USA Cricketer : 2011 ICC Americas Division One T20

USA Cricket: Former USA vice-captain Aditya Mishra retires from international cricket at age 31

openingbat — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:54:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

Batsman Aditya Mishra, who served as USA’s vice-captain at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, has decided to retire from international cricket despite being just 31.

“Want to thank everyone who has helped me in my cricket journey,” Mishra told DreamCricket.com on Sunday night. “Have played cricket with passion and on my terms, wanted to leave with the same spirit. When I realized that I am not needed, I figured there are other things that need my immediate attention.”

Image (right) - Aditya Mishra drives down the ground during his match-winning 62 against Scotland at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

In an email obtained by DreamCricket.com, Mishra informed USA coaches Robin Singh and Thiru Kumaran as well as chairman of selectors Selwyn Caesar and USACA CEO Darren Beazley on Sunday afternoon that other commitments now held a higher priority for him.

“It appears that I am not part of USACA plans for the future. I respect you both as cricketers and coaches. Your high expectations from me is probably a result of my first class cricket experience in India and some good past performances for USA in last year’s World Cup qualifiers in Dubai. Due to work related commitments, it would be impossible for me to meet those expectations without proper motivation.”

His email to USACA also highlighted frustrations with the process involved in selecting teams. Mishra makes note of the fact that he was USA’s vice-captain in the UAE last year at a major ICC tournament and served as stand-in captain on a day when Sushil Nadkarni sat out against Scotland. Mishra scored 62 in that match to top score for USA in their seven-wicket win over Scotland, making USA one of only two teams to beat an ODI nation during the group stage of the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. That innings earned Mishra recognition from DreamCricket.com at the end of the year as the 2012 New Inning Foundation Individual Performance of the Year. However, he was surprisingly left out of USA’s Twenty20 squad for the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament last month in Florida.

“I tried to motivate myself after being dropped from the probables list for Americas T20 even though I was the USA vice captain in Dubai and had some very good performances and partnerships,” Mishra wrote. “No one reached out to tell me what led to such a sudden change in mind and what specifically I need to improve.”

“I took it as a challenge and focused on performances. Like to thank Robin to advise and guide me when it was a low point for me. My stats in the NCCA league tell a story of a player who wants to come back and play freely. I am still young and confident of performing at the highest level. However, due to lack of Domestic tournaments and sometimes transparency it is tough to keep up the motivation and work hard when you have limited time to spend between cricket, family, and other social commitments.”

Mishra made his USA debut in 2010 opening the batting with Carl Wright against Jamaica in a Twenty20 match at The Pearls Cup in Florida. He then came back into the USA team at the 2011 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament following a solid showing at the 2011 USACA Twenty20 National Tournament in New Jersey where he was the second highest scorer in the tournament including a best of 87 in 49 balls against a vaunted New York Region team while playing for the Atlantic Region.

Image (left) - Aditya Mishra tees off for one of his four sixes against New York at the 2011 USACA Twenty20 National tournament as wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson looks on behind him. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

At the 2011 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in Florida, Mishra finished third on the team with 98 runs in four innings at an average of 32.66 as USA finished second behind Canada. He was then named vice-captain for the team that went to the UAE for the World Twenty20 Qualifier the following March and stated in an interview before the tournament that he wanted to cultivate a more welcoming culture with newer and younger players after his bumpy initiation into the team in 2010.

Mishra was the only player besides Sushil Nadkarni to score a half-century for USA in the event. In addition to his match-winning knock against Scotland, Mishra scored 53 off 34 balls in a hard fought 17-run defeat to Namibia, who went undefeated in the group stage and finished third overall in the tournament behind Ireland and Afghanistan. He finished third on the team in runs at the event with 169, behind only Nadkarni and Steven Taylor.

He struggled at 2012 ICC WCL Division Four in Malaysia, scoring 74 runs in five games but was surprisingly dropped from USA’s Twenty20 squad seemingly as a result of his 50-over performances. It is unknown whether Mishra will continue to play locally in the Northern California Cricket Association. Away from cricket, he is a consultant working as Manager of Advisory Services at Ernst & Young.

USA Cricket: Auty Cup reportedly scheduled for November 14-17 in Florida

openingbat — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 10:53:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

The K.A. Auty Cup, a trophy contested for the cricket rivalry between the USA and Canada, is scheduled to be held this year as part of a series of matches from November 14-17 in Florida according to information posted on the Cricket Canada web site. Although USACA has not issued a press release regarding the matches, sources have confirmed that player availability is currently being sought to form a squad for a two-day match, one 50-over match and two T20s to be played at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill.

The Auty Cup multi-day match was resumed in 2011 after a 16-year hiatus. Canada defeated an understrength USA squad by 34 runs in the two-day match in Toronto last summer as part of the Etihad Summer Cricket Festival. USA and Canada played the first ever international cricket match in New York in 1844 and the two countries share a lengthy history together.

While Canada is currently one of the six Associate and Affiliate ODI nations, the USA has still managed to have some measure of success against them in recent years. USA defeated Canada by 81 runs to win the 2008 ICC Americas Tournament in Florida and defeated them in the final of the inaugural ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 Tournament by five wickets in Bermuda in 2010.

Canada defeated the USA by nine wickets as part of an undefeated run to win the 2010 ICC Americas Division One 50-over competition in Bermuda in 2010 and also beat the USA by 10 runs to win the most recent ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 in Florida last year.

USA Cricket: Andy Mohammed replaces Rashard Marshall in USA squad for 2012 ICC WCL Division Four

openingbat — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 06:19:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

Batsman Andy Mohammed has been added to the USA squad in place of Rashard Marshall for 2012 ICC WCL Division Four, which begins Monday, September 3 in Malaysia. According to an ICC spokesperson, USACA made a request to add Mohammed as an “injury replacement” for Marshall, which was approved.

However, according to an anonymous source, Marshall is not injured but was removed from the squad after requesting to leave the USA on the evening of August 31 due to a work assignment. USA’s squad is due to leave Los Angeles for Kuala Lumpur in the early morning hours of August 27. Meanwhile, Steven Taylor, Usman Shuja and Aditya Mishra will all be departing from the USA four days later on August 31.

Prior to the official USACA squad announcement on August 3, Shuja, Mishra and Taylor had received permission to join the squad late. Shuja and Mishra made the request due to work commitments while Taylor is currently in Barbados as the captain of the ICC Americas U-19 squad at the West Indies Cricket Board Regional U-19 Tournament. The ICC Americas U-19 squad’s last match is August 29 and they will not depart Barbados until August 30.

Yet, it appears that Marshall’s request to join the squad late for work reasons was denied because he notified the USACA board on August 16 instead of prior to the squad being chosen and submitted to the ICC for the August 3 deadline. If Marshall was replaced by USACA due to work reasons, it would be contradicting their formal request to the ICC to replace Marshall due to injury.

In an email – obtained from an anonymous source – dated August 16, and addressed from USACA selection chairman Selwyn Caesar to USACA General Manager Manaf Mohamed, Caesar wrote the following:

I received a call from Rashard Marshall this morning advising he has an unscheduled work assignment on Friday August 31st and would like arrangements be made for his travel on the evening of August 31st.

I am aware the call should have been directed to you, however I request you arrange to call Rashard this afternoon (he may be sleeping today for work tonight) in order to work out the details and advise accordingly.

Mohamed then sent out an email to numerous USACA administrators which stated:

Regarding e-mail from Selwyn below.. Spoke to Rashard today. He only found out a day or so ago that he has to be at work on Aug 31 to receive his work assignments for the month.

Should I re-schedule his flight out or do I need to replace?? Please advise.

This would not be the first time USACA has attempted to pull off a questionable maneuver with regards to replacing a player for an ICC event. At 2011 ICC WCL Division Three in Hong Kong, Aditya Thyagarajan was lost for the tournament following the second match after dislocating his right knee. USACA then requested to add assistant coach/bowling coach Howard Johnson to the squad as an injury replacement.

According to sources, the ICC agreed to accept Johnson as a replacement player under the premise that Johnson would only be utilized in case three other players also became injured at which point USA would have had no choice but to use him as a substitute fielder or put him in the starting eleven. Johnson’s last appearance for USA before then came as a 40-year-old at the 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland.

However, 46-year-old Johnson leapfrogged three other healthy players, including then uncapped 28-year-old fast bowler Durale Forrest, to appear in the starting eleven in USA’s next match against Papua New Guinea. Johnson took 2 for 23 in the seven-wicket loss after USA was sent in by PNG and bowled out for 44. Johnson then sat out USA’s final three matches of the tournament.

Six months later, USA named a squad for the 2011 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in Florida which included Nauman Mustafa in the 14-man list. However, he was mysteriously removed from the squad just a week before the start of the tournament and replaced by Sushil Nadkarni. When asked to explain how Nadkarni was added to the squad in favor of Mustafa, Manaf Mohamed replied, “The president [Gladstone Dainty] gave me that instruction.”

USA’s first match of 2012 ICC WCL Division Four will be against Malaysia on September 3. DreamCricket.com will have live coverage from Kuala Lumpur for all of USA’s matches beginning at 10:30 a.m. local time, 10:30 p.m. EST and 7:30 p.m. PST the previous night in America.

USA Cricket: 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier Report Card Part 3 - Outlook for WCL Division Four

openingbat — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:27:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

Click here for Part 1: Team Grades and Part 2: Player Grades

What the team needs heading into ICC WCL Division Four

Preparation: The following quote is taken from the report card that was written after the 2011 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in July.

“When the team went to Dubai in 2010 for the last World Twenty20 Qualifier, they got to play two warm-up matches against the UAE before the tournament started and wound up finishing fifth after beating Scotland and losing to Ireland and Afghanistan. They’ll need something more significant in terms of preparation prior to leaving for Dubai to have any hope of finishing in the top two in next year’s qualifier. There is currently nothing scheduled for the men’s team between now and March when the Qualifier is due to be held so making plans to fill that gap in the calendar should be a high priority.”

If the USACA administration was able to arrange a four-match 50-over series in Florida for the USA U-19 team against West Indies U-19 before heading off to Ireland for last summer’s ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier, the administration should have been able to make a few phone calls to organize some unofficial Twenty20 fixtures to be played in late December or early January in Florida against some of the West Indian domestic teams such as Jamaica, Guyana or Trinidad & Tobago for the USA men. West Indies A played a series of unofficial matches against Bangladesh A in November and something similar could have been designed for USA against one of the islands during the gap in the West Indies domestic calendar ahead of the Caribbean T20 tournament in January.

The administration failed to prepare the team for this tournament and as a result the team was prepared to fail. In the seven and a half months that followed USA’s second place finish at the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in July, next to nothing was done. USA played three Twenty20s in Canada in August, but because USA was only confirmed to participate a week before the start of the Etihad Summer Cricket Festival, a B squad was sent to play in Toronto.

Of the players who participated for USA in the event against Canada, Afghanistan and Trinidad & Tobago, only two of them were picked in the 14-man squad to go to the UAE – Muhammad Ghous and Andy Mohammed – while Japen Patel joined as an injury replacement. For the other 12 players in the team that went to the UAE this month, the only matches they got to play together in a USA uniform between July and the first match against Uganda were three warm-ups in Sharjah a few days before the qualifier began.

Compare that to Namibia, who like USA is not one of the six ICC High Performance Program teams. Like USA, they played their ICC Regional Qualifier in July and finished second at the ICC Africa Division One Twenty20. However, they had a plan in place that resulted in an undefeated 7-0 record in Group B. When Scotland visited to play an Intercontinental Cup match and two 50-over games in September, Namibia arranged for them to stay an extra week into October so they could play five unofficial Twenty20s against each other. Scotland won four of the five, but the preparation and familiarity with their opposition certainly helped Namibia when they hammered Scotland at the qualifier.

Then, completely independent of any ICC tournament obligations whatsoever, Namibia hosted Kenya for eight unofficial Twenty20 matches in November. They won six matches and lost two, but most importantly got to try out various combinations and roles to see what worked best. Namibia also plays in South Africa’s provincial three-day and 50-over competitions, but they specifically sought out Twenty20 practice matches independent of that to get their players geared up for the qualifier and it paid off.

Conversely, USA’s administration sat on their hands. As a result, the coaching staff was trialing combinations and roles during the tournament rather than ahead of the tournament. It cost the team badly. Previous evidence shows that USA takes a long time to get into a good rhythm when they enter an ICC tournament which takes place in the northern hemisphere winter, outside of USA’s domestic club cricket season. They needed all the help they could get ahead of this tournament to get prepared. Instead, the administration thought that a three-day selection camp in January followed by a series of weekly conference calls before leaving on March 6 for the UAE would bring good results. USA’s 3-6 tournament record demonstrates what a folly that was.

Anyone looking to make excuses for USA’s performance at the qualifier by saying that it’s unfair to compare USA with the upper echelon Associate level teams is doing just that, making excuses. Entering the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, USA had beaten Scotland, Canada, Nepal, Italy and Hong Kong in either 50-over or 20-over matches since the start of 2010. Scotland finished fifth and Canada sixth at the qualifier. Nepal finished seventh, Italy 10th and Hong Kong 11th.

Image (right) - Aditya Mishra hits a six against Scotland in USA's seven-wicket win. If they can finish comfortably on top against Scotland, there's no reason USA can't stand toe-to-toe with any other Associate. [Courtesy: ICC/Ian Jacobs]

USA’s talent matches up well with any of those teams. Scotland played in the Intercontinental Cup final at the end of 2010. USA beat them convincingly at the World Twenty20 Qualifier in 2010 and they beat them convincingly at the World Twenty20 Qualifier in 2012. The fact is that USA’s players are talented enough and capable of competing with any team that was in the tournament, including Ireland and Afghanistan. However, that can’t be done by standing idle for seven and a half months while other countries are playing together regularly.

Selecting players for roles: One of the most amusing things to go back and read on the forums after the end of a match are comments left by fans and supporters that say something along the lines of, “Player X opens for his club/league/region team. Why is he batting at number seven for USA?” One of the only players who bats in the same role for his club/league/region as he does when he has played for the national team is Aditya Thyagarajan. Not surprisingly, Thyagarajan has had success playing in the middle order for USA because he is familiar and comfortable there due to the fact that he fills the same role for his club/region.

Every other player picked for USA opens or bats at number three for their club/league/region. Then they come to play for USA and are asked to bat at 5, 6, 7 or 8 and have no situational experience to draw upon. They are used to starting the innings and dictating the course of play. For the most part, they have no concept of how to respond when they enter at 30 for 4 or 40 for 5 when playing for the national team because they’ve never had to do it at club/league/regional level. They struggle and the team struggles as a result. More attention needs to be placed on picking players for roles. USA is guilty of this at U-19 level as well as senior level in terms of squad selection. It makes no sense picking eight opening batsmen when only two can play in that position for the national team.

Get people playing regularly on turf wickets: The vast majority of USA’s squad had limited international experience prior to this tournament. The vast majority of them also had limited experience playing on turf wickets. Two players who play on turf wickets on a weekly basis at Woodley in Los Angeles – Abhimanyu Rajp and Elmore Hutchinson – were two of USA’s most impressive players on tour despite the fact that they were making their debuts for USA. That’s no coincidence. USA’s batsmen in particular struggled and part of those struggles can be pinned on failing to adjust to turf wickets after playing virtually year round on artificial surfaces. It will continue to be this way until the administration makes infrastructure development a top priority.

Hire a full-time coach/team director: This was discussed in November, but it’s worth revisiting here. Just about every player had positive things to say about Robin Singh and his involvement with the squad. Singh was with the team during the warm-up and group phase, then flew back to India after USA’s final group match against Scotland. Everyone felt they learned something from him over the course of their time with him.

However, USACA is wasting precious funds by just throwing money at him to show up for two weeks and disappear again. USACA must bring him on board full-time and have him work with the various regions on a regular basis by developing programs geared to get everyone on the same page and he has to work with the national team inside the USA ahead of tours as well. It’s no use having him just show up at tournament time. He needs to be on site on a regular basis.

Hire a proper physio: Throwing a first aid kit bag over a USACA board member’s shoulder doesn’t count. The person USACA has been sending on every tour to be the team physio is licensed in the state of Illinois to be a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA). He is not licensed to be a Physical Therapist (PT). According to the Illinois Physical Therapy Association, there is a very big difference between the two.

Physical Therapist

“Physical therapists must graduate from an accredited educational program with a master's or doctoral degree. After completing your education, you will be required to pass a licensure examination before you can work as a PT. Coursework includes biology, chemistry, and physics, as well as specialized courses such as biomechanics, neuroanatomy, human growth and development, manifestations of disease, examination techniques, and therapeutic procedures.”

Physical Therapist Assistant

“Physical Therapist Assistants graduate from a 2 year program, earning an associates degree from an accredited physical therapist assistant program. PTAs also must pass a licensure examination to work as a PTA. PTAs perform a number of physical therapy treatments and procedures as determined by the supervising physical therapist.”

There are plenty of 27 and 28-year-old newly licensed physical therapists fresh out of completing a master's or doctoral degree at university with the latest training methods in sports medicine who would give their right arm for an opportunity to work for a few weeks on tour for a USA national team in any sport. Many of them would probably do it pro bono as long as their expenses were taken care of. The selectors showed in January that they were keen to find some fresh blood to represent the team. With that spirit in mind, the same should be done for the next tour by bringing along a new fully licensed, freshly trained physical therapist.

A healthy Aditya Thyagarajan: If USA’s middle order man for all crises can return to full fitness after more than a year away from the national team, he would provide priceless stability to the batting. To give fans a reminder of what USA has been missing, here’s a look at some of Thyagarajan’s highlights in a red, white and blue uniform:

November 27, 2008: Enters match at 114 for 4, builds 119-run partnership with Rashard Marshall for the sixth wicket. Finishes second top score behind Marshall with 42 in total of 254 for 7 before eventual 86-run win over Bermuda.

Image (left) - Aditya Thyagarajan in action against Canada in 2008. [Courtesy: ICC]

November 29, 2008: Enters match at 59 for 4, builds 105-run partnership with Orlando Baker for the seventh wicket. Top score of 84 not out in total of 201 for 8 in USA’s eventual 81-run win over Canada.

February 10, 2010: Enters match at 11 for 5 in fourth over, builds 99-run unbeaten partnership with Orlando Baker for the seventh wicket. Top score of 72 not out in 78-run loss to Ireland at ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.

February 23, 2010: Enters match at 55 for 5 in 23rd over, builds 118-run partnership with Carl Wright for the sixth wicket. Builds 80-run unbeaten partnership with Rashard Marshall for seventh wicket. Top score of 83 not out in USA’s 66-run win over Jersey.

February 26, 2010: With USA needing 163 to win in 50 overs, enters chase at 112 for 5 in 29th over. Builds 47-run unbeaten partnership with Sushil Nadkarni for the sixth wicket. Scores 18 not out in five-wicket win over Nepal amidst crowd rioting.

May 28, 2010: Enters match at 91 for 4, builds 213-run partnership with Orlando Baker for the fifth wicket. Top score of 159 in total of 347 for 6 in USA’s eventual 119-run win over Argentina.

June 6, 2010: With USA needing 101 to win in 20 overs, enters chase at 60 for 4 in 10th over. Builds 37-run unbeaten partnership with Carl Wright for the sixth wicket. Top score of 27 not out as USA wins ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 title over Canada by five wickets with nine balls to spare.

August 20, 2010: Enters match at 17 for 5 in fifth over, builds 84-run partnership with Lennox Cush for the sixth wicket. Builds 205-run unbeaten partnership with Rashard Marshall for the seventh wicket. Scores 102 not out in total of 306 for 6 before eventual 196-run win over Argentina.

Call him the Iceman, the Insurance Policy, the Stick of Glue… call him whatever you want, Thyagarajan was USA’s middle order. USA hasn’t been the same since he went down with a dislocated right knee against Denmark in Hong Kong more than a year ago at ICC WCL Division Three. He’s progressed enough in rehab to be playing club cricket for Hollywood CC in the SCCA, but he needs to get 100% fit and back into a USA uniform for ICC WCL Division Four. USA is a different team with him in the lineup and the younger players can learn a huge amount by observing him and the way he approaches each innings.

The return of Steve Massiah: Massiah has never been a good performer in Twenty20 cricket so it’s doubtful he would have caused a change in fortunes for USA had he been with the squad in the UAE. However, he still offers value to USA in the 50-over format. Now that his legal matter has been resolved, it opens the door for him to come back and bolster USA’s middle order for WCL Division Four.

With Massiah and Thyagarajan in the lineup, USA should feel more confident about its chances of progressing from Division Four - where they'll be up against Denmark, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore and Tanzania - back into Division Three. The four teams in Division Three awaiting the two sides to get promoted from Division Four are Bermuda, Italy, Oman and Uganda. On paper, Division Four is going to be more difficult than Division Three. USA will need all hands on deck to progress out of Division Four and Massiah will be one of the players who has to step up.

Finding a wicketkeeper: Since 2010, USA has used Carl Wright, Orlando Baker, Ashhar Mehdi, Steven Taylor, Ritesh Kadu, Akeem Dodson and Nauman Mustafa in the specialist position. Taylor was forced into the role on this tour when it wasn’t the original plan, but he is not a long term solution and should only be used to keep wicket in emergency situations. Otherwise, Taylor should be playing as a specialist batsman.

USA’s handling of Mustafa on this tour was reminiscent of their handling of Durale Forrest in Hong Kong. The coaching staff killed Mustafa’s confidence by dropping him and handing the gloves over to Taylor rather than show faith in Mustafa after a rough first game behind the stumps against Uganda. Forrest didn’t even get the benefit of a game before his confidence was shattered. He had to watch as a 46-year-old assistant coach was added to the roster and walked right into the starting XI before he could even make his debut.

USACA has also done wonders to put a major dent in Akeem Dodson’s development. The 24-year-old won the Best Wicketkeeper Award at the ICC Americas tournament in July, but USACA sent invitations out to a half-dozen other wicketkeepers for January’s selection camp. Mustafa succeeded in knocking the incumbent out, but couldn’t cement his position once on tour and that caused a major headache for the squad during and after the tournament. It's highly likely that USA will be going back to the drawing board once again for a different wicketkeeper when WCL Division Four comes around after Mustafa's underwhelming performance in the UAE.

The bottom line is someone needs to step up to fill the role ahead of WCL Division Four. The wicketkeeper position figures to be one of at least two roster spots in the team up for grabs heading into the senior team’s next international commitment. Adil Bhatti might be able to fight off a few challengers to remain in the squad, but if Timroy Allen or Rashard Marshall show interest in recommitting themselves to the national team, they would be too difficult to pass up. Here’s a projected lineup for USA at Division Four with two roster spots left unnamed.

1. Steven Taylor
2. Aditya Mishra (vice-captain)
3. Sushil Nadkarni (captain)
4. Steve Massiah
5. Aditya Thyagarajan
6. Orlando Baker
7. Wicketkeeper - Up for grabs
8. Elmore Hutchinson
9. Usman Shuja
10. Abhimanyu Rajp
11. Muhammad Ghous

12th man: Ryan Corns
13th man: Asif Khan
14th man: Up for grabs

[Views expressed in this article are those of the author who was present at all of the team's matches. If you have differing views or opinions, we respect those views and urge you to provide your feedback - both positive and negative - in the comments section.]

Another opportunity missed for USA as the Netherlands enters 2012 Caribbean T20

openingbat — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:38:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna

Along the news wire this morning were articles announcing that both Canada and the Netherlands were invited and accepted the opportunity to participate in January’s Caribbean T20 tournament to be held in Trinidad and Barbados. Another way to interpret the story is that two Associate members will be participating in the Caribbean T20 tournament but the USA is not one of them, despite belonging to the same ICC Region where the tournament is being conducted.

This will be the third time Canada is participating in the tournament while it’s the first time for the Netherlands. USA was passed over for the July 2010 event In favor of Canada, which took place only a month and a half after USA had beaten Canada to claim the inaugural ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 championship in Bermuda. In the next Caribbean T20 which took place the following January, Canada was once again invited ahead of the USA. Last November, USACA President Gladstone Dainty was asked why Canada was getting these opportunities while the USA was not.

“I speak with the President of the West Indies board very frequently and the CEO of the West Indies board, a great man,” said Dainty. “That thing with Canada and the T20 or whatever, once again we were preparing to go to Italy at the same time so it made the West Indies board easier, made the decision easier to invite Canada rather than the United States. At the time, we were contacted and we didn’t necessarily decline, but they knew that it would present a financial hardship because you gotta remember the players we have, they’ve got jobs.” The excuse for not getting involved in the tournament last January was that the dates conflicted with USA’s involvement in ICC World Cricket League Division Three, a perfectly legitimate excuse. What is the reason USA hasn’t gotten involved this time around?

It’s doubtful that USA actually received an invite for next January’s event. Why would the West Indies want to sully the reputation of their tournament and lower the overall playing standard by inviting a team that was demoted to Division Four of the World Cricket League this year instead of inviting two teams that are in Division One and participated this year in the ICC World Cup? Not only did USA sink from Division Three to Division Four on the WCL ladder, they entered the most recent ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 as the defending champs on home soil but could only muster a second place finish to a second-string Canada side.

Those less than desirable results are a byproduct of the absence of a clearly defined mission from USACA for USA’s teams and more importantly, a pathway toward achieving such a mission. When Canada participated in the first Caribbean T20, the squad they sent was far from a first choice unit, but they utilized the event as an opportunity to give some of their younger players valuable experience against good opposition. The experience players obtain in events like this and the Intercontinental Cup has gone a long way toward providing Canada a solid pool of players they can call on to fill in and perform without a dip in the overall quality of the team. This was clear from their dominance in Fort Lauderdale over the summer.

KNCB (Netherlands Cricket Board) CEO Richard Cox said that, “Undoubtedly this is another significant move in our preparation for the international playing program,” in regard to the Netherlands getting a chance to participate in January’s Caribbean T20. What is USACA doing in preparation for its international program? They will be playing in the same ICC World T20 Qualifier in March that Canada and the Netherlands are in, but they will be doing it without the same level of preparation.

Some people may argue that there is a plan in place for USA, one which consists of having local players improve their skills by participating alongside and against elite level international players in a New Zealand Cricket backed Twenty20 league that is planned to kickoff next summer. Money acquired from TV rights and sponsorships of the league will then help fund grassroots and infrastructure development to make USA national teams better. There is a problem with part of that plan though. USA’s players are currently incapable of competing in such a league without severely embarrassing themselves. Very few companies will be eager to sponsor a sports league where the source of entertainment winds up being unintentional slapstick comedy when the actual aim was to demonstrate athletic brilliance.

At the tournament awards banquet for the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 in July, Dainty got up in front of the six teams present and reminded everyone that USACA had big plans to start a Twenty20 league with the first match getting underway in the summer of 2012. According to Dainty’s calculations, there would be six teams with about 16 players on each roster. The intention was that half of them would be Test level standard players from overseas and the other half would potentially be Associate players from the Americas region. However, he bluntly stated that he did not feel there were anywhere near 48 players from the region capable of participating in the league without severely bringing down the standard of play and told those present that they needed to step up their games if they wanted to be a professional player with a contract in the league.

So what is USACA doing for its own players to help bridge that gap? What has USACA done since July to help develop players to get them ready to play in this league? What opportunities is USACA creating for its national team to make people confident that they can not only make a serious run in Dubai to qualify for next year’s ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, but also reverse course in the World Cricket League to get USA going in the right direction back toward Division One?

After winning the ICC Americas U-19 championship in February, USACA sat on their hands for months before throwing the USA U-19 team to the wolves against the West Indies U-19, setting the team up for disaster weeks later at the ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Ireland. Do they have a similar plan in mind to prepare players for participation in a Twenty20 league? Play club cricket once a week on substandard fields against out of shape men in their 40s right before facing up against Daniel Vettori and Ross Taylor? How is a promising talent like Hammad Shahid supposed to do anything but come up short in a potential showdown with Brendon McCullum when he’s spending a good chunk of his time helping out at his family’s car dealership?

These things never get addressed because USACA’s administrative tussles continue to get in the way. Instead of using their time to focus on preparing players for success and arranging opportunities for talent to improve, USACA administrators choose to squabble like a group of kindergartners moaning to their teacher because Jimmy won’t share his set of Legos for everyone else to play with. Fans do not show up at grounds to see administrators. They show up to see the players.

USA’s players and fans do not strive to be embarrassed on the field, but it’s happened a few times in 2011 because of the kamikaze approach of the administration and it’s in danger of happening again with teams at every level, first and foremost with the way the women's team is being treated ahead of the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier next month. There’s also the possibility that USA won’t even get the chance to do good or bad on the field next year if the ICC decides they’ve had enough of the board room shenanigans and lay down another suspension. Either way, USA will continue to go in the wrong direction until administrators put players first and develop a plan that gives teams a clearly defined vision with an achievable target to aim for. The Netherlands, Canada and so many other Associate countries appear to have that. There’s no reason the USA shouldn’t either.

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

USA Cricket: 2011 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 Report Card

openingbat — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:37:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna

Team Grades

Batting – C+: Just one half-century in the tournament for USA among the seven produced in the week with four made by Bermuda and two for Canada. Batting was not easy on the wickets used during the tournament, especially on the last two days when the ball was routinely stopping in the pitch. However, one would have expected batsmen to make adjustments by the third or fourth game and with the exception of a few players that didn’t appear to be happening. Only two partnerships crossed 50 – against Suriname and Argentina – an indication of how the team struggled to build and sustain momentum. Certain players need to have their position in the order adjusted… or eliminated.

Bowling – B-: Eight wickets were taken with pace, 24 using spin. The ratio is partially a reflection of conditions, but also indicative of the lack of quality pace bowling depth. The departure of Kevin Darlington leaves USA thin on experience outside of Usman Shuja. Most of the opposition was dealt with appropriately, but the few times that USA’s bowlers came up against a decent batsman who took them on – Canada’s Khushroo Wadia and Bermuda’s Lionel Cann in particular – they seemed unsure of how to react. Against teams with more batting depth in next year’s World Twenty20 Qualifier, they might run into trouble.

Fielding – C-: Never USA’s strong suit, it was once again less than stellar in this event. Whereas the problem at USA’s last tournament in Hong Kong was related to chances being dropped, the major issue in Florida was that fielders weren’t even getting a hand to several chances. In a format of the game which requires fielders to be on their toes at all times, USA was consistently slow in reacting to the ball coming off the bat, particularly fielders on the boundary. The dry cleaning bill for uniforms must have been minimal because it was rare to see someone inside the circle dive or slide in an attempt to cut the ball off from reaching the outfield. Little things add up to make a big difference.

Fitness – C: This is partially tied to the fielding as better conditioned and fitter athletes wouldn’t be having as much trouble in the field as some of USA’s players do. The running between the wickets was ordinary. Weather conditions played a part in some of this with the temperature in the high 80s to low 90s throughout the series combined with heavy humidity. However, USA is not going to get any respite from the heat next March in Dubai and recent history shows that their fitness gets even worse when they enter an international tournament during Northern Hemisphere winters.

Individual Grades

Gowkaran Roopnarine – B-: Turned in the highest score of the event for USA with 59 not out against Suriname and finished second overall on the team in runs scored behind Sushil Nadkarni. Juicy looked impervious against Suriname and Argentina, but flaws in his technique were exposed by Cayman Islands and Canada. Prior to this tournament, the last time he came up against quality bowling was in the 2008 WICB Cup when he scored two runs in three innings. It will be interesting to see how he might perform against the likes of Hamid Hassan and Boyd Rankin.

Sushil Nadkarni – B+: Finished as USA’s leading scorer in the tournament and third overall with 149 runs. There wasn’t a single game where he didn’t make a decent contribution as he turned in scores of 26, 26, 18, 40 and 39 not out. He could have carried on to bigger scores from those starts, particularly against Canada. However, it’s clear that USA would have had a much more difficult time finishing second if he wasn’t there and his presence did wonders for the team. His performance underscored what a colossal blunder the selectors made by leaving him out of the original squad.

Image (right) - Sushil Nadkarni file photo. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket]

Aditya Mishra – B: Came into this tournament brimming with confidence and it showed. Mishra finished third overall on the runs chart for USA and scored most of his runs with graceful batting that befits his Ranji Trophy experience. It’s entertaining to watch him use his feet to the spinners, something rarely seen in the past from previous batsmen on the national team. He looks set to nail down a spot on USA’s roster in all formats for the foreseeable future.

Steve Massiah – F: At this year’s USACA Twenty20 National Tournament, he only batted once – coming in at number five against Atlantic to score 14* – in what appeared to be a gesture to give lesser known players a chance to win a spot in USA’s T20 team. With hindsight, it looked more like an attempt to disguise his shortcomings in this format. In his 13 career Twenty20 innings for USA, his strike rate has never finished at 100 or better in any innings and he’s only crossed into double-figures on three occasions. This week was just about rock bottom for him – scores of 0, 0, 17 and 4 against mediocre competition – and the way he arranged the batting lineup against Canada was bizarre. It’s time for him to step aside and let someone else take the reins in both T20 and 50-over cricket while he takes time to focus on his one-day batting because he simply doesn’t deserve to be in USA’s Twenty20 squad.

Quasen Alfred – C: Scored 14 not out, 20 and 11 in three innings against the three bottom feeders in this tournament. As he demonstrated at the USACA Twenty20 National Tournament, he was capable of blasting the ball over the ropes. He split the webbing between his thumb and index finger while spilling a chance on a diving effort against Argentina and as a result missed the final two games against the top two bowling attacks. It would have useful to see how he would have measured up to Canada’s attack.

Akeem Dodson – C+: Finished with 28 runs in limited opportunities with the bat. Gave a nice boost to the team’s total at the end of the innings against Argentina, but failed against Canada and got out playing a mindless shot when he had a chance to open against Bermuda. His main responsibility was behind the stumps where he kept very well with the exception of four byes he conceded standing back to the pace of Allen in the match against Cayman Islands. He won rave reviews from tournament officials for the way he hustled after the ball when it was played to a vacant area in the circle. When that was combined with his two catches and four stumpings, it led to him winning the award for Best Wicketkeeper at the tournament.

Timroy Allen – C+: He took four wickets against Cayman Islands in impressive fashion but failed to follow that up with anything significant and only had one more wicket on the week. His economy rate was solid though and he did a great job to restrict teams in the power play overs while bowling a variety of pace and spin. On the batting side, he came in at number six against Canada with the pressure on to hit fours and sixes but couldn’t get the job done. Allen finished with 30 runs in three innings at an average of 15. More is expected of him at the crease.

Orlando Baker – C: For the second tournament in a row, his talents were underutilized. The only time he got a proper chance to bat was against Bermuda when he scored 15 not out on a difficult wicket to help Nadkarni get USA across the line. With the ball, he only bowled nine overs and took four wickets, but three of those came against Canada at a crucial time in the match. It’s clear that Baker loves to be loved because when he’s given responsibility, he responds by shining brightly. However, when he’s pushed into the background, his body language becomes poor and it rubs off on some of the other players.

Bhim George – A: It’s hard to imagine having a better debut than what the left-arm orthodox spinner did in Florida. George finished on top of the leaderboard at the tournament with 13 wickets, four clear of Canada’s Zahid Hussain, and also had a phenomenal 4.16 economy rate. He produced one of only two five-wicket hauls in the tournament, 5 for 9 against Argentina, and received the Best Bowler Award at the post tournament presentation. The selectors have been criticized for many decisions but they should receive credit for putting George in the team because he was USA’s standout player on the week.

Image (right) - Bhim George file photo. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket]

Usman Shuja – B-: Shuja was stingy in the runs he gave away for the first three games, routinely putting the opposition behind the 8-ball in the power play overs. The pitches were not conducive to pace and as a result he only took two wickets on the week, but he built pressure which allowed the spinners who came after him to strike. His only major blemish was the thrashing he received in one costly over against Canada when Tournament MVP Khushroo Wadia was on strike. The 22-run over completely altered the course of that match and inflated his economy rate to 5.28, but otherwise he was reliable.

Muhammad Ghous – D: For one of USA’s most promising talents, he can also be frustrating to watch. His lackluster performance in limited playing time in Hong Kong was not an aberration. Batting units have caught on to the fact that he doesn’t turn the ball much and in response, Ghous has not done a good job of figuring out how to outsmart them with variations in pace and flight. He took three wickets for 78 runs in 18 overs on the week. His economy rate of 4.33 is acceptable for T20 benchmarks but the scores across the board this week were low so it looks more impressive than it actually was. The major factor as to why his grade is so low is because his fielding has turned into a severe liability for the rest of the team. His poor habits have seen him banished to the third man boundary by Atlantic Region captain Neil McGarrell. Massiah tried to hide him there in this tournament as well, but Ghous missed a very costly chance while fielding at third man on the second ball of Canada’s innings and made a similar blunder at long on the next day against Bermuda. Ghous was a brilliant fielder at the Under-19 level. Those days are long gone. There are better spinners around the country who take their bowling more seriously and can field better too. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to drop Ghous in the short-term to give him a wakeup call he desperately needs. Maybe then he’ll develop a little more maturity.

Japen Patel – Incomplete: Played two games and batted once, scoring 10 against Canada, an innings in which he was lucky not to be bowled first ball. He showed positive energy in the field.

Adrian Gordon – Incomplete: Bowled two overs against Bermuda and got hammered. He gets far too carried away bowling short. He can get away with it at club level against people who think he’s lightning quick. At international level, good batsmen see him as nothing more than medium pace so his short ball is just asking to be smacked around. Once he learns to bowl a fuller length, he will become much more effective.

Samarth Shah – Incomplete: Played one match and took 2 for 16 bowling at the death against Bermuda. Not a bad debut and demonstrated the value of left-arm orthodox spinners.

What the team needs heading into the 2012 World Twenty20 Qualifier

Preparation: This journalist took an 8:50 p.m. flight on Sunday July 17 from Newark to Fort Lauderdale and who did he see walking down the aisle after him but Muhammad Ghous. It’s not the first, nor will it be the last, show of arrogance for the administration to expect players to show up 12 hours before the first match and perform like world beaters. They can get away with it for matches against teams from the Americas, but not having proper preparation against the likes of Ireland and Afghanistan is asking for trouble.

When the team went to Dubai in 2010 for the last World Twenty20 Qualifier, they got to play two warm-up matches against the UAE before the tournament started and wound up finishing fifth after beating Scotland and losing to Ireland and Afghanistan. They’ll need something more significant in terms of preparation prior to leaving for Dubai to have any hope of finishing in the top two in next year’s qualifier. There is currently nothing scheduled for the men’s team between now and March when the Qualifier is due to be held so making plans to fill that gap in the calendar should be a high priority.

USA Cricket: Combined effort by USA spinners backed up by Nadkarni knock in 7-wicket win over Bermuda at 2011 ICC Americas T20

openingbat — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 20:17:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Official Scorecard I Ball-by-Ball Commentary

USA’s spinners took all seven wickets to fall in the field before Sushil Nadkarni grinded his way to 39 not out as USA defeated Bermuda by seven wickets on Saturday morning at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida, at the 2011 ICC Americas Division One T20 tournament. Nadkarni was named Man of the Match and finished as USA’s highest scorer on the week with 149 runs at an average of 37.25. USA clinched second place in the tournament with a 4-1 record while Bermuda winds up in third place at 3-2. Both teams have qualified along with Canada for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE.

"I feel pretty good," said Nadkarni. "There is work to do for myself moving forward when we go to Dubai, I promised the team I'm going to come back much fitter and leaner because the challenge is going to be much more but overall I feel happy. I'm a big guy on statistics myself so I knew exactly how much I had scored and what my average is. Being dropped from the team initially, I think it's motivated me a lot. So I'm back as a very motivated player for the team."

USA won the toss and sent Bermuda in to bat first on a difficult batting wicket. It didn’t appear that way initially though as opening batsman Lionel Cann continued his prolific form in this tournament by cracking six boundaries in the first six overs. Cann scored all 32 of his runs before anyone else scored a run off the bat for Bermuda.

Bermuda’s first wicket fell at 21 in the fourth over when Oronde Bascome was beaten in flight by a Timroy Allen off-break and was out stumped for a duck. Cann got carried away against left-arm spinner Bhim George and walked across his stumps to play a paddle sweep but missed to be bowled behind his legs off the second ball of the seventh over to make it 36 for 2. George struck again for his 13th wicket on the week in the 11th over when he bowled Fiqre Crockwell for 9 as Bermuda slumped to 51 for 3.

David Hemp and Dennico Hollis tried to rebuild the innings but USA’s spinners kept the pressure on as scoring continued to be difficult on an up and down pitch. They added 24 for the fourth wicket before Hemp was bowled by Ghous for 18. Two balls later, Hollis sent a return catch to Ghous to leave for 10 as USA kept the pressure on at 76 for 5 in 16.

Left-arm spinner Samarth Shah took two wickets on debut as Kamau Leverock and Rodney Trott were both caught trying to clear the midwicket boundary to make it 85 for 7 in 19. Samuel Robinson and Joshua Gilbert then added six runs in the final over to take Bermuda to 91 for 7 in their 20 overs.

Akeem Dodson opened the chase with Nadkarni after Gowkaran Roopnarine was left out of the lineup and the two added 29 for the first wicket before Dodson pulled a short delivery from Damali Bell straight to the man at deep square leg for 5. Aditya Mishra came in and should have been out in similar fashion but could not make the most of a second life when he chipped a return catch to off-spinner Gilbert and walked off for 10. USA captain Steve Massiah came to the crease but didn’t stay for long as he was dismissed LBW for the third time this week, gone for 4 to Gilbert to make it 47 for 3.

Nadkarni was joined by Orlando Baker and the two rotated the strike with relative ease for the next eight overs to knock off the runs for USA. Baker survived a botched stumping on 5, but finished 15 not out as Nadkarni walked off unbeaten with him after the winning runs were scored off a leg side wide.

In addition to the six ODI Associate nations who automatically qualify for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, Bermuda and the USA will be joined by Italy and Denmark from Europe, Namibia and Uganda from Africa, Papua New Guinea from East Asia-Pacific and the top three finishers not including Afghanistan from the Asian Cricket Council Twenty20 tournament due to be held in Nepal this December.

USA Cricket: Middle order failure dooms USA in 10-run loss to Canada at 2011 ICC Americas T20

openingbat — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 04:52:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Scorecard I Ball-by-Ball Commentary

After surviving an early onslaught from opening batsman Khushroo Wadia, USA bowled Canada out for 131 but a failure to accelerate in the middle overs doomed USA’s chase as they lost by 10 runs to Canada on Friday night inside the Central Broward Regional Park stadium at the 2011 ICC Americas Division One T20 tournament in Lauderhill, Florida. Wadia was named Man of the Match after top scoring on the evening with 56 in 35 balls including eight boundaries and a six.

“Khushroo was batting well throughout the innings and throughout the week,” said Canada captain Jimmy Hansra. “Khushroo’s been having amazing form. He’s helping us out for sure in the top order. Today we had a bit of a collapse in the middle that tells you about the inexperience in the squad, but we fought back hard. It’s low total games here in Florida. Unfortunately the wickets aren’t suitable for T20 cricket, but we battled hard, we fielded well and I think that’s when the young squad comes in handy.”

Canada won the toss and elected to bat first in the late afternoon sun. Wadia and Jason Sandher got Canada off to a brilliant start with a 72-run opening stand that could have potentially been nipped in the bud before a run was put on the board. Sandher slashed the second ball of the innings from fast bowler Usman Shuja high in the air toward Muhammad Ghous on the third man boundary, but Ghous reacted poorly to the ball coming off the bat and it eventually landed a few yards to his right before bouncing over the rope for four. It was a harbinger of things to come as USA’s fielding on the evening remained lackluster with several half-chances left on the table.

In the fifth over, Wadia feasted on Shuja’s bowling for 22 runs, punishing the USA pacer for straying in line by hitting four of the five boundaries in the over on the leg side. Left-arm spinner Bhim George finally broke the stand on the last ball of the ninth over by clean bowling Sandher for 23 with one that kept low. Wickets fell fast and furious for the rest of the innings as the next nine partnerships combined to produce fewer runs in the last 11 overs than Wadia and Sandher did in the first nine.

Image (right) - Khushroo Wadia was named Man of the Match for his 56 in 35 balls, with eight fours and one six. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket]

Wadia crossed 50 in 32 balls during George’s next over, bashing a six over long on but George got revenge three balls later as Wadia chipped a half-tracker straight back to the spinner, who held on to a low return catch. Ghous claimed his first wicket of the tournament bowling Hansra for 9. George took his third when he had Usman Limbada stumped by Akeem Dodson for 1 to make it 99 for 4 and Jonathan Snow holed out to deep midwicket off the bowling of Orlando Baker to make it 107 for 5 in the 15th.

Trevin Bastiampillai and Hamza Tariq tried to reestablish momentum for Canada as their 18-run stand for the sixth wicket was Canada’s second largest of the innings. However, their partnership ended when Bastiampillai was foolishly run out for 22 trying to steal a run off a misfield. Canada could only add six runs for the final four wickets as Baker claimed two more while Steve Massiah took one and then ran out Grant Broadhurst off his own bowling to wrap up the innings four balls early as Canada was bowled out for 131 in 19.2 overs.

USA’s chase got off to a rocky start when Gowkaran Roopnarine was clean bowled without scoring by medium pacer Satsimranjit Singh Dhindsa to make it 3 for 1 in the first over. Sushil Nadkarni was then joined by Aditya Mishra and USA’s two most impressive batsmen this week added 39 for the second wicket in 6.1 overs before Hansra’s off-spin had Mishra out caught for 19 when a massive inside edge ricocheted off Mishra’s pads straight to Grant Broadhurst at short third man.

While Nadkarni played fluently at the other end, Massiah came in and struggled to time the ball, scoring 3 runs off his first 11 deliveries. Nadkarni started to display more aggression to keep the scoring rate healthy, launching leg-spinner Junaid Siddiqui into the stands twice as part of a 16-run 12th over to make it 75 for 2. It was USA’s only double-digit over of the innings while Canada did it four times in their turn at bat.

Nadkarni perished for 40 at the start of the 13th when he edged Broadhurst’s medium pace through to the keeper Tariq. With Quasen Alfred sitting out of the lineup, the rest of the batting order lacked the firepower to reach the ropes, let alone clear them. USA only registered five fours in the entire innings and had none from the time Massiah hit one on the fourth ball of the 11th over by Hansra until the second ball of the final over.

Massiah was caught on the boundary for 17 off the bowling of Siddiqui to make it 81 for 4 and Japen Patel was next to go for 10 to give Dhindsa his second. Dhindsa’s third scalp came when he bowled Timroy Allen for 12 and USA’s chances of winning were rapidly slipping away at 111 for 6 in 18.4 overs. Shuja was run out on the next delivery trying to stretch one into two. George then came in at number nine and took a two off the final ball of the 19th over as USA needed 18 to win with six balls remaining.

The door was left slightly ajar by Canada after a first ball wide from left-arm spinner Zahid Hussain was followed by a single from Dodson and a boundary by George to turn the equation into 12 from four balls. However, Canada slammed the door shut when George was caught by Limbada on the midwicket boundary for 6 before Hussain bowled Dodson on the fourth ball of the over for 7 to leave USA at 120 for 9. Number 11 batsman Ghous needed to hit sixes off the final two balls for USA to win but he could only manage a single on the fifth ball, sealing the game for Canada before Baker defended the last ball as USA finished at 121 for 9, 10 runs short of Canada’s total.

“It was a commendable effort by Team USA to get back into the game after Canada were off to a brilliant start,” said Massiah. “I thought in the middle overs we lost our way a bit but obviously we’ve seen through the tournament that it gets difficult batting second, especially playing the third game today on this track. I wouldn’t take away anything from Canada. I thought they bowled well in the end and the seamers proved to be a little too much for us.”

USA now stands tied for second place with Bermuda at 3-1 while Canada tops the ladder at 4-0. Bermuda won earlier in the day by 10 wickets over Cayman Islands while Suriname scored their first win of the week as they beat Argentina by five wickets to leave their fellow South Americans winless.

Barring a stunning upset by Suriname, Canada is in line to finish first while Cayman Islands needs to beat Argentina to avoid creating a three-way tie at 1-4 for fourth place. USA takes on Bermuda on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. EST in a battle to decide second place. Live coverage on DreamCricket.com begins at 9 a.m.

USA Cricket: George stifles Argentina with 5 for 9 to keep USA undefeated at 2011 ICC Americas T20

openingbat — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 23:06:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Official Scorecard I Ball-by-Ball Commentary

Left-arm orthodox spinner Bhim George took 5 for 9 to derail Argentina’s chase of 151 as USA won their third match of the ICC Americas Division One T20 tournament by 66 runs on Wednesday afternoon at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. George picked up Man of the Match honors and now has eight wickets on the week to lead all bowlers at the event. USA moved to 3-0 with the win while Argentina lost their third straight.

“I thought the wicket was a little slower and the ball was keeping low, two paced, so I just wanted to bowl one line and vary the pace also and I get the results,” said George.

USA won the toss for the third day in a row and elected to bat on a brutally hot day. Sushil Nadkarni and Gowkaran Roopnarine put on 38 runs for the first wicket in 5.2 overs before Nadkarni was bowled for 18 to give medium pacer Gary Savage the first of his three wickets. His second came two balls later when USA captain Steve Massiah was given out LBW without scoring for the second day in a row after being struck on the toe by a yorker.

Roopnarine was joined by Aditya Mishra and the pair produced a half-century stand to reestablish control for USA. Roopnarine reached 40 and Mishra top scored with 41 before both men were bowled by medium pacer Alejo Tissera. The 20-year-old disturbed Timroy Allen’s stumps to claim his third, reducing USA to 124 for 5 in the 17th over as Allen walked off for 8.

Quasen Alfred fell in the next over, caught for 11 slogging off-spinner Donald Forrester to Pablo Ryan on the midwicket rope. Orlando Baker was bowled by Ryan’s medium pace for 2 to end the 19th before Akeem Dodson provided a late burst, hitting three boundaries, until he was caught in the deep for 16 on the final ball of the innings off the bowling of Savage as USA finished at 150 for 8.

Usman Shuja set the tone in the field for USA with a stingy opening spell that included the first breakthrough as he trapped Hernan Williams in front of the stumps for 11 to make it 18 for 1 in the 5th over. Things stayed quiet for the next few overs until Bhim George put his stamp on the game.

In George’s second over, he had Ben Precious out LBW for 13 and followed that by bowling Alejandro Ferguson first ball to be on a hat trick. Four balls later he wrapped up the over by bowling opening batsman Pablo Ferguson for 17 to leave Argentina spiraling out of control at 43 for 4 in 11 overs. It was déjà vu to start the 13th as Forrester was bowled for 3 before Tissera was given LBW first ball to complete George’s five-wicket haul while putting him on a hat trick once more.

From there, Savage and Bernardo Irigoyen batted out the rest of the overs to finish not out on 16 and 14 respectively as Argentina finished on 84 for 6 in their 20 overs.

In the morning match, Cayman Islands recorded their first win, defeating Suriname by 7 wickets. Suriname was bowled out for 95 before Zachary McLaughlin led Cayman Islands chase by top scoring with 37 at the top of the order. The target was passed on the last ball of the 19th over. The evening match between Canada and Bermuda was still in progress at the time this article was published.

All teams have an off day on Thursday. USA resumes play on Friday night under the lights against Canada. The match is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. EST start time with live coverage on DreamCricket.com beginning at 5 p.m.

USA Cricket: Allen bags four with pace and spin to lead USA past Cayman Islands by 7 wickets at 2011 ICC Americas T20

openingbat — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:16:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Official Scorecard I Ball-by-Ball Commentary

USA all-rounder Timroy Allen took 4 for 8 in 3.4 overs to be named Man of the Match as USA defeated Cayman Islands by 7 wickets on the second day of the 2011 ICC Americas Division One T20 tournament at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. Allen started off bowling pace and took two wickets in the fourth over to be on a hat trick before returning to claim two wickets in the 20th over bowling off-spin.

"I try to do my best," said Allen. "There's a lot of new faces in the team and we need a lot of intensity in the team. All the new guys, they expect somebody to lead from front and of course one of the senior players is gonna have to play that role. I happened to step up today. The captain's real confident in me."

USA won the toss on a bright, sunny morning and elected to field first, using the same XI that won on Monday against Suriname. Usman Shuja struck first in the third over, bowling Ramon Sealy for 6 to make it 8 for 1. Two runs later in the next over, Allen had Ricardo Roach caught behind by Akeem Dodson for an 11-ball duck before dismissing Pearson Best in similar fashion on the very next delivery.

Image (right) - Timroy Allen file photo. [Courtesy: Daniela Zaharia/USACA]

Steve Gordon and Cayman Islands captain Abali Hoilett pieced together a 40-run partnership over the next 10.2 overs by working Muhammad Ghous and Bhim George around the ground. Gordon finally fell for 26 to George, chipping the left-arm spinner to Sushil Nadkarni at midwicket.

USA captain Steve Massiah took the first of two wickets to make it 53 for 5 in the 15th over when Conroy Wright overbalanced after missing a drive and was stumped by Dodson for 2. Kevin Bazil was run out for 2 in the following over before Kervin Ebanks chipped Massiah to George at long off for 2 in the 17th over to make it 61 for 7. Hoilett left in the 19th over, holing out for 19 to Allen on the long on rope off the bowling of Baker to make it 68 for 8. Allen finished off the innings with two wickets in the final over, bowling Troy Taylor with a flighted off-break before Marlon Bryan played onto his stumps three balls later as Cayman Islands were bowled out for 72 in 19.4 overs.

Nadkarni and Gowkaran Roopnarine opened again for USA, but Roopnarine couldn’t replicate his success from day one as Ebanks trapped him LBW in the second over for 3. Massiah’s stay at the crease was brief after he was rapped on the pads four balls later and joined Roopnarine in the pavilion without scoring as USA made a shaky start at 8 for 2 in the second over.

Aditya Mishra joined Nadkarni and the two former Ranji Trophy players calmly constructed a 48-run partnership for the third wicket. Nadkarni finished with four boundaries in his 26 before he spooned a catch to Hoilett at cover to give Taylor his only wicket. Mishra continued with Quasen Alfred until the target was reached with one ball to go in the 14th over. Alfred finished 14 not and Mishra was unbeaten on 28.

USA’s next match is against Argentina on Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. EST. Live coverage on DreamCricket.com begins at 1 p.m.

USA Cricket: Roopnarine leads USA batting assault in 50-run win over Suriname on day one at 2011 ICC Americas T20

openingbat — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:22:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Official Scorecard I Ball-by-Ball Commentary

Playing in his first match for the national team since 2008, Gowkaran Roopnarine scored 59 not out to lead USA past Suriname by 50 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method on the first day of the 2011 ICC Americas Division One T20 tournament at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida.

“It was easy for me to get physically fit, but what was hard for me was to get mentally ready,” said Roopnarine about the transformation of his game to get back into the national team. “I’m an aggressive batsman and sometimes I get carried away not choosing the right balls to hit. Over the last year I’ve been working on my game basically while working on my fitness, concentration, picking the right balls to hit, know when to get going and when to stop, know when to rotate the strike. By rededicating myself that way mentally besides the physical part, I really believe my game has improved a little.”

USA won the toss and elected to bat first but moments before the match was set to begin, a lightning detection alarm went off and sent the players off for an 85-minute delay. The game was then reduced from a 20-over match to 13 overs.

When play finally got underway, Roopnarine and Sushil Nadkarni got USA off to a scorching start and the team never looked back. The two added 75 runs for the first wicket as Roopnarine reached 50 in 37 balls with five boundaries and a six. Nadkarni did his bit to demoralize the Suriname attack, launching Vishaul Singh over midwicket for a massive six. Nadkarni hit 26 in 15 balls before top edging a slog to deep midwicket where Arun Gokoel took a simple catch to give Sauid Drepaul one of the two wickets taken by Suriname on the day.

Yet, there was no respite for Suriname at the fall of the first wicket as Quasen Alfred unleashed a ferocious assault on debut. He crushed Drepaul for three sixes off consecutive deliveries in the 10th over before being bowled by Sanjay Oemraw in the 11th over for 20 in 8 balls. Timroy Allen came out to bat, in his first appearance for USA since returning from an injury suffered at WCL Division Four last August in Italy, and hit one six in his short stay at the crease before walking off 10 not out as USA finished at 124 for 2 in their 13 overs.

Usman Shuja and Muhammad Ghous contained in their spells without taking wickets as Suriname struggled to get things moving at the start of their chase. It was USA’s fielders who did the most damage with the ball as four runouts took place in Suriname’s innings. The first happened in the second over as Singh pushed a Ghous delivery to Bhim George at mid off where George fielded and fired a direct hit to send Singh on his way for 2.

In the 9th over, George struck twice with his left-arm spin to remove Mohindra Boodram for 25 and Drepaul for 17 while another run out took place courtesy of teamwork between Orlando Baker and George to remove Troy Dudnath for 1. Suriname fell from 42 for 1 to 48 for 4 and the match was sealed for USA. Ghous and wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson teamed up for the next runout in the 10th over before Baker and Allen combined for the fourth runout and sixth wicket. Suriname was 58 for 6 two balls into the 12th over bowled by Steve Massiah when the lightning alert was sounded for the second time and the match was ended.

In the first match of the day, Bermuda beat Argentina by three wickets. Gary Savage was the backbone of Argentina’s innings, scoring 38 before falling in the 20th over as Argentina finished at 93 for 9. Malachi Jones was the pick of the bowlers for Bermuda, taking 3 for 10 in four overs.

Lionel Cann guided the chase from beginning to end for Bermuda, scoring 55 not out in 42 balls with a four and three sixes. Argentina captain Esteban MacDermott took 3 for 9 bowling off-spin. After Rodney Trott was stumped off MacDermott charging down the track on the last ball of the 15th over, momentum was in Argentina’s favor with Bermuda sinking to 65 for 6. However, Cann kept cool and a series of misfields by Argentina relieved some of the pressure at the crease. Bermuda entered the final over needing seven runs to win but Cann hit a six off the first ball from Donald Forrester before smacking another six over midwicket two balls later to bring up his half-century and end the game at once. The match between Cayman Islands and Canada was still in progress at the time this article was published.

USA takes on Cayman Islands on the second day of the tournament in Florida. Live coverage on DreamCricket.com begins at 9 a.m. EST with play set to begin at 9:30 a.m.