Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook.   Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket

By Peter Della Penna

Although the USACA 2010 Junior Nationals were officially canceled, three matches were still played at Woodley Park last week in order to give players a chance to be evaluated by selectors. Players were competing not only for their respective regions, but for a chance to be selected to play for the United States in the ICC Americas U-19 Division One tournament in February, the first step in 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup qualification for USA.

There were several players who performed incredibly well, but are too old to participate for USA during any qualification tournaments in the leadup to the 2012 U-19 World Cup. Zain Ali Syed, Haramandeep Kumar and Zulkifl Nana displayed a high level of skill at Woodley Park in last week’s trial matches. Syed has already played for the South East Region senior team and if Kumar and Nana keep developing, they will be promising prospects for future selection in the North West senior squad as well.

Image (left) - South West U-19 vice-captain and USA 2010 U-19 World Cup squad member Salman Ahmad. [Copyright: DreamCricket.com]

It is widely expected that four of the players from the 2010 U-19 World Cup squad – Salman Ahmad, Abhijit Joshi, Hammad Shahid and Steven Taylor – will be picked in the 14-man USA squad for next month’s U-19 tournament in Florida. A fifth player, Greg Sewdial, is eligible but is currently out until at least April after recently undergoing his second ankle surgery in seven months.

Image (right) - South West U-19 captain and USA 2010 U-19 World Cup squad member Hammad Shahid. [Copyright: DreamCricket.com]

Sewdial had ankle surgery in May to correct a ligament injury he sustained before the 2009 U-19 National Championship and just had a second surgery on December 28 after the first surgery failed to correct the problem. He currently faces three months of rehab after the most recent surgery, but if USA produces a top-two finish in Florida next month, Sewdial hopes he will be fit enough to rejoin USA’s U-19 team for the Global Qualifier in July.

Therefore, it is expected that 10 spots are still up for grabs for USA’s roster that will take on Argentina, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada and Cayman Islands in February. Here are the top five age-eligible players from the trial matches at Woodley Park who could be first time selections to USA’s U-19 team.

(According to ICC rules, players eligible to compete for Associate countries in the 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup must be born on or after September 1, 1991. In addition to this, ICC rules state that all U-19 Qualifiers must be played by teams/players who are eligible to play in the U-19 World Cup the qualifier is for – i.e. for the 2012 U-19 World Cup, the Regional Qualifier played in 2010-11 must be played by players eligible to play in the 2012 U-19 World Cup.)

1. Pranay Suri, North West (left) – The North West captain showed tremendous skill in running through both the South West and South East batting lineups to take eight wickets in two days. Perhaps the most impressive part of the off-spinner’s 5-wicket haul against South East was that it was done on a very cold and windy day with a temperature in the high 40s, making it difficult for bowlers to grip the ball. If USA makes it to the Global Qualifier in Ireland, the ability to adjust to varying conditions will be key because it’s very possible USA will encounter similar weather there.

2. Shayan Ahmed, South West (right) – Left-arm orthodox spin played a vital role in USA’s success at both qualification rounds in Canada in 2009 and Ahmed would fill that role for very nicely for USA in its attempt to qualify during 2011. He is physically gifted and has a smooth action with perfect flight and drift. He took four wickets in two games last week to lead his team and also scored the most runs for them in the trial matches. Ahmed could make a big impact for USA if selected.

3. Jodhbir Singh, North West (left) – Got out second ball to Shahid in the first match, but came back on Thursday to notch 50 against South East. He scored a century against South West in August. Equally adept against pace or spin, he should be a shoe-in for USA’s 14-man squad for Florida.

4. Sunil Deopersaud, South East – The leg-spinner from Florida quietly took three wickets on the weekend, but bowled better than his figures showed. It would have been interesting to see how many more runs would have been saved, and wickets taken, had he been bowling with eleven men in the field instead of nine.

5. Kwiese Edmondson, South East – He’s still very young and was a part of USA’s U-15 squad in 2009, but Edmondson exudes plenty of confidence at the crease and looks capable of stepping into international cricket at the U-19 level. Being a left-handed batsman is a plus and he demonstrated an excellent technique at the crease but twice got out to soft dismissals when he looked set for a big score. With increased discipline and maturity, Edmondson could be a menace to bowlers and might be worth a selection gamble.

Here are five talented players who might find it difficult to squeeze into this year’s team, but are still young enough to be eligible to make major contributions in USA’s U-19 team for a qualifying run to the 2014 U-19 World Cup. At the very least, these five players have a good chance of being invited to the 24-man selection camp that USACA is organizing to take place in Florida in the middle of this month before the final 14 players are picked.

1. Krish Goel, North West (right) – A talented allrounder, Goel scored 79 not out against Central East in August but in his two chances in December he didn’t do as much as he could have. He needs to knuckle down and show more hunger for runs. His spin bowling is effective and his fielding is top-notch just like most of his North West teammates. Of the five players in this list, he may have the best chance of making it to USA’s squad due to the need for batsmen.

2. Roshan Varadarajan, North West (left) – North West’s U-15 captain the past few years, he may turn into an excellent off-spinner, but shouldn’t give up on his batting. He also has a reputation as a top fielder. Varadarajan has an outside chance to get picked for this year’s team, but at the moment there is a surplus of bowlers and not enough good batsmen so he may have to wait his turn.

3. Shakeel Ahmad, South West (right) – Salman’s younger brother could eventually develop into the better Ahmad. He is technically solid as a batsman, but still has some growing left to do. In two years, he will be bigger, stronger and able to dispatch balls to the boundary with ease.

4. Arsh Buch, North West (left) – Just like Shakeel Ahmad, Buch does all the right things from a technical point of view, but isn’t physically imposing. In two more years, he should be bigger and 100% ready to dominate at the U-19 level.

5. Faraz Jaferi, South East – This left-arm orthodox spinner has very nice flight, but batsmen have time to play him off the back foot. With a little more experience, he’ll find it easier to find the outside edge and get more wickets.

[Views expressed in this article are those of the author.]