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USA Cricketer
August 2010 - Posts
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Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket
 Residents
of San Ramon, California, are now familiar with the game of Cricket,
thanks to San Ramon Cricket Association (SRCA) and their activities.
Pic (Right) SRCA coaches along with the young cricketers in summer camp outfits sponsored by DreamCricket.com
SRCA arranged for a Youth Summer Camp at Windemere Ranch Middle
School that started on July 17th, 2010 and ended on August 7th, 2010.
The summer camp training sessions were conducted on Saturdays and
Sundays from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm.
During this period, SRCA
Youth camp committee members Ali Qadri, Balachandra Ambiga, Satyen
Lokanandi and Naren Punati planned well ahead and arranged for 15
enthusiastic volunteering coaches (all from SRCA Professional Cricket
League) for every session. The coaching team headed by Dashrath Sankhe
met 30 minutes before every session and discussed the coaching strategy
for the session. When the organizers needed additional coaches a few
enthusiastic parents volunteered to fill in.
 About
75 boys and girls, from the age groups 6 year to 9 year, 9 year to 11
years and 12 years to 15 years participated in this summer camp. The
kids were trained on various aspects of game and skills such as how to
hold a cricket bat, how to defend, how to drive different strokes, how
to catch a ball, how to field a ball and how to throw a ball. Cricket
is a strategy game and the kids were surprised to learn that they could
score runs without going for big swings. The summer camp equipment that included bats, balls and stumps was co-sponsored by SRCA and DreamCricket.com.
The SRCA president, Sridhar Verose - who also volunteered as a coach during the camp, hosted the closing ceremony on August 7th, 2010 at the end of final training session at Windemere Ranch Middle School ground.
DreamCricket's representatives Nithya Bayya and Nigel Coutinho
handed off medals to the coaches that volunteered for this event. SRCA
platinum sponsors Rama Mehra from Keller Williams Realty and Dr. Rupam
Khanna from San Ramon Family Dental also attended the event and awarded
medals to the young cricketers.
Excellent planning by
SRCA's Youth Camp committee, matched by enthusiastic execution by SRCA
coaches, equipment supplied by the event sponsors and overwhelming
response from San Ramon residents made the Youth Summer Camp a huge
success.
SRCA has rededicated to improve and regularize youth
cricket in San Ramon area. SRCA plans to add such youth cricket camps
as a part of City of San Ramon’s Recreational guide.
SRCA
also plans to build a Youth Cricket Team that will participate in
competitive youth tournaments arranged by USA Cricket Association and
its affiliated leagues including the Bay Area Cricket Alliance.
More Pictures
Kids learn Cricket as SRCA coach Satyen Lokanandi overlooks the training session
SRCA President, Sridhar Verose, addresses the Summer Camp closing ceremony
SRCA Summer camp participants receiving medals from SRCA Platinum Sponsors - Rama Mehra and Dr. Rupam Khanna
SRCA Summer camp participants
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Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket
 The
sport of cricket is no stranger to the Borough of Brooklyn in New York
City, as cricket can be seen being played across the entire borough,
but more so in the Canarsie, Mill Basin and south west Brooklyn areas.
Less than two miles from Marine Park; a staple of competitive cricket,
lies the picturesque Kingsborough Community College of the City
University of New York (CUNY).
Sitting on 72 acres of a peninsula waterfront locale, with Sheepshead
Bay, Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic Ocean cradling it on three sides, and
the real estate-rich Manhattan Beach community on the other side, the
college is well-known for its very successful athletic programs
throughout the CUNY college system, but hitherto unknown for cricket.
This summer, Kingsborough’s Continuing Education Director of Marketing
and Corporate Training John Aaron convinced his programming colleagues
to introduce cricket to the curriculum of its College For Kids (CFK)
program.
The full-day Monday through Thursday co-ed program is
designed for 6 – 13 year olds and features an academic, as well as an
active (primarily sport) curriculum.
 Now,
cricket stands alongside baseball, soccer, tennis, and swimming, as
part of the college’s CFK active programming. The cricket program has
attracted 31 girls and 49 boys between the ages of 8 and 13 years old.
Some 95% of the boys and girls have never played cricket, while 50%
have never even seen or heard of the sport. Coached by USA
national cricket coach Linden Fraser and USA national female cricket
player Triholder Marshall, the program is gaining traction in
popularity among the young players and is expected to be included in
the college’s fall CFK programming, on weekends only.
Coaching sessions are conducted indoors and outdoors, using cricket
safety sport equipment designed for the age group in attendance. From
all reports, the enthusiasm of the young athletes has been very
encouraging, more so when the similarity between baseball and cricket
is pointed out to the students.
Coach Fraser, who has extensive experience coaching players from youth
to the under-19 levels and beyond, said it was a bit challenging at
first getting some of the athletes to resist the baseball approach to
swinging the cricket bat, as well as the motion of pitching as opposed
to bowling.  He
however stated, “…one would be surprised at how well most of the
participants have adapted to the rudimentary techniques of the “new”
sport of cricket.”
Petite USA national female fast bowler Triholder Marshall, just back
from the USA’s triumphant qualifier series against Canada, has been
working primarily with the female students, in a friendly but
competitive environment against Coach Fraser’s boys.
So far the female players have been able to fare very well against their male counterparts.
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By Peter Della Penna
 West
Indies cricket captain Chris Gayle will arrive in the U.S. this weekend
to be a part of an All Star cricket match in Hartford, Conn. Billed
as a “Guest Selector” on a flyer promoting the event, Gayle will be on
hand to help pick the Northeast All Stars vs. the New York All Stars at
Keney Park.
According to Curtis Clarke, the Sports Coordinator for the Cricket Hall
of Fame and Sportmen’s Athletic Club, Gayle will be greeted on Friday
evening in a welcome ceremony by the mayor of Hartford as well as
several other city and state officials in the state capital.
On Saturday August 14, a 30-over match will take place between the two sides with Gayle presiding over the festivities. Former
West Indies Test players Adam Sanford and Jermaine Lawson are expected
to be playing in the match as well as O’Neal Powell and former USA
captain Rohan Alexander. The match is slated for a noon start time.
Saturday night at 9 p.m., a meet and greet dinner will be held at the
Sportmen’s Athletic Club located at 2976 Main Street in Hartford.
According to Clarke, Gayle will be available to answer questions from
fans and sign autographs. Tickets for the event cost $20 with proceeds going to charity. Clarke expects between 250 and 300 people for the dinner.
The match on Saturday is free and open to the public at Keney Park. The
park is located at Exit 34 off Route 91 North in Hartford. Tickets for
the dinner are still available. For more information, call 860-525-6281.
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By Peter Della Penna
The USACA U-19 National Tournament which was originally scheduled to be
held from August 6-9 in Detroit will now be held at two sites beginning
August 19th. According to USACA VP of Operations Manaf Mohamed, the
move is aimed at making the U-19 tournament structure similar to the
men’s senior tournaments. The whole tournament structure is now being
referred to as USA Cricket Junior Nationals.
The USA Cricket Junior Nationals Eastern Conference will be played in
Connecticut with North East hosting New York, Atlantic and South East
in round robin play. The USA Cricket Junior Nationals Western
Conference will take place in Los Angeles as South West welcomes
Central West, Central East and North West in a weekend of matches. The
top two teams from each group will then move on to a USA Cricket Junior
National Championship, which will be held sometime later in the year.
In an email sent out by USACA and obtained from a source, part of the
move is aimed at cutting costs because it would have been too expensive
to have all eight teams at one site as originally planned. Splitting
the event into two sites will allow the event to continue rather than
be canceled.
As for the USACA Senior Nationals, the dates are still tentatively
scheduled for September, but have yet to be confirmed. The Eastern
Conference is due to be hosted by the South East Region from September
10-12, with options for sites including Atlanta and Miramar, Fla. The
Western Conference is still in line to be hosted in Los Angeles from
September 17-19.
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By Peter Della Penna
.jpg) Having a quality all-rounder in a cricket team can be like playing on the field with 12 men because of that one player’s dual capabilities. Some all-rounders like Shaun Pollock bowl fast and bat well. Others divide their time between batting and bowling spin like Daniel Vettori.
Pic (Right): Allen bowling off-spin versus Afghanistan at the Dubai WCQ [All Pictures - Courtesy: Daniela Zaharia/USACA]
Then there is that rare blend of both. Andrew Symonds has forged a successful career by being able to bowl pace and spin in addition to walloping the ball around the park. To be spoiled for choice by having a triple threat all rolled into one player is a captain’s dream and USA is fortunate enough to have that in Timroy Allen.
“To be quite honest, I’d like to say that Timroy has probably been the most talented player that we’ve seen in the last decade,” said USA captain Steve Massiah. “He’s very versatile. He brings a lot to the team and with his age, definitely I think he’s a player for the future who a lot is expected of. He’s extremely talented as a batsman and a bowler, whether it be off-spin or whether it be bowling fast.”
The 23-year-old has toyed with his mixture of pace and spin since he was a kid growing up in Jamaica. Like a high school ironman football player who starts at running back on offense and linebacker on defense, Allen’s athleticism allowed him to develop several styles of cricket skills.
“I’ve kinda been growing up always being an all-rounder,” said Allen. “From primary school I’ve been doing the same thing. I would open the bowling, bowling fast, and come back later and bowl spin so it’s kinda something I’ve been developing over the years.”
Allen first came to the U.S. in 2005. He arrived in Florida and settled in the Orlando area with his mother, who was already a U.S. citizen, as well as his younger sister Kahlia. Allen had just finished high school and began going to technical school in order to get certifications. He wasn’t eligible to go with USA’s U-19 squad to play in the World Cup in Sri Lanka the following year, but as a teenager he caught Massiah’s eye in a national tournament played in New York.
“I was very much impressed with him from the very first time I saw him,” said Massiah. “His pace and his control, I thought he was extremely pacy. For a 17-year-old, he looked like a natural fast bowler to be quite honest.”
 Allen finally got his first crack with the USA senior team in 2008 at the West Indies Cricket Board Cup in Guyana and once again made a solid impression with his teammates and the opposition.
Pic (Right): Allen uses every inch of his towering frame to bowl express pace
On debut against a Barbados team that featured seven players who have played for the West Indies, Allen took 1 for 23 in eight overs claiming Ryan Hinds as his first scalp for USA.
“I’d seen him play before, but to get a really close look at him was when we toured Guyana. That’s the first time I really get a up close and personal,” said Orlando Baker, who captained USA in Massiah’s absence during that tournament. “I was really impressed on those flat tracks in Guyana the way he bowled, his length, and it was just amazing to see a young guy, bowling so fast on them kind of decks against quality first-class players, people who have played Test cricket. A lot of them give me feedback that they was impressed with him.”
Eleven days later in the 2008 ICC Americas Division One Tournament in Florida, Allen turned in his best statistical performance for USA, taking 5 for 7 in a blowout victory over Suriname. He finished with seven wickets in three games as USA won the tournament. Despite the fact that USA did not play another match for the next 14 months, Allen didn’t skip a beat and shined once again during this past February’s tour of the UAE and Nepal.
“I suppose the one that stands out the most from a youngsters’ point of view is Timroy,” said Dipak Patel, the former New Zealand international who acted as a consultant coach for USA during their February tour. When asked at the conclusion of the tour which players made an impression on him, he was reluctant to name names but couldn’t shy away from Allen. “He’s an athlete. He bowls quick. He bowls spin. He’s dynamic with the bat.” Patel, like many others, believes that Allen has really only shown glimpses of the full range of talent that he is capable of achieving.
“He’s an outstanding athlete,” said Patel. “If you put all those ingredients together, who knows… with the right type of guidance, he could go a long long way.”
Within the USA squad, that guidance has come from Baker, who has been Allen’s roommate on each tour since Allen joined the national team. Baker is not a bad person to model an all-round game after. Another player originally from Jamaica, Baker’s versatility is something Allen and others should draw on as he bats up and down the order in addition to bowling medium pace and filling in as a wicketkeeper when needed. Baker has enjoyed witnessing Allen’s batting progress over the last year.
“I watched him in Abu Dhabi at the Abu Dhabi Stadium in a game against UAE where U.S. was completely out of the game in a Twenty20,” said Baker in reference to the last warm-up game USA played before the start of the World Twenty20 Qualifiers in February. “He come in and score about 60 something in no time. He was hitting some balls I’m telling you, just cricketing shots and it just goes to show you the kind of talent the player have.”
Allen finished 57 not out in 24 balls on that occasion with three boundaries and four sixes to rescue USA, taking them to a one-wicket win. Massiah also believes that Allen has taken some good strides to improve his batting and give it greater focus without letting it affect his bowling.
 “I think Tim has really developed as a batsman,” said Massiah. “He’s a natural cricketer but I think now he has matured as a batsman. He understands his role, how important it is for him to keep the lower order together. I thought in Bermuda and in UAE, he batted sensibly toward the end, especially in a game against Canada, himself and [Rashard] Marshall played brilliant. They put together a very good partnership and whenever he’s gotten the opportunity to bat, you can see that now he’s making a conscious effort to bat sensibly.
Pic (Left): A big hitter, Allen has learnt to stay longer at the crease instead of going for the fences from ball one
“The key to him, my advice to him is to give himself a chance and try to bat as many overs as possible because he has the ability to hit the ball whenever he chooses to because he’s a natural striker of the ball, but now I thought that he’s matured and batting sensibly and building an innings which is most important, working the ball and putting together innings instead of going out and trying to hit the ball out of the park from the word go. I thought he matured nicely and that’s a great sign for us.”
Massiah thinks that if Allen is able to keep improving, he has the potential to notch a century for USA down the road.
“I don’t think we’ve really seen the true class of Tim as yet,” said Massiah. “I’ve spoken to him in terms of his role and how important is it for him to try to occupy the crease and for him to bat as long as possible. I think once he’s able to do that, we could see probably Tim scoring a hundred at six or seven for the U.S. in the very near future because he’s very competent and very capable of doing that. Tim has the makings to be an exceptional all-round cricketer.”
The one consistent theme among all the praise is the talk of the potential that Allen holds to be a great player. In other words, there are still things he has to work on before he actually is great. Baker believes one of the easiest areas for Allen to improve is his work ethic off the field.
“I think one of the main areas I always encourage him to do is to practice even in the offseason,” said Baker. “He’s a fast bowler. You gotta be strong and I always encourage him that you need to go to the gym because this is a man that doesn’t go to the gym. If you look at the guy, the guy is okay. He’s tall, strong, but he doesn’t work out in the gym. You could just imagine if Tim goes to the gym say four times a week, he could be a killer. I just always encourage him to do the right thing.”
For the last four years, Allen has been working as an alarm technician, fitting in his club cricket games for Lucas CC in the Central Florida Cricket League when time permits. He admits that he doesn’t invest as much time into training as he should and blames it on the time consumed each day going to his day job. It’s one reason why he feels he hasn’t been able to reach his full potential despite all the plaudits from his teammates and coaches.
“A lot of people say I’m one of the most talented player on the team,” said Allen. “Yes, I think I’m one of the most talented player on the team, but until I really get the opportunity to practice and play on a day-to-day basis, well I don’t limit my potential before then because that’s really the only thing that I think that’s holding me back. From going to work, I don’t have an opportunity to practice and only going to play on the weekends sometimes, maybe twice or once a month.”
Baker, who lives in Dallas, has been in regular contact with Allen in the buildup to the team’s departure on Monday for the ICC WCL Division Four Tournament in Italy. The veteran has been doing his best to encourage Allen to train hard heading into this tournament.
“Tim is the kind of guy who likes a push,” said Baker. “He’s not the kind of guy who backs down. He likes challenges.” If Allen can combine his natural talents with more dedication to practice, there’s no limit to what he might produce for the national team.
“He’s a wonderful spinner. He turns the ball as an off-spinner I think the biggest in America that I’ve seen, that I’ve played against. He has a faster ball that a lot of people doesn’t have and I think that faster ball comes because he’s a natural fast bowler,” said Baker. While USA has a nice stockpile of spinners to choose from, it’s hard to find someone who can bowl as fast as Allen.
“I think if on a day-to-day basis, he could be one of the fastest bowler in the USA if he really comes out and decided to bowl fast,” said Baker. “I’ve seen it recently in Bermuda on a flat pitch in the stadium which he really had Canadian guys jumping around in the Twenty20. It was surprising to not only us but to the Canadians the way he bowled on that real flat pitch. He’s a talented player. I just always encourage him to work hard because it doesn’t matter how talented you are, whether as a batsman or bowler, you have to work on your game. I always encourage him in whatever way I can.”
Baker is confident that Allen will turn up the heat on opposing batsman on the artificial wickets in Bologna. “I’m looking forward to seeing him in Italy on these kind of pitches. I know a lot of people is going to be in trouble.”
“On this tour coming up, first and foremost, hopefully we’ll get back here victorious winning that competition,” said Allen. “If I’m bowling or batting, I’ve just gotta stay focused and make sure that whatever situation we’re in, if we’re ever in a bad situation, that we get out of it and put the win in the bag for us.”
Whether it’s with the ball or the bat in his hand, few players can match the talent that Allen possesses. It’s up to him to make the most of it and his captain hopes he does.
“Tim is a natural cricketer,” said Massiah. “He’s one of the few natural cricketers in the squad. Some people are naturals, some people are hard workers. I would like to say he’s a natural talent. When he bowls off-spin, his action and his control, everything is so perfect. He delivers from high. He has the makings of being one of the most successful players that’s gonna represent America.”
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Mark Long wrote in the Camden Advertiser on softball/fastpitch development at junior levels in USA.
I tried to transpose his issues and solutions to cricket in USA. The idea was to examine whether a bulk of the ten-point plan he laid out for USA softball apply to USA cricket.
First some background: According to Mark, "Softball Australia reported that 2034 boys played T- ball (10 and under), 2283 played across a variety of age groups up to 19 and under and 4510 male adults took to the diamond in 2009." Not bad because Australia won the last four junior world titles (1997, 2001, 2005 and 2008)! Australia has been rewarded through quality, even if quantity wasn't there.
His observation that "resuscitating a junior program from the top down is impossible," and administrators should do what they can to support a quality program. According to Mark, USA softball needs, "a focus, and a serious focus on juniors."
The same can be said of cricket in USA.
What I have done below is take Mark's 10-point, achievable plan that was written for promoting softball and modified with appropriate cricket terminology. Words in [square brackets] imply that the sentence was modified for cricket. Otherwise, I have included Mark's softball plan as-is and you will see how well it applies to cricket!
1. Agree to collectively invest- fiscally and with resources in developing new programs/leagues within close geographic vicinity to existing junior programs which would foster interleague play, in future years.
2. Commit for three years to annually awarding five x $2000 grants (2011-2013) with published targets for [under-13 and under-15], leagues for a minimum of [four] teams. Minimum league length six to eight weeks. At a time of economic challenges in the US, reduced park and recreation budgets, these grants can facilitate start up in potential markets looking for physical activity opportunities within their community.
3. Select [an] all-star team from each of the new leagues, creating a reason for communities not familiar with junior leagues to embrace boys participating in [cricket]. Endorsement from the national body will help allay any concerns of being ``different''.
[Points 4 and 5 concern softball specific points for which there are no U.S. equivalents currently.]
6. Create a youth targeted web presence to track results, celebrate success stories, link the emerging boys junior [cricket] communities and track current men's [cricket leagues', clubs' and players'] involvement.
7. Ideally amalgamate or at least link through an online presence, possibly social media like Facebook, the current [under-13, under-15, under-19] and under national championships while fostering participating club teams.
8. Select USA Cricket [junior] and 'under development' teams biennially from the National Championships.
9. Negotiate with [Cricket] Canada so that USA [Regions and Canadian provinces can have a single large championship.]
10. Have a USA v Canada five-game series at the conclusion of [USA and Canada joint tournament as above]. This completes a basic player pathway in the USA from grassroots to the national team that would develop a density of engaged coaches, officials, potential benefactors and other supporters of a reinvigorated USA [cricket] program.
At the end, Mark writes: "Disappointingly, there will be people that stopped reading this article just after the beginning uninterested in the topic, deeming it too hard. Others will say that the 10-point plan is pie in the sky and lacks relevance for the US context.
Some will personally criticise the plan it will either go too far, is too complex or doesn't go far enough. I'm not fazed, but every single aspect of the plan is doable within 12 months."
I hope Mark will forgive me for being so unoriginal. But the point is that the common-sense approach to growing any sport in USA is the same - Focus on quality at the junior level. Create opportunities for kids to play at a high-level.
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The International Cricket Council announced the squads for the six nations competing at the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 (WCL Div. 4) 2010 that will take place between 14th and 21st of August. The tournament will be played on artificial turf wickets at Pianaro, Medicina and Bologna in Italy.
Peter Della Penna will travel to Italy and cover USA's matches in the tournament exclusively for DreamCricket.com.
While Nepal and USA have earned their promotion from Division 5 and are strong favorites, the remaining teams - Italy, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Tanzania could still spring surprises as they push ultimately towards inclusion in the next ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (CWCQ) which is scheduled for 2013. The top four finishers of the ICC CWCQ 2013 win themselves a place at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to be staged in Australia and New Zealand.
For USA, it is a do-or-die battle as they try to meet their own 15-15 goal of becoming a top 15 cricketing nation by 2015. If USA gets a top-two finish in WCL Division 4, they will proceed to WCL Division 3 to be staged in Hong Kong in January 2011.
[Click here for a previous article titled "WCL Division 4 Preview - The long road to Italy."]
Nepal, which is the top team in this tournament, has been working hard under the guidance of Roy Luke Dias, the former Sri Lankan cricketer who has helped transform the Nepal team during his tenure as the coach. Nepal's national team have been playing top-grade cricket for some months now - beginning with the ACC T20 Cup in UAE in November, the Pepsi World Cricket League Division 5 on home ground in February and the Pepsi One Day National Cricket Tournament in June. When the players, who play on natural turf, were a bit low on confidence about their ability to play on the artificial turf wickets of Italy, the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) imported an artificial turf surface before rains intervened.
“We are well prepared in terms of fitness, but the rain has been disrupting our practice sessions,” coach Dias told the nation's top cricket website - Cricket Nepal. Nepal and USA have met on four occasions and the record to date is 2 wins for Nepal, 1 win to USA with 1 match abandoned. Nepal's captain Paras Khadka is optimistic about a repeat of their Division 5 performance in the final match. “We are going to Italy to secure a final berth and then to fight for the title. We should not only hope to win but should be determined for it," he told Cricket Nepal.
Nepal Squad: Paras Kadka (captain), Gyanendra Malla, Shakti Gauchan, Sharad Vesawkar, Mahesh Kumar Chhetri, Anil Kumar Mandal, Amrit Battarai, Basant Regmi, Binod Kumar Das, Sanjam Regmi, Rahul Kumar Vishwakarma, Mahaboob Alam, Manjeet Shrestha, Pradeep Airee.
USA are seeded second in this tournament and Captain Steve Massiah sounded confident when he told ICC that "We have good knowledge of Nepal who we played against in February and also Cayman Islands and Argentina whom we have regularly played, including as recently as May in ICC Americas Division 1 and we beat them on both occasions. The other two teams we don't know so well, but I'm confident we're prepared and ready to continue moving up the World Cricket League ladder."
The Americans have not practiced as a team ahead of the tournament. But with the cricket season currently in progress, nearly all of the team members have been playing league-level cricket and are in good shape. Lennox Cush (pictured above), who is USA's most experienced cricketer at the international level, represented Guyana in the Caribbean T20 competition where he was the top wicket-taker (11 wickets from 4 appearances). He also took his second T20 hat-trick in the tournament.
USA Squad: Steve Massiah (captain), Muhammad Asad Ghous, Steven Taylor, Rashard Marshall, Sushil Nadkarni, Timroy Allen, Orlando Baker, Carl Wright, Aditya Thyagarajan, Adrian Gordon, Lennox Cush, Khawaja Usman Shuja, Kevin Darlington, Nasir Javed.
Tanzania appears to have taken the tournament more seriously than the remaining teams. The TCA arranged for a Nairobi Select team to play a series of one-day matches in Dar es Salaam. The Tanzania cricket team then left for UK on July 29th as part of their final preparations where they are scheduled to play six matches against local teams including Countesthrope, MCC, Hertfordshire and Sussex 2.
Unfortunately for Tanzania, its top order batsman and legspinner, Athumani Kakonzi, who plays first division cricket in Hertfordshire, is out of reckoning as he recovers from surgery. Three other Tanzanian players play first division cricket in UK - fast bowler Khalil Rehemtulla plays for Abbots Langley Cricket Club and Abhik Patwa plays for Countesthope Cricket Club - both in Leicester. Tanzania skipper Hamzi Abdallah also plays for the same club as Kakonzi - Watford Cricket Club in Hertfordshire. The preparation will hopefully firm up Tanzania's position in Division 4 and may even help them earn a well-deserved promotion. The team nearly got jettisoned out in 2008 but survived thanks to a superior NRR in a 3-way tie.
Tanzania Squad: Hamzi Abdallah (captain), Abhik Patwa, Hasnain Damji, Khalil Rehemtulla, Seif Khalifa, Riziki Kiseto, Kassim Nassoro, Issa Kikasi, Enjo Kiongozi, Shaheed Danani, Rashidi Amiri, Benson Mwita, Harsh Ramaiya, Ally Kimote.
Italy is something of a wild card not counting its home-ground advantage. The Italians have defeated Tanzania and Argentina in the past and appear confident of keeping their place in Division 4. "We have played against Nepal, Cayman Islands, Argentina and Tanzania before, all of which are good teams. However, we have never played the USA, and I believe, they can provide tough competition," Italy's coach Joe Scuderi was quoted as saying on the official website of International Cricket Council (ICC). Australia-born Scuderi played first class cricket for South Australia and English county team Lancashire.
"Most of our players [reside] outside Italy, and have not found the time for preparation. Fortunately, a few from our team are participating in the ICC European Division 1 Championship 2010 in Jersey [in July], and we plan to make the most of it," Scuderi told ICC.
Several Italian cricketers either play or have played professional cricket. Andy Northcote has played first-class cricket in South Africa for the Western Province and his brother, Nicholas, who also plays for Italy has also played top-shelf cricket in South Africa. Another Italian player, Peter Petricola, has played for Middlesex Second. In the European Division 1 tournament last month, Italians earned a surprise victory over Scotland A thanks to a massive second-wicket partnership of 134 between Andy Northcote (72) and Damian Fernando (62).
Italy Squad: Alessandro Bonora (captain), Roshendra Suroshan Abewickrama, Din Alaud, Dilan Shameera Fernando Arsakulasuriya, Damien Crowley, Gayashan Ranga de Silva Munasinghe, Thushara Achintha Kurukulasuriya, Damian Muthunamagonnage Fernando, Andrew Northcote, Nicholas Northcote, Hayden Patrizi dell'Agnello, Peter Petricola, Michael Raso, Stanly Hemantha Samaraweera Kankanamge.
For Cayman Islands and Argentina, which were relegated to Division 4 after finishing poorly in Division Three in 2009, the challenge will be to remain in the fourth division. This is particularly tough for Argentina, having lost to Cayman Islands and USA in all its matches since 2008. Cayman Islands' coach Theo Cuffy said, "We're looking forward to the tournament, it will be the first time to Europe for a number of our team and it's going to be a tough tournament with strong teams, but we're confident we can do well."
Cayman Islands Squad: Saheed Mohamed (captain), Pearson Best, Ryan Bovell, Kervin Ebanks, Paul Chin, Marlon Byran, Ricardo Roach, Jaylon Linton, Abali Hoilett, Conroy Wright, Alassandra Morris, Kevin Bazil, Ramon Sealy, Ronald Ebanks.
Argentina Squad: Esteban MacDermott (captain), Grant Dugmore, Agustin Casime, Alejandro Ferguson, Pablo Ferguson, Donald Forrester, Tomas Francis, Carlos Gibson, Diego Lord, Lucas Paterlini, Matias Paterlini, Pablo Ryan, Gary Savage, Martin Siri.
Schedule
14 August - USA v Nepal (Pianoro); Italy v Cayman Islands (Medicina); Tanzania v Argentina (Bologna)
15 August - Italy v Nepal (Pianoro); Argentina v Cayman Islands (Medicina); USA v Tanzania (Bologna)
16 August - Rest/Reserve Day
17 August - Italy v Argentina (Pianoro); Nepal v Tanzania (Medicina); USA v Cayman Islands (Bologna)
18 August - Cayman Islands v Tanzania (Pianoro); Italy v USA (Medicina); Nepal v Argentina (Bologna)
19 August - Rest/Reserve Day
20 August - USA v Argentina (Pianoro); Cayman Islands v Nepal (Medicina); Tanzania v Italy (Bologna)
21 August - Final (Pianoro); third/fourth play-off (Medicina); fifth/sixth play-off (Bologna)
Picture Courtesy: ICC
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