USA Cricketer : Abhijit Joshi, Salman Ahmad

USA announces U-19 squad, appoints Robin Singh as coach.

openingbat — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 04:22:00 GMT

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The USA Cricket Association yesterday announced the squad that will represent the USA at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Americas Region Division 1 Under-19 tournament scheduled for February 6 to 13, 2011 at Brian Piccolo and Central Broward Regional Parks, in Lauderhill, FL. The winner and runner-up teams from the ICC Americas tournament will qualify to participate in the ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier Tournament, scheduled for Ireland, in July 2011.

The team was selected from among the boys invited to a selection camp that took place in Florida on January 22 and 23. As expected, four players – Salman Ahmad, Abhijit Joshi, Hammad Shahid and Steven Taylor - who represented USA at the 2010 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand are part of the squad.

Pranay Suri, who took eight wickets in two games at trial matches played in Los Angeles last month including 5 for 28 against South East was also an easy choice. So was Jodhbir Singh, his teammate from North West. Spin bowlers Shayan Abdulghani and Gurpreet Sandhu from South West have both been picked.

Opening batsman Fahad Babar was picked from the Central East along with captain Abhijit Joshi. Also selected were Trevor Singh and Cameron Mirza from New York. From Atlantic, allrounders Kalim Ahmed and Waleed J Karimullah made the team. Atlantic allrounder Mital Patel, who was not among the original list of invitees to the Florida camp is also in the squad.

Mital Patel's name was among those suggested by his region for invitation to the Florida camp. However, his name was not in the original list issued by USACA. According to a USACA board member reached by DreamCricket.com, Mital Patel was scouted by coach Sew Shivnarine during a practice session held at a New York indoor facility. Upon Shivnarine's request, USACA made a decision to accommodate Mital in the Florida camp. Once in Florida, Mital impressed the selectors and was unanimously selected, the board member said.

According to one source, the Florida camp was expanded from the original list published on January 8th and Mital was not the only one to be accommodated. However, the USACA General Manager did not respond to an email regarding additional invitees.

Separately, USACA announced that Mumbai Indians coach Robin Singh (right) has been tapped as a national USA coach replacing Sew Shivnarain. Robin Singh, born in Trinidad and Tobago, spent most of his cricketing career in India, playing in 1 Test and 136 ODIs for that country.

In a media release, USACA noted that Robin Singh's role may eventually be expanded to include coaching USA national teams in other upcoming ICC sanctioned tournaments. Robin Singh coached Deccan Chargers in the inaugural IPL tournament and has helped the India national team as a specialist fielding coach. Singh is not a stranger to cricket in USA, having played for New Jersey Fire team in the inaugural edition of the Pro Cricket League.

USA U-19 Squad:

Salman Ahmad, Abhijit Joshi (Captain), Hammad Shahid, Steven Taylor (Vice-Captain, Wkpr), Pranay Suri, Gurpreet Sandhu, Shayan Abdul Ghani, Fahad Babar, Trevor Singh, Cameron Mirza, Kalim Ahmed, Waleed J. Karimullah, Jodhbir Singh, Mital Patel.

Reserves: Sohaib Choudhry, Krishneal Goel, Akash Jagannathan and Amarnauth Persaud.

Coach: Robin Singh

USA Cricket: USACA schedules U-19 selection camp for January 22-23 in Florida

openingbat — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:16:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

USACA is planning to have an 18-man selection camp later this month in Florida in order to pick a final squad of 14 players for the ICC Americas U-19 Division One tournament due to take place from February 7-12 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to USACA Cricket Committee chairman Krish Prasad, players will be flown to Florida to undergo final evaluation by the selectors on the weekend of January 22 and 23.

“The selectors already saw the west coast guys. Between [chief selector Sew Shivnarine] and them, they know the east coast guys and invite them with the remaining guys that we have leftover from last year and get a 14-man squad with four stand-by players for a February tournament because February’s quickly approaching so we gotta do what we gotta do to get the best possible team,” said Prasad.

An indoor camp had been tentatively planned for January 8 and 9 in New York for players from the New York, Atlantic and North East regions, but that plan has been scrapped.

“The indoor place is not available number one and it doesn’t make sense for us to bring guys in here and then we’ve gotta pick another group of guys to go to Florida,” said Prasad. “We’re going to take about 18 or so guys and have the selectors come over there and pick the team.”

“It’s approximately 18. There might be one or two more guys, but they know who the guys are they’re looking for. I mean they have the guys from last year and they’re gonna invite some more guys and get the 18 guys and have the 14 final players and the four stand-by players,” said Prasad. “We don’t want to bring a whole bunch of guys just to take 14 guys.”

Salman Ahmad, Abhijit Joshi, Hammad Shahid and Steven Taylor are expected to be included in the 18 after participating in the 2010 U-19 World Cup for USA. Prasad said that the final group of players invited to Florida probably won’t be finalized until this weekend due to a variety of eligibility concerns based on age and residency that are currently being addressed by selectors.

Image: Former 2010 U-19 World Cup squad member and South West U-19 captain Hammad Shahid is expected to be part of the selection camp later this month in Florida. [Copyright - DreamCricket.com]

“We were going under the assumption that the cutoff date is September 1, 1990,” said Prasad, referring to the ICC deadline for Associate level players hoping to participate in the 2012 U-19 World Cup and any ICC qualification tournaments leading up to the event. “The cutoff date is no longer 1990, it’s 1991. For whatever reason, we didn’t pay attention to that or we were misled. It’s our own fault. We were going by the wrong dates.”

“Guys like Andy Mohammed, [Regis] Burton and [Kavishwar] Bridgepaul who we thought were going to be included, now we found out they’re not going to be included and of course we have some guys who have not met the four-year [residency] criteria and we don’t want to go through the same scenario that we went through with Neil McGarrell because the ICC seems to be very tough on that.”

A much bigger issue than the confusion about the age deadline is determining who is eligible based on residency. Prasad says that selection decisions are currently being hampered because of unreliable information supplied from the regions and the individual players about their residency status. Players who were believed to be eligible do not meet the criteria after a more thorough examination of documents.

“It’s a whole different ball game when you have to go through the [residency] qualification and guys have not been giving us a lot of correct information,” said Prasad. “A lot of guys said they’ve been here for seven years, they came on such and such a date. Now when we ask them for the proof because Manaf [Mohamed] has to get the proof, we found out that they’ve not been telling us exactly what’s in their passport. So we’re having problems with qualifications.”

“What has been holding us up a lot is the selectors have been going out upon themselves and trying to get information. If you call up certain regional people, they’re telling you this guy has been here for eight years, been here for six years. Now when you get a guy’s information and you call the guy and you say fax me this, this and this, then the guy faxes it and you’ve found out that he’s not been here for the time required. Then who’re you gonna blame? If you gotta pick the guys, you’ve gotta make sure you have the right information before you send 18 guys to Florida and you find four of them don’t meet the criteria.”

USACA stated in a press release on December 28 that 24 players would be invited later this month to an U-19 selection camp in Florida, but apparently the ineligibility of numerous unidentified players has resulted in reducing the number of players that are due to be brought to Florida for the camp. In addition to the players who are too old to compete, there is also a growing list of players that have been found to be ineligible based on the residency requirement.

“Shiv and Abrar [Ahmad] and Sunny [Khan] have been doing a very good job because these guys are constantly trying to get hold of the guys to make sure what they tell them is what they have on paper,” said Prasad. “I know they’ve ruled out about six or eight guys because the guys told them, ‘Yes. We’re good. We’ve been here for six, seven years.’ Then we get information that it’s not true.”

As for the camp itself, Prasad hopes that the players don’t face the same kinds of weather and logistical problems that caused the cancelation of the 2010 Junior Nationals in Los Angeles last month.

“We’re hoping that like everything else, we get good weather,” said Prasad. “The three selectors were told to be there.” The coach and manager for this year’s USA U-19 team have not been appointed as of yet. Prasad said that will take place after the final 14-man USA U-19 squad has been picked.

USA Cricket: 10 players for the future from U-19 trial matches at Woodley Park

openingbat — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 11:16:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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