USA Cricketer : Afghanistan cricket

USA Cricket: Nadkarni determined to lead the USA from the front at 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier

openingbat — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 08:54:00 GMT

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ICC Media Release

In the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2010, the United States of America (USA) was in the limelight due to its first-ever meeting Afghanistan on a sports field.

In this month's ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2012, all eyes will be on it as it will be led for the first time by 35-year-old Sushil Nadkarni - an attacking top order batsman who in the mid-90s was considered as one of India's most talented and brightest cricketers.

In the 1994-95 season, Nadkarni averaged just under 100 with three centuries and as many half-centuries which earned him a place in the India U19 squad on the 1995-96 tour to Australia where in two Tests, he scored 120 runs at an average of 30.

After moving to the USA in the late 90s to complete his education, Nadkarni celebrated his debut for his adopted country by hammering a fine century (111) against the Cayman Island in August 2006 in the Americas Cup.

Nadkarni was also USA's highest run-getter in his side's successful campaign in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 4 2010 in Ovale di Rastignano, Pianoro, Bologna, with 216 runs from five innings of seven matches at an average of 108. In that event, he also showed his muscles when he clubbed 17 fours and 12 sixes.

In the historic match against, which Afghanistan won by 29 runs, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in February 2010, Nadkarni scored 12 and featured in a 28-run first wicket partnership with Carl Wright as the USA finished at 106-7 while chasing 136 for victory.

"Leading Team USA is an honour for me personally and I want to lead from the front.," says Nadkarni, adding: "We are representing thousands of cricketers in the USA and the expectations are pretty high from the stakeholders out here.

"The average age of the team is about 27 years. We have four new faces in our team – Elmore Hutchinson (left-arm fast bowler), Adil Bhatti (all-rounder), Nauman Mustafa (wicketkeeper), and Abhimanyu Rajp (off-spinner) – while some of our players like Steven Taylor (opener), Ryan Corns (all-rounder), Muhammad Ghous (off-spinner), and Andy Mohammed (left-handed middle-order bat) have come through the U19 programme and have represented the USA U19 in the recent years.

"A lot of responsibility will sit with the senior player group including Aditya Mishra (vice-captain), Orlando Baker (all-rounder), Usman Shuja (right-arm fast bowler), Gowkaran Roopnarine (opener), Asif Khan (left-arm spinner) and myself.

"Everyone is excited to be a part of this high profile tournament," he says.

Nadkarni says his side attended a selection camp in January in Florida and also played in four T20 selection matches. "The team is focusing heavily on fitness at the moment with each player reporting on the progress to the team physiotherapist, Mr. Masood Chik, on a regular basis."

The USA, along with Canada and Bermuda, qualified for the UAE tournament by finishing in the top three of the ICC Americas Division 1 in Florida in July 2011. The USA for the UAE event has been placed in Group B which also includes Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Namibia, Uganda, Oman and Italy.

"We have met Ireland, Scotland, Oman, and Italy before but have not played Kenya, Namibia, and Uganda in the past five years, at least. Nevertheless, we are excited about the tournament and have been communicating with each other on regular weekly conference calls.

"When we arrive in Dubai, we will be playing three practice games before our first game against Uganda on 13 March 13."

Nadkarni says if his side qualifies for the tournament proper in Sri Lanka, then it would be a historic moment in the history of the USA sports and will give a tremendous boost to cricket. "Qualification to the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 would be a historic achievement and a dream come true for the entire nation.

"Much as Major League Soccer went to the next level when the USA Soccer team made the World Cup, the same will happen with cricket in the country."

USA Cricket: Afghanistan's 48-run victory keeps USA winless on Canada tour

openingbat — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:42:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation

Article updated on August 15 at 2:55 p.m. EST

USA lost their third Twenty20 match in three days on Saturday as Afghanistan completed a 48-run win at Maple Leaf CC in King City, Ontario. USA finished 0-3 at the Twenty20 tournament during the 2011 Etihad Summer Cricket Festival while Afghanistan, Canada and Trinidad & Tobago all finished 2-1 with T & T winning the first place trophy based on net run rate.

USA lost the toss for the third day in a row as the opposition batted first to put up a big total that was well out of reach of USA’s understrength lineup. Afghanistan finished with 164 for 9 in 20 overs as Gulbodin Naib top scored with 72. Naib was named Man of the Match for his efforts. Bhim George had the best figures for USA in the field, taking 3 for 24 in four overs with two maidens.

In reply, USA was bowled out for 116. Quasen Alfred top scored for USA with 32 coming in at number five while Charan Singh scored 26 on debut batting at number six. Shapoor Zadran took 3 for 18 and Hamid Hassan finished with 3 for 24 in the field for Afghanistan.

Curiously, Jibran Gul of the South East Region participated in the match for USA despite not being named in the 14-man USA squad according to the official USACA press release. Gul becomes the fifth player – along with Hussain Haidar, Anand Tummala, Japen Patel and George – appearing in this USA squad from the South East Region, the same region that came in last place at the 2011 USACA Twenty20 Nationals.

USA had a day off on Sunday but will begin their two-day match against Canada for the KA Auty Cup on Monday with the fixture ending on Tuesday.

USA Cricket: Tariq spanks USA bowling attack in 72-run win for Canada

openingbat — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 02:37:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation

Canada wicketkeeper Hamza Tariq scored 61 not out in 27 balls as the host side posted a resounding 72-run win over USA on Thursday afternoon at Maple Leaf CC in King City, Ontario. Tariq was named Man of the Match for his bruising knock which included three boundaries and six sixes.

Canada won the toss and elected to bat first as USA took wickets at regular intervals in the early going. Medium pacer Anand Tummala struck twice on debut, getting opening batsman Ruvindu Gunasekera out for 9 and Canada captain Jimmy Hansra out for 1. Sandwiched between those two dismissals was the run out of Tyson Gordon for nought and Canada was 21 for 3 in the fourth over.

Hiral Patel was joined by the big hitting Rizwan Cheema, who clubbed two sixes off Hussain Haidar’s only over. Cheema’s fiery stay was short lived though as left-arm spinner Samarth Shah had him caught for 20 to make it 60 for 4. Shah also dislodged Patel from the crease for 39 and after 12 overs, Canada was 76 for 5.

However, the tail didn’t make an appearance on the day because Tariq and Usman Limbada, two members of Canada’s 2010 ICC U-19 World Cup squad, weathered the storm before launching a vicious assault on Muhammad Ghous, Jignesh Desai and Japen Patel in the final three overs of the innings. Tariq and Limbada managed just 22 runs in the first five overs of their partnership, but hit 13 in the 18th bowled by Ghous and another 15 in the 19th bowled by Desai to bring up the 50 partnership. Not satisfied to stop there, they blitzed Patel for 32 runs in the 20th to boost Canada’s total to 158 for 5. Tariq started the 18th over on 17, but in his final 12 deliveries he more than tripled his score to finish on 61 not out.

Despite getting rocked in the final over, Patel’s figures were not the worst on the day for USA. That distinction belonged to Muhammad Ghous as the youngster continues to drift in the wrong direction. Ghous returned no wickets for 39 runs in four overs.

USA’s chase never got any momentum as Akeem Dodson continuously flailed and missed at Canada’s opening pacers. Japen Patel opened with him but only lasted five balls before getting out for 3 to Khurram Chohan. Quasen Alfred was the next to go, caught by Limbada off Harvir Baidwan for 1. Dodson’s long stay at the crease produced only 22 runs before Cheema got rid of him to make the score 32 for 3 in nine overs. Stuart Mills was out for a duck on debut for USA two overs later as Cheema took his second.

Parth Desai chipped in with two wickets in the middle overs as Tummala gave him a return catch for a second-ball duck before he pinned George Adams LBW two overs later for 2 to make it 45 for 6 in 14. Jignesh Desai arrived in the fourth over at number four for USA and knocked the ball around to top score in the innings with 34 off 48 deliveries, but never threatened to bring USA back into the match. He was finally dismissed in the 19th over by Chohan to make it 73 for 3. Andy Mohammed came in at number eight and scored 21 not out in 15 balls with three boundaries to push USA up to 86 for 7 in their 20 overs.

USA plays Trinidad & Tobago at 3 p.m. EST on Friday in the second day of the Etihad Summer Cricket Festival. T & T lost to Afghanistan by 35 runs in the early match on Thursday. All matches during the tournament are being webcast for free at www.sorkkam.com/live.

USA Cricket: Depleted 14-man squad named for Canada tour

openingbat — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 20:53:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

The USA Cricket Association has announced the 14 players who will be leaving on Wednesday for Toronto to play in three Twenty20 matches beginning on August 11 against Afghanistan, Canada and Trinidad & Tobago as well as a two-day match against Canada. Notable omissions from the squad are Steve Massiah, Sushil Nadkarni, Orlando Baker, Usman Shuja, Aditya Mishra and Gowkaran Roopnarine. It’s believed that the majority of these players were not available because they were unable to get time off work due to the fact USA’s involvement in the series was confirmed only seven days before the first match.

Anand Tummala, Amir Nanjee, Charan Singh, George Adams, Stuart Mills and Hussain Haidar will all be making their debuts for USA. Jignesh Desai, who last played for USA at the 2006 ICC Americas Division One in Canada, has been recalled at the age of 37 and named captain of the squad while Andy Mohammed gets his second opportunity at the senior level after debuting against Jamaica last year.

From the team that finished second at the ICC Americas Division One T20 tournament last month in Florida, Bhim George has been kept in the squad and named vice-captain while Muhammad Ghous, Japen Patel, Quasen Alfred, Samarth Shah, Akeem Dodson have also retained their spots.

No players were selected from either the South West or the Central East Region as Ravi Timbawala and Abhimanyu Rajp continue to be ignored. Nauman Mustafa, who was controversially removed from the T20 squad for Florida, was called but could not get out of work on short notice.

USA Squad: Jignesh Desai (captain, Central West), Bhim George (vice-captain, South East), George Adams (New York), Quasen Alfred (New York), Akeem Dodson (New York), Muhammad Ghous (Atlantic), Hussain Haidar (South East), Stuart Mills (Atlantic), Andy Mohammed (New York), Amir Nanjee (Central West), Japen Patel (South East), Samarth Shah (North West), Charan Singh (Atlantic), Anand Tummala (South East).

Head Coach: Howard Johnson
Manager: Arun Vittala
Physio: Akhtar Masood Syed

USA Cricket: Patel claims 6 & a hat trick to lead USA U19 past Afghanistan U19 by 3 wickets at 2011 ICC U19 World Cup Qualifier

openingbat — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 00:37:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna in Dublin, Ireland

Ball-by-Ball Commentary

USA U-19 medium pacer Mital Patel took six wickets and wrapped up the first innings with a hat trick to help lead USA to a three-wicket win over Afghanistan U-19 at The Hills CC on Monday afternoon at the 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Dublin, Ireland. Patel was named Man of the match after finishing with figures of 6 for 35 and is now the leading wicket taker in the tournament with 13.

USA won the toss and elected to field first and Afghanistan got off to a quick start with 22 runs in the first three overs. A steady rain began to come down after the third over finished but the umpires allowed play to continue and on the first ball of the fourth over, Patel struck for the first time on the day, getting Javed Ahmadi to edge behind for 8 to USA U-19 captain Greg Sewdial at first slip. Before the next batsman arrived at the crease, the umpires took the players off the field for a one hour 53 minute delay.

When play resumed, Patel finished the over by taking the wicket of the new batsman Shir Shirzi, also caught in the slips by Sewdial for a duck. Jodhbir Singh struck next, having Afsar Zazai caught by Cameron Mirza on the cover boundary for 11 to make it 47 for 3 in the 10th over.

Hammad Shahid had entered the attack in the fifth over and bowled a fantastic eight-over first spell, taking 2 for 12 with three maidens. His first wicket was that of Rahmat Sahaq for a duck in the 13th over before he removed opening batsman Hashmat Shaidi for 25, caught at point by Nair on the last ball of the 15th over to make it 60 for 5.

As was the case in USA’s matches against Ireland and Namibia, the opposition was allowed to regroup as Afghanistan middle order batsmen Nasir Ahmadzai and Najib Zadran led a mid-innings revival for their team. Zadran played a magnificent innings of 70 to dominate a 96-run sixth wicket stand with Ahmadzai. The left-hand batsman hit exactly 14 fours and 14 singles in an elegant display before falling to the off-spin of Abhijit Joshi, edging an attempted cut to wicketkeeper Steven Taylor.

With Zadran gone, Patel returned for a third spell and finished off the order. Mohib Paak drove a simple return catch back to Patel for 4 to make it 167 for 8 in the 38th over before Yamin Ahmadzai was bowled for 2 to end the 39th. Number 10 batsman Aftab Alam was caught slogging to Shahid at long on to start the 41st as Patel claimed USA U-19's first five-wicket haul since Gurpreet Sandhu took 5 for 7 against Bermuda U-19 in February.

Nasir Ahmadzai, on 47, crossed while the ball was in the air to get on strike for the next delivery. Ahmadzai also attempted to slog Patel out of the ground but skied a ball high over midwicket where Sewdial ran back to take an excellent catch, giving Patel his hat trick as Afghanistan was bowled out for 183 in 41.2 overs.

Image (right) - Mital Patel poses with the match ball after taking a hat trick and 6 for 35 in the field for USA U-19. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Because the rain interruption took place after the match had started, the Duckworth Lewis calculation for USA’s target became 183 in 46 overs instead of 184. Mirza opened with Taylor, who continued his red hot form by blazing 49 in 43 balls with six fours and three sixes. He got out attempting to flick a single against the turn through midwicket while facing the off spin of Zadran and sent a leading edge to Shirzi at cover who stumbled to the ground but managed to take a one-handed catch anyway to stun Taylor and make the score 73 for 1 in the 15th over.

From there, USA’s scoring rate dropped rapidly as Afghanistan’s captain Shirzi applied tight fields to put pressure on USA. Shirzi moved himself into silly point in the 23rd over and two balls later Joshi tapped a catch straight to him off left arm spinner Abdul Naseri to leave for 10. Shirzi then remained there for Naseri or at short leg for the off spin of Ahmadi for the majority of the rest of the innings.

Mirza departed LBW for 37 in the 32nd over playing back to a full length ball from Ahmadi and Amarnauth Persaud, batting with a runner, lasted only three balls before he edged Ahmadi behind to the keeper Zazai for his second duck of the tournament to make it 128 for 4 in the 32nd.

Sewdial tried to alleviate the mounting pressure with a brief counterattack to notch 28. One ball after hitting his fifth boundary through the covers, he went for another big drive and missed while dragging his back foot out of the crease to allow Zazai time to flick off the bails for a stumping and Ahmadi had his third to make it 149 for 5 in the 36th. Pranay Suri was run out for the second time in three games two overs later for 7 and Shahid got out LBW for 4 to a yorker from Yamin Ahmadzai as USA was teetering at 169 for 7, 14 short of victory.

Afghanistan’s bowling unit lost their nerve though, bowling a series of wides down the stretch, finishing with 21 in all which cost them very badly in the final result. Singh and Salman Ahmad patiently crept their way to the target until Singh cracked a four over mid off on the final ball of the 45th to clinch the second win of the tournament for USA while handing Afghanistan their third loss.

In the other matches of the day, Nikhil Dutta’s century for Canada was not enough as they lost by three wickets to Namibia. Duncan Allan hit his second century of the tournament for Kenya but like Dutta his came in a losing cause as Ireland won by two wickets. Scotland defeated Papua New Guinea by two wickets in a 33-over match. In the only match of the day that didn’t go to the wire, Nepal beat Vanuatu by 159 runs.

After the conclusion of the first week of matches in Dublin, four teams are tied at the top with 3-1 records – Nepal, Namibia, Scotland and Ireland. Canada, USA and Kenya are tied for fifth at 2-2 with USA sixth on net run rate. Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea are 1-3 while Vanuatu remains winless.

Tuesday is a travel day for all teams as the tournament shifts to Londonderry in Northern Ireland. USA’s next match is against Scotland on Wednesday at Eglinton. DreamCricket.com’s live coverage, made possible in part by New Inning Foundation, begins at 10 a.m., 5 a.m. EST in the USA, with the match starting at 10:45 a.m.

USA Cricket: Second Taylor ton takes USA U-19 to 46-run win over Namibia U-19 at 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier

openingbat — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 23:38:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna in Dublin, Ireland

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation I Ball-by-Ball Commentary

Steven Taylor cracked his second century in as many games to lead USA to a 46-run win over Namibia U-19 at North County CC on Sunday at the 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Dublin, Ireland. Taylor was named Man of the Match for his 102 in 74 balls which included 14 fours and four sixes.

USA U-19 won the toss and elected to bat first on a day which featured persistent drizzly rain and overcast conditions. Taylor was not deterred however and put on a 122-run opening stand with Cameron Mirza in which the wicketkeeper-batsman scored 87 of the runs. He brought up his 50 in 33 balls with eight fours and two sixes, the first of which was lost in the brush beyond the midwicket boundary in the fifth over of the match. The stand ended when Mirza played back to a full delivery from medium pacer Christopher Coombe and was given LBW for 14.

Taylor motored along, bruising the boundary boards with his heavy hitting at the small ground. He brought up his century in 68 balls with a single on the last ball of the 18th over. He was caught a short time later in the 20th over driving the off-spin of Justin Baard straight to his brother, Namibia U-19 captain Stephen Baard, at cover to make it 151 for 2.

Image (right) - Steven Taylor acknowledges his teammates cheering from the North County CC pavilion balcony after reaching his second century of the tournament. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Wickets started falling quickly afterward as it appeared USA was heading for another middle order free fall. USA U-19 captain Greg Sewdial was caught at mid on for 24 off Stephen Baard’s medium pace in the 25th over to make it 173 for 3. Abhijit Joshi played over the top of a full delivery from Justin Baard to be LBW for 6 and Jodhbir Singh lofted Justin Baard straight to long on for 2 as USA fell to 188 for 5 after 28 overs.

Number five batsman Amarnauth Persaud was then joined by all-rounder Pranay Suri and the two stabilized USA’s innings with a 68-run stand for the sixth wicket. The two did a much better job of placing the ball into gaps for singles than USA had done as a whole during their first two matches. Persaud finally got out for 40 when he flicked a full toss on his legs straight to Stephen Baard in the circle at midwicket off the bowling of medium pacer Zhivago Groenewald.

Suri carried on for the last eight overs with Salman Ahmad and in the batting power play from the 44th to the 48th over the pair added 32 runs. Another 22 were added in the last 12 balls as USA finished on 312 for 6 in 50 overs. Suri brought up his half-century with a four in the final over and finished 55 not out in 70 balls with five fours and a six. Ahmad remained unbeaten on 21 off 20 balls. Justin Baard bowled a clever eight-over spell varying his flight and pace to finish with 3 for 28 in eight overs.

After a maiden by Ahmad started Namibia’s chase, the opening pair of Wian van Vuuren and Justin Baard showed positive intent by blitzing Ahmad and Mital Patel for 31 off the next three overs. Baard fell in the fifth when he was caught off the bowling of Ahmad at mid off by Hammad Shahid for 13. Pelham Myburgh joined van Vuuren and the two continued to pressure the USA bowling attack. Leg-spinner Gurpreet Sandhu was brought on in the 12th and conceded 17 runs but was able to dislodge van Vuuren for a run-a-ball 43 on the final delivery of the over as an LBW appeal was upheld after hitting the batsman halfway up the pads defending on the front foot to make it 82 for 2.

Three overs later, the rain at the ground intensified enough for the players to be forced off the field with the score at 92 for 2 in 15. An hour delay ensued and when play finally resumed, USA took control of the match with three quick wickets. Myburgh was bowled by a Shahid yorker for 18 in the 17th over before Justin Davidson chipped Suri’s off-spin to Persaud at midwicket for 2. Shahid followed that up by knocking back Stephen Baard’s off stump with a gem for 19 to make it 107 for 5 in the 21st.

Namibia refused to give up though as Gert Lotter and Merwe Erasmus built a 90-run sixth wicket partnership to keep their team’s hopes alive. It was only when Suri returned for his final two overs that Erasmus was pried from the crease when he drove a full delivery straight to Sewdial at cover for 55.

Lotter continued to fight on with Groenewald as they produced a 54-run stand but Lotter finally perished in the batting power play, trying to slog Ahmad down the ground but was caught by Shahid at long on for 67 to make it 251 for 7. Ahmad took his third wicket two balls later when Groenewald was caught by sub fielder Prashanth Nair at point for 25 and it was only a matter of time before Namibia was bowled out.

Patel dismissed Coombe for the ninth wicket and Ahmad finished off the match when Andre Engelbrecht top edged a pull to Taylor behind the stumps and Namibia was bowled out for 266 in 46.4 overs. Ahmad had the best return for USA with 4 for 60 while Suri bowled a crucial spell in miserable conditions to finish with 2 for 37 in 10.

In the day’s other matches, Canada defeated Vanuatu by nine wickets, Nepal cruised past Kenya by six wickets, Scotland beat Ireland by two wickets on Duckworth Lewis Method in another rain-affected match and Afghanistan defeated Papua New Guinea by six wickets. After three days, Namibia, Canada, Nepal, Scotland, Kenya and Ireland are all 2-1. USA is tied for seventh with Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea at 1-2 but ahead of both on net run rate. Vanuatu is the only winless team having lost all three of their games.

USA U-19 returns to action in what is sure to be an emotionally charged contest against Afghanistan U-19 on Monday morning at The Hills CC north of Dublin. DreamCricket.com’s live coverage, made possible in part by New Inning Foundation, will begin at 10 a.m. in Dublin, 5 a.m. EST in the USA with first ball scheduled to be bowled at 10:45 a.m.

ICC Executive Board to reconsider 2015 World Cup format

openingbat — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:28:00 GMT

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The composition of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 will be reconsidered by the Executive Board during the ICC Annual Conference in Hong Kong in June 2011. ICC's decision on April 4, 2011, to allow only Full Members to participate in the 2015 World Cup was met with full-throated protests from the associates and affiliates and the latest announcement by ICC gives hope to countries such as Ireland and Afghanistan.

Today's announcement by ICC confirms recent media reports suggesting that ICC was under pressure to review the decision. On April 9, 2011, PTI, quoting a confidential source, reported that the format for the 2015 World Cup 'could still be debated and discussed at future ICC meetings.'

According to the ICC media release, ICC President Mr Sharad Pawar has decided to request the Board to revisit the issue. Mr Pawar is quoted as saying: "I have given this matter further serious thought and will request the Board to consider this topic once more. I can understand the views of the Associates and Affiliates and ICC will seek to deal with this issue in the best way possible."

The April 4 decision by ICC was seen by analysts as a way to protect the weaker full member teams. Recent media reports have suggested that Bangladesh and Zimbabwe were in favor of a 10 team format as they were not comfortable with a situation where they would be forced to compete with associate teams.

An expanded format might help usher in a meritocracy creating a healthy competition among those countries that are viewed as strong contenders for the top 12 slots. USA's chances for qualification during 2015 are slim and the team's next chance of improving on their present ranking of 26 is not until 2012.

USA falls short of Super Fours with loss to Afghanistan

openingbat — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:16:00 GMT

By Peter Della Penna

A poor fielding effort by USA cost them in the end as they lost by 29 runs to Afghanistan on Thursday at the Dubai International Sports Stadium in their final Group A match at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai. Afghanistan fast bowler Hamid Hassan was named Man of the Match as he cemented the win for his team with 3 for 14 in four overs.

“I didn’t think it’s the lack of preparation,” said Steve Massiah, USA captain, about the team’s fielding. “I thought we’ve done enough fielding drills and stuff but it’s cricket and I guess none of the guys wanted to drop the catches but it happens and it will continue to happen in the sport. We tried to perfect it but just it didn’t go our way today."

Photo on the right (Courtesy Daniela Zaharia): Afghanistan fast bowler Hamid Hassan receives the Man of the Match award after taking three USA wickets to help send his team on to the Super Fours.

"But it doesn’t have anything to do with preparation. Before we were feeling quite well, but a lot of the guys are coming out of the winter months. We haven’t played enough cricket coming into a tournament like this whereas these guys have been playing for the last month or so. So it just goes to show we just need some more preparation and time to be quite honest.”

Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first on a decent batting track. USA’s bowlers did a good job and bowled well after a subpar performance against Ireland on Wednesday, but several dropped chances and numerous misfields came back to haunt USA by the end of the match.

Off-spinner Lennox Cush opened the bowling for USA and struck in the third over of the game, getting Mohammad Shahzad for a duck caught behind by Carl Wright. Noor Ali then combined with Nawroz Mangal to put on 33 runs for the second wicket before Ali was run out for 26 to make it 38 for 2 in the 8th over.

Karim Khan Sadiq then came to the wicket and should have been run out for 2 in the next over, but a mixup between Massiah and Sudesh Dhaniram allowed Sadiq to get back in his crease. He went on to score 25, and was dropped twice along the way, before being stumped by Wright off the off-spin of Timroy Allen. Mangal was run out not long after for 30 to make it 89 for 4. But Mohammad Nabi and Raees Ahmadzai came in and scored 25 and 26 respectively, pushing Afghanistan to 135 for 6 in 20 overs.

USA’s chase got off to a very slow start and as a result, they never got any momentum going to come anywhere close to the target. Poor communication between the wickets also did not help as Sushil Nadkarni and Wright were unsure about when and when not to take singles. Nadkarni eventually fell to the pace bowling of Mirwais Ashraf for 12 and halfway through the second innings, USA was 39 for 1.

Lennox Cush was the next to go for 7, slogging the spin of Nabi to long on in the 12th over, but USA was still in with a chance until Hamid Hassan came on in the 13th over. Captain Mangal saved his trump card until just the right time and on his very first ball, Hassan got Wright to drive one in the air to Nabi at cover, falling for 28 to make it 54 for 3. Wickets then fell at regular intervals as Afghanistan continued to build pressure.

After Nabi got Dhaniram slogging to square leg to be out for 4, Hassan bowled Allen with a yorker for 9 to make it 69 for 5 in the 15th over and it was only a matter of time before the finishing touches were put on. Aditya Thyagarajan was clean bowled for 14 with another full and straight ball from Hassan. Massiah came in at number eight and scored 5 runs while Rashard Marshall was run out for 19 on the second to last ball of the match before USA finished 106 for 7.

“I promoted some guys who I thought at that time, with 12-15 runs per over could hit the ball over the boundary, which we needed some momentum so to speak and I’m more of a batsman who needs some time to get in,” said Massiah when asked why he moved himself down the order.

USA finishes 1-2 and in third place in Group A after Ireland defeated Scotland in the second match on Thursday in Dubai. Afghanistan tops the table at 3-0 while Ireland finishes 2-1 and advances to the Super Fours with Afghanistan as well as UAE and Netherlands from Group B. Scotland finishes last in Group A at 0-3.