” said Hemant. This fact made for a compact, easily accessible tournament for both cricketers and spectators. Trees around the ground provided excellent shade. The facilities provided by the adjoining library were first rate.
.jpg) The first game between the North East coached by Linden Fraser and the Seattle Chargers was a one-sided affair. The North East knocked up 328 runs in their forty overs with 117 extras giving them considerable headway. Former South African Under-17 player, Monique Mathee started proceedings with a well-crafted 45 runs.
Player of the match was Indomatie Goordial-John with a brilliantly struck 75 before getting run out in the tail-end of innings trying to retain the strike.
Pic (Right): Player of the match and MVP of the tournament - Indomatie Goordial John [Courtesy: John Aaron]
Candace Aitkins, who was selected along with Sonakshi Sagar of the Firebirds for a Trinidad training camp in the first trials held last year at Fort Lauderdale continued to show star power.
The first match proved useful as it clearly illustrated the levels of cricket skill in action. The North East are as professional as any team within the United States sporting two former West Indian stars and four US original team members. The Seattle Chargers are just starting out having converted to hardball cricket in the last month. Coached ably by their young Australian first grade cricketer for New South Wales they have key elements in place for moving to the next level through increased competition.
The second game between Atlantic Region and the Firebirds was a more balanced affair. The New Jersey led by Ivy Mahabir scored 85 all out in their innings. Bushra Ally Imran who flew in from Milwaukee for the trials bowled intimidating fast off cutters for the Firebirds.
The Firebirds batting was led by former Indian test player Durga Das who opened for the Firebirds with the most elegant batting style of all players in the tournament. A champion golfer and successful business women in the Bay Area, her timing and straight drives were immaculate. Scoring 24, her innings inspired the Firebirds who had other surprises in store.
Erika Rendler, a converted American soft-ball player showed a well coached straight bat for 10 runs while Sandra Ibarra, America’s first Chicano player showed dramatic improvement in her batting owing to the stewardship of batting coach Aamir Mirza who led the Pakistan first-class batting averages in 1992. The Firebirds won the game by 4 wickets.
Apart from the Cupertino Civic Center clay pitch which will convert to turf in time, the second pitch at Dilworth Elementary School had an Astroturf surface. Here a fascinating match played out between the North-East and New York. Both teams had dominant players. Doris Francis, an accurate bowler relied on by the US to qualify for their round against Canada last year, continued to restrict the batters. For the North East right-handed seam bowler Shondell Ward bowled a remarkable 8 overs, 3 maidens for 8 runs, a match winning performance as New York tried in vain to top the 108 score of the North East.
.jpg)
Pic (Above): Victorious North East XI
New York did not go away empty handed on the second day’s play on the Cupertino pitch. A strong bowling side they held the Firebirds to 77 runs getting Durga Das early while Ritu improved her opening performance.
Coming in number 3 Sri Lankan born Mala, by far the physically strongest player in the tournament who benches 180 lb, thumped the ball with more confidence than the day before on a pitch that encouraged low bounce. Erika Rendler held the innings together in the middle with a well hit 10 run top-score. Sandra Ibarra showed off her new straight bat fending off the cream of New York’s bowling resulting in an invaluable series of partnerships which enabled the tail-ends to add thirty runs. Sandra was eventually caught out at mid-wicket for 7 runs.
With just 77 runs on the board, New York looked set for a crushing victory. However, after two quick runs outs the Firebird’s spin-bowlers were able to clamp-down New York’s middle-order batting for just 10 runs in 20 overs. It was a remarkable performance by former India player and Firebird captain Rajashree Mahale and the youngest US women’s team member Sonakshi Sagar.
With both bowlers finishing their allotment Erika Rendler, after taking a blinding catch at square leg, was put on to bowl - having taken two wickets in the previous match against New Jersey. The tension broke with a six off the first ball going for match delivering 10 runs in one over.
All was not lost for the Firebirds though as the tight spell by the spin bowlers gave them an earned run rate ahead of New York’s thus delivering second-place even though New York defeated the Firebirds, head to head by 4 wickets.
Seattle playing on Dilworth ground showed the most improvement of any team scoring 143 all out against New Jersey. Gul won the bowler of the match award for New Jersey with figures of 8 runs off 8 overs. Rohine was the most consistent bowler for Seattle giving the least number of wides on the team.
Sangita Jayaraman, captain of the Seattle Chargers and West Coast Women’s representative for USACA, gave her assessment of the team and the tournament. “In our first game we fielded well especially as we had so few days practice in rainy Seattle. I was proud of the team and how it performed.” Asked about the selection process she said. “lt was a black box. No one came to see me bat when I got 19 on the last day against New Jersey.” Were minds already made up?
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