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USA Cricketer
February 2012 - Posts
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USACA Media Release
Executive Summary of the USACA Board Meeting to Review League Compliance
February 26th 2012
 The
USACA board met on Sunday February 26th to review the final compliance
report from Mr. Robert Chance, Esq. on USACA league compliance.
Information on the compliance process can be found at
http://www.usaca.org/articles/compliance.html and includes the report
for each league from February 11th. A final updated report will be
provided on the USACA website.
In the board meeting Robert Chance reviewed the process and timeline
he had followed since commencing his work with the leagues in September
2011. After presenting this background he answered questions and moved
on to describe that he had found the following:
A) 12 “Leagues that should be considered eligible to vote”;
B) 12 “Leagues that could be considered eligible to vote, depending on Board decision”, and
C) 17 “Leagues that should not be considered eligible to vote”
Robert Chance then provided the Board the reason(s) for each
individual league being placed in categories B and C. Mr. Chance will be
providing updated feedback to each individual league and their Regional
Representatives, as he has during the compliance review process.
After it was ascertained there were no further questions for Robert
Chance he left the call to allow the board to discuss and deliberate.
The board accepted unanimously all 12 leagues Robert Chance
recommended should be considered as eligible to vote (A) and also
accepted his recommendation not to allow the 17 leagues in C) to vote
with six yes votes and two no votes.
Out of category B) the Board reviewed each league individually and
after debate voted to accept 3 leagues as eligible to vote. Board votes
ranged from unanimous to no less than six yes votes and two no votes.
The final board-approved list of USACA leagues eligible to vote are as follows:
American Cricket League
Atlanta Georgia Cricket Conference
Brooklyn Cricket League
Central Florida Cricket Association
Central Texas Cricket League
Great Lakes Cricket Conference
Houston Cricket League
Minnesota Cricket Association
New Jersey Cricket Association
New York Cricket League
North Texas Cricket Association
Northwest Cricket League
South Florida Cricket Alliance
Washington Cricket League
Washington Metro Cricket Board
The board expressed disappointment that only around 1/3rd of USACA’s
membership is in good standing. The USACA General Manager will be asked
to continue his work helping the leagues get compliant and all the
Regional Representatives are encouraged to work with the leagues in
their region to help them get complaint.
Elections will now proceed and more information will be sent out detailing the process, schedule and the appointment of the CPA.
Questions: contact 1st Vice President Michael Gale at Mgale@Pulsepointgroup.com.
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Cricket Holdings America LLC Media Release
Cricket Holdings America LLC (CHALLC) has appointed Keith Wyness as
its Chief Executive Officer in a major step towards making the dream of
world-class cricket in the United States of America (USA) a reality.
Mr Wyness, 54, will be responsible for the delivery of a business
plan which will include the sale of Twenty20 franchises for a league
planned to start in the summer of 2013.
 Mr
Wyness has extensive experience in managing the business of elite-level
sport, having worked on the Sydney Olympics of 2000 and as the Chief
Executive Officer of two Premier League football clubs, Everton in
England and Aberdeen in Scotland.
Image (right) - Keith Wyness, the newly appointed CEO of Cricket Holdings America. [Courtesy: Cricket Holdings America]
He has also spent more than a decade living and working in the USA,
something that has provided him with an understanding of the country’s
sporting landscape, and where cricket does and can fit into that
landscape.
CHALLC is a joint venture between New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the
United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) for the development
of cricket within the USA.
NZC CEO David White said: “Cricket Holdings America undertook an
extensive, worldwide search to find the right person for the role of CEO
and in Keith Wyness we believe we have found that person.
“What Keith brings to the role is an understanding of sport and its
importance in peoples’ lives, the business of sport and the USA’s
sporting landscape.
“Keith’s appointment is an important step on the road towards making
regular, top-class cricket in the USA a reality, and with his leadership
we look forward to moving forward with increasing speed along that
road.”
USACA President Mr Gladstone Dainty said: “Keith Wyness’s appointment
is a hugely positive development towards putting the USA centre-stage
in the cricket world.
“USACA looks forward to working with Keith and New Zealand Cricket to make that a reality.”
Keith Wyness said: “I am delighted to take up the role of Chief Executive Officer of Cricket Holdings America.
“It is very rare for an opportunity as exciting as this to come along
within sport, to have a clean page to develop what I believe will
become a major sport in the USA.
“Cricket is already the second biggest sport in the world and the USA is the biggest commercial market for sport.
“My role is to marry those two factors together and there is plenty of potential and opportunity to do that.
“Cricket is already played extensively across the USA with close to
50,000 regular players and it is the world’s second biggest consumer of
internet cricket behind India.
“It means there is already a platform of very interested cricket
enthusiasts in the USA and now it is up to us to put together a product
that will excite them and also create the opportunity to bring a whole
new audience to the game.”
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By Peter Della Penna
The USA team that will be traveling to the UAE in just over two weeks
for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier will have four new faces in the
14-man roster. There is also another new addition to the national team
setup in the tour party, Washington Cricket League President Shoaib
Ahmed, who was selected to be the new USA team manager.
The 44-year-old real estate agent from Fairfax, Virginia, echoed the
sentiments of USACA Cricket Committee chairman Ahmed Jeddy after the
conclusion of the team’s selection camp held from January 20-22 in
Florida, saying that the goal is nothing short of winning the 16-team
event to clinch a berth at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka this
September.
“We hope to finish it number one,” said Ahmed in an interview Sunday
night. “I think we have a blend of very good youth. This is a very young
team and with Twenty20, you cannot say any team can just go out. It’s
not a Test match or One-Dayer. Twenty20 is a funny game and even at the
top level any team can beat anybody. The guys have to be mentally sharp
and the guys need to do what they’ve been picked for based on their
talent. They just need to go out and perform to the best of their
abilities and let’s see what the results will be but if the guys perform
to their abilities, I think we can definitely finish number one. That’s
what we are going in with, the expectation of winning this thing.”
The team is set to depart on March 6 from New York and will land in
the UAE the following evening. The squad will then have five full days
to acclimatize to conditions before their first match on Tuesday, March
13 against Uganda in Sharjah. As of now, Ahmed says plans are in the
works for the team to play three warm-up matches before the tournament
gets underway.
“Those details are being worked on but I can tell you there will be
at least two games against a local club and one game against one of the
teams participating in the tournament,” said Ahmed. “Those details are
being worked out but I’m pretty sure we’ll be playing at least three
games.”
Ahmed says that the senior players and leadership group believe they
have enough talent and experience within the team to be able to match up
competitively with every team in the event. The only thing holding them
back is a lack of chemistry. The squad has been holding regular
conference calls in order to become more familiar with each other and
discuss scouting information about the opposition, but they have not
practiced together since the selection camp in Florida that was held a
month ago. Ahmed hopes they’ll be able to develop solid chemistry
quickly once they get to Dubai.
“I think that’s the only thing I’m a little concerned with but
besides that I don’t think there’s anything missing,” said Ahmed. “The
talent is there. It’s all up to the players to go out and perform. I
think we should be able to get that before the start of the tournament
because we will have enough days where the team can gel together playing
those practice games and practices and net sessions.”
 The
wide array of cultures present in the US squad is something most other
teams participating in this tournament don’t have. This can present a
unique challenge when it comes to meshing, not just on the field but off
the field as well. Ahmed says this is where he hopes to contribute most
to the tour, helping everyone come together and fit in regardless of
their background.
Image (right) - WCL President and USA team manager Shoaib Ahmed. [Courtesy: Washington Cricket League]
“What I bring is basically what I bring to the WCL, my leadership
skills being a real estate agent working with diverse communities in our
area. As you know this team is comprised of a lot of Indian and
Pakistani guys, West Indian guys and Ryan Corns is here so there’s a lot
of guys from different communities. Being in the field of real estate
where I deal with a lot of people, I think that’s my strength, to
communicate with people. So that’s what I bring plus my leadership as
the President of the Washington Cricket League. I’m handling 36 teams at
a time, running the league very professionally and successfully I think
that’s one of my strengths to lead this team as well.”
Ahmed is originally from Karachi, Pakistan but moved to the
Washington, D.C., area in 1993 and has been there ever since. He
originally joined the WCL as a playing member of Pakistan Cricket Club
in 1996 before forming Titans Cricket Club in 2009. That same year he
became vice-president of the league before taking over as WCL President
in 2010. He wants to make sure he serves at the national level in his
role as manager in the same way that he’s done as an administrator at
league level.
“My job as a manager is to be a liaison between the coaches and the
players and make sure that everything goes smooth on the tour,” said
Ahmed. “I’ll try my best and I think I’m capable that I’ll do a very
good job and hopefully we’ll win this thing. The guys are very upbeat
and excited, as am I. It’s my first tour as a US national team manager
and I’m looking forward to it and I think we’ll be one of the surprises
of this tournament.”
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By Peter Della Penna
In a major blow to USA’s viability as a suitable host for top flight
cricket, the ICC confirmed on Thursday that the country is no longer
being considered to host this year’s ICC World Cricket League Division
Four tournament. The event is scheduled to include Denmark, Nepal,
Tanzania, USA and the top two sides from 2012 ICC WCL Division Five,
which begins Saturday in Singapore. The sides gunning for promotion from
that event are Argentina, Bahrain, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Malaysia
and the host nation.
 According
to an email from an ICC spokesperson, “The United States was one of the
venues being evaluated for hosting the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League
Division 4 but, as with any ICC event, it was dependent on the potential
hosting nations being able to meet a series of ICC criteria. Following
discussions with USACA it was decided that the United States currently
cannot meet those criteria and therefore will not be considered as a
host for the event.”
When asked what criteria USACA failed to meet, the ICC spokesperson
responded that a host country “is required to give a number of
cricketing, operational and administrative assurances” but the
spokesperson would not comment on which aspects USACA could not follow
through. It is believed that USACA’s current administrative and
governance issues, specifically the failure to hold constitutionally
mandated elections in 2011, may have played a role in the ICC looking
elsewhere for a host site for Division Four. According to the 2012 USACA
calendar of events released on December 9, USA and Nepal were being
considered by the ICC to host the event.
During a meeting with ICC President Sharad Pawar in New York last
summer, former USACA Secretary John Aaron had campaigned for USA to host
2012 ICC WCL Division Four. This past autumn, USACA General Manager
Manaf Mohamed sounded confident that USA would be selected to host the
event and he expected the ICC to make a decision by November to confirm
USA as the host, but no confirmation was ever made public by either
USACA or the ICC.
The fact that USA has been passed over to host the tournament, after
seemingly being in the driver’s seat for the opportunity, speaks volumes
of how poor USACA’s current relationship is with the ICC. The
relationship certainly did not improve this past autumn when USACA
failed to meet several administrative deadlines laid out by the ICC in
conjunction with the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh.
It resulted in a sternly worded letter from ICC Americas Regional
Development Manager Martin Vieira to admonish USACA for failing to
properly communicate with the ICC and for its handling of a standoff
between the USACA board and women’s players over proposed tour stipends.
One of the major components to hosting a higher level WCL event is
having at least three turf facilities within close proximity to each
other. There are three turf facilities in the Fort Lauderdale area –
Central Broward Regional Park, Brian Piccolo Park and Boca Raton CC – as
well as three separate turf pitches at Woodley Park in Los Angeles so
the USA would not have failed from that standpoint. There is also
adequate infrastructure off the field in order to host teams, such as
hotels within close proximity to the grounds, as well as suitable
internet network capabilities at the grounds to meet media requirements.
As recently as July, USA hosted the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20
tournament in Florida while USA also hosted the ICC Americas U-19
Division One tournament last February.
If Nepal now has the inside track to host the event, it will be much
more difficult for USA to gain promotion back to Division Three. In the
current WCL cycle which began in 2009, eight out of 10 host countries
have finished first or second in tournament play. The only two who
didn’t were the Netherlands at Division One in 2010, a tournament in
which there was no promotion or relegation at stake, and Botswana at
Division Seven in 2011.
While USA gained promotion from the Division Five tournament staged
in Nepal in 2010, finishing in the top two again in Kathmandu won’t be
easy. In addition to a young and energetic Nepal side, USA will also
have to contend with a Denmark team that took two out of two matches
against USA at Division Three in Hong Kong last year. Depending on the
results of Division Five next week, there is a strong chance USA may
have to go up against a very solid Singapore team as well. Singapore
beat USA convincingly by 99 runs in Nepal two years ago and would have
advanced to Division Four in Italy with USA were it not for the
unfortunate crowd trouble on the final day of group play in Kathmandu.
Nepal’s crowds, while enthusiastic, have a track record of volatile behavior. Crowd violence marred USA’s win against the hosts in Kathmandu at Division Five in February of 2010 and there was a report of more crowd trouble
at the same venue for last December’s ACC Twenty20 Cup match between
the UAE and Nepal. Despite this, they may get a chance to host a World
Cricket League tournament for the second time in just over two years.
Tanzania hosted WCL Division Four in 2008 while other potential
participants for the next Division Four – Guernsey, Argentina,
Singapore, Malaysia – have also hosted WCL tournaments in the past.
Meanwhile, the USA has yet to host one.
Former USACA CEO Don Lockerbie stated during an interview
while traveling with the USA team in Nepal in February of 2010 that he
hoped USA would get a chance to host a major ICC event in the near
future, such as the Champions Trophy in 2013 – which was eventually
awarded to England and Wales – in order to build a bigger profile for
the USA on the global cricket stage. However, if USA is being passed
over to host a World Cricket League tournament, thoughts of hosting a
Champions Trophy or World Cup are a pipe dream and it must also cast
doubt on plans between New Zealand Cricket and USACA to start up an
IPL-style Twenty20 league this summer.
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By Peter Della Penna
The long-awaited results of the compliance audit review conducted by
Austin, Texas, lawyer Robert Chance were published late Saturday on the
USACA web site. According to the audit, none of the 47 USACA member
leagues listed was able to fully satisfy all nine requirements from the
audit.
 According to the audit, there are at least six leagues who are in
serious danger of not being allowed to vote in regional and national
elections as each of the five was deemed to have provided insufficient
information to determine compliance in each and every of the nine
categories of the audit. Three of these leagues belong to the Central
East Region, one to the Atlantic, one to the Central West and one to the
North West.
Two leagues in the Central East, Great Lakes Cricket Conference and
Midwest Cricket Conference, came the closest to meeting all requirements
as both leagues met eight out of the nine requirements. The audit
states that GLCC did not pay dues to USACA for all of its member clubs
while MCC failed to implement, or was unwilling to start to implement, a
formal women’s development program.
Twelve leagues were able to fully satisfy seven of the nine
categories. Out of those 12, six leagues received fail ratings in
categories eight and nine on the survey: “has implemented, or is willing
to start to implement, a formal youth development program” and “has
implemented, or is willing to start to implement, a formal women’s
development program.”
Overall, only eight of the 47 leagues were able to fully comply with
both categories eight and nine regarding the implementation of youth and
women’s development programs. A whopping 35 of the 47 leagues, 74%,
failed to completely satisfy both categories.
In category five, “has identified all of the clubs (of which there
are at least eight) in their league, including the names and contact
information for club presidents, and each club has at least 15 active
members,” 18 out of 47 leagues, 38%, failed to fully satisfy the
requirement.
Another crucial category that could determine who gets to vote this
year is category number six: “has paid dues for all of its member
clubs.” According to the audit, only 14 out of the 47 leagues, 30%,
fully satisfied the requirement.
Any league who disputes the results can file an appeal by Friday,
February 17. The USACA board will make a determination by Monday,
February 20 as to which leagues will be able to vote in regional and
national elections. Click here for to read the full results of the Robert Chance audit
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USACA Media Release
The United States of America Cricket Association announced 14 players
squad for the ICC World Cup Qualifier 2012 to be held in UAE in March
2012.
 The Squad:
Abhimanyu Rajp
Adil Bhatti
Aditya Mishra – Vice Captain
Asif Khan
Azurdeen Mohammed
Elmore Hutchinson
Gowkaran Roopnarine
Khawaja Shuja
Mohammad Ghous
Nauman Mustafa
Orlando Baker
Ryan Corns
Steven Taylor
Sushil Nadkarni – Captain
The following players are in reserve: Japen Patel, Naseer Jamali, Akeem Dodson and Timothy Saurajbali [sic].
Mr. Mark Johnson has been selected as coach, Mr. Asif Mujtaba as
assistant coach, Mr. Naser Javed Charlie as Bowling Coach, Mr. Robin
Singh as technical advisor, Mr. Akhtar Syed as physical therapist and
Mr. Shoaib Ahmed as Manager.
I would like to thank Mr. Selwyn Caesar, Chief of Selection Committee
and all selectors for doing a wonderful job in selecting the squad;
it’s an excellent blend of experience, leadership, talent and youth,
said Ahmed Jeddy, Chairman, USACA Cricket Committee.
USACA Cricket Committee
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By Peter Della Penna
The inaugural ICC Americas U-17 Tournament, originally scheduled for
April 1-8, has been shifted to July 8-15 in Florida. In its original
budget for 2012, the ICC Americas office had notified the Associate
countries of the region that it planned to enter a team into the Sir
Garfield Sobers Schools Invitational Tournament which is held every July
in Barbados.
 However,
ICC Americas Regional Development Manager Martin Vieira wrote in an
email on Thursday that a decision had recently been taken by the office
that they would not send a representative team to the tournament. This
allowed the office to shift the dates of the ICC Americas U-17
Tournament to July, which was also more appealing for several countries
because it would not interfere with school. Some countries may have had
to deal with players missing class time had the tournament been held in
April. This was a source of problems last year when the ICC Americas
U-19 Division One Tournament was held in February in Florida. At least
one team went to the tournament without key players due to school
schedules.
Due to the ICC Americas U-17 Tournament being shifted to July, the
USACA U-17 Tournament has also been postponed to a date yet to be
determined, according to a source. USACA has made no official
announcement regarding the status of its U-17 Tournament, but the
original date for the tournament is February 17-20 and no information
was ever sent out regarding a host location or other logistical
information.
Vieira also wrote that the ICC Americas Women’s Tournament for this
year has been pushed back a week from the originally announced dates.
The tournament will now take place in the Cayman Islands from April
22-29. It is unknown if the USACA Women’s Tournament, currently
scheduled for March 9-11, will also be pushed back.
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