Now, you can get all the USA Cricket updates via Facebook. Also follow us on Twitter via @dreamcricket
By Venu Palaparthi
1. Calendar: The event calendar is completely unreliable. It is subject to change... and it will.
2. Venue:
Venue will remain a mystery until three days before the event. If
conditions permit (pun intended), it could even change on the day of
the event.
3. Communication: Nothing will ever
be published on USACA website. All changes are top secret and what
little is published is likely to be incorrect. Final dates, and host
city, are selected to achieve one goal: to ensure that players pay top
dollar for their airline tickets. Ironically, two of USACA’s board
members work in the airline industry.
4. Teams:
Uncertainty builds up and engulfs all proper planning in such a way
that many of the best players simply become unavailable. It is like
that old cricket joke: A friend was heard saying to the secretary of a
village cricket side: “What sort of a team have you got this week?” The secretary said: “Oh, the usual. Two players, four letters of regrets, three telegrams, and we've got two to hear from!”
Except this is not village cricket, these are national events. And
whether or not you need them, you have the regional administrator and
maybe an assistant coach who are on standby to become part of the squad.
5. Rules:
All rule changes and penalties will be strictly enforced... but
enforcement applies only to players, not to the board or the organizers.
6. Competition: The off-field atmosphere is more charged up than the on-field one.
7. Punctuality: South Asian or Island time becomes the order of the day for all proceedings.
8. Where are we now?: The national anthem does not always mean the Star-Spangled Banner. Dignitaries usually are local cricket administrators.
9. Sponsors: We
don't need sponsors, we are USACA. Why bother with the increased
visibility and accountability that comes along with sponsorships when
the commercial deal will shower riches on us.
10. Audience: Media? Spectators? What for? Who wants all that accountability? Just leave us to our cricket.