USA Cricketer : Akeem Dodson

USA Cricket: 2013 ICC WCL Division Three Report Card Part 2 - Player Grades

openingbat — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:17:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

Part 2 - Player Grades

Steven Taylor – C: The 19-year-old started off the tournament in style by posting USA’s second highest score in limited overs cricket, 162 off 102 balls to lead USA to a win over Nepal. Without Taylor’s dominant performance USA might not have won that match. However, he seemed to have exhausted himself in that match. Low scores piled up in the next few games and his confidence wavered heading into the crucial showdown against Bermuda. After scoring a century against Bermuda in a T20 encounter last March in Florida, Taylor was out for 9 against them in the round-robin encounter in Bermuda.

With the pressure off the next day in the third place game, he set about rebuilding his confidence with 97. His huge score against Nepal helped place him atop the tournament run charts after the round-robin stage and his half-century against Bermuda on the final day guaranteed him the same position at the end of the tournament. Unfortunately, he lacked consistency from game to game. Still, USA should not have had to rely solely on Taylor to score runs to register a win over Uganda or Bermuda.

As for his wicketkeeping/fielding skills, Taylor was as likely to hold onto a chance as to put one down. He took six catches and had three stumpings with the gloves on, but DreamCricket.com’s unofficial stats show he also dropped six chances – five behind the stumps and one in the outfield. In T20s, it appears that Akeem Dodson may get more of the wicketkeeping workload to keep Taylor fresh but in the 50-over game Taylor is the preferred option to keep the batting solid. USA won’t be playing a 50-over ICC tourney for at least two years but if they want to continue using Taylor as a keeper instead of a specialist batsman in that format then he needs to work very hard to improve his glovework, not to mention his fitness, to be able to make it through tournaments better.

Orlando Baker – C: The allrounder opened the batting with Steven Taylor on three occasions, producing mixed results. He provided solid support for Taylor on the opening day with 37 as part of a 125-run first-wicket stand, USA’s highest ever partnership against Nepal. Combined with the 156-run third-wicket stand those two had against Bermuda in the third place playoff, they generated the two highest partnerships by any team in Bermuda. He also combined with Akeem Dodson for an important 82-run third wicket stand in their round-robin game.

While he was a very good partnership builder, Baker didn’t enjoy the same amount of success individually. He made 2 against Italy, then scored 20 while facing up to the unenviable task of taking on Oman opening pacer Munis Ansari, before wrapping up the group stage with 1 against Uganda and 29 against Bermuda. He finished with 89 runs at 17.80 after the group stage. In the playoff match, he made 72 and in the process became the third USA player to pass 1,000 career runs in 50-over cricket.

Image (right) - Orlando Baker bowling at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three. He was USA's most economical seam bowler at the tournament. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

With the ball he was a very restrictive bowler and finished with USA’s second best economy rate, 3.46. He only took one wicket, but had two other chances grassed off his bowling. The conditions against Bermuda on the final day of round-robin play were perfect for Baker’s style of bowling, but USA captain Steve Massiah never gave him the ball, a very curious decision. USA coach Thiru Kumaran stated after the tournament that if he was the captain, he would have definitely given the ball to Baker during Bermuda’s chase. It’s a choice USA may regret for quite a while.

Steve Massiah – D: This is a combination of a C+ for batting and an F for captaincy. Massiah’s highest score was a handy half-century against Italy. After being dropped on 0 off Ansari, Massiah’s 39 against Oman was vital not just for the runs on paper but because he was able to shield the middle and lower order from Ansari’s pace. He top-scored with 24 in USA’s dreadful display against Uganda and then collapsed when the pressure was on in the final round-robin encounter against Bermuda where he was dismissed without scoring. He ended group play with 125 runs at an average of 25.00, then was out first ball in the third place playoff against Bermuda.

His tactical decisions sometimes left a lot to be desired and in some ways were eerily similar to some of the decisions made when USA flopped in Hong Kong at 2011 ICC WCL Division Three. After walking down the pitch in a pressure situation and getting stumped for nought batting at number eight against Oman, Japen Patel was sent in to open in the next game against Uganda. It was as if team management was saying, “We’re afraid this player might fail if he has to enter in a pressure situation later on down the order, so in order to avoid that we’ll send him in to open. Any runs he scores will be a bonus for the team and if he gets out cheaply opening the innings then at least we still have plenty of batsmen to recover.” Disrupting the roles and responsibilities of multiple players to accommodate one player is never a recipe for success. USA proved this by sending Lennox Cush in to open after repeated middle order failures in Hong Kong. USA’s chances for victory against Nepal at Division Four in Malaysia last year were also submarined when Timroy Allen was moved up to number three in the order to shield Massiah, who had been struggling against spin bowling. When USA needed a late surge in that match against Nepal, their best lower order power hitter was back in the pavilion instead of ready to come to the crease.

In the last round-robin match against Bermuda, several strategic errors were made. Slotting Patel in to bat at number nine and not having him bowl was a strange maneuver. Naseer Jamali or Danial Ahmed as specialist bowlers would have been much better options instead of a batsman at number nine. After conceding 20 runs in his only over, Massiah refused to give Hutchinson an opportunity to atone even though he had been USA’s second best wicket-taker coming into the match. Meanwhile, Timroy Allen, who had been struggling with the ball all tournament, was hit for 27 runs off his fourth over but was still brought back for two more spells, albeit bowling spin instead of pace. Allen finished with 1 for 63 off 10 that day.

Massiah also ignored the experienced Orlando Baker, USA’s second most economical bowler in the tournament. Baker is tied for fourth all-time in the wicket-takers list for USA in one-day cricket and has a reputation as a cagey seamer with a nagging line and length that most teams find difficult to score off. Massiah opted to bowl himself instead of Baker. Few, if any other captains, would have tossed the ball to Massiah in those circumstances but he stubbornly bowled himself. With USA needing to keep Bermuda under four an over, he finished with a spell of 1 for 41 in eight overs. Even with only 220 to defend, USA should have beaten Bermuda that day. A combination of poor fielding and poor decision-making before and during the match cost USA not just that game, but a spot in the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier.

Sushil Nadkarni – B-: USA’s vice-captain stepped up with a key 73 to bolster USA in a win over Italy and was part of three half-century stands in the tournament, one against Nepal and another two against Italy. He was sent in above Massiah to try to deal with Ansari’s pace against Oman and managed just 7 before making another low score after arriving in the middle order in difficult conditions against Uganda.

Image (left) - Sushil Nadkarni knocks one into the off side against Italy. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Nadkarni took three catches, including the catch of the tournament for USA against Uganda. USA missed him badly against Bermuda when he had to sit out the final two matches of the tournament with a nerve problem in his left leg, especially since Nadkarni had scored a century against Bermuda in the trial matches in March in Florida ahead of Division Three. He finished the tournament with 114 runs at an average of 28.50, fifth on the team in Bermuda.

Rashard Marshall – B: The middle order batsman produced one of USA’s best ever performances under pressure against Oman. Entering in the 10th over with USA 37 for 3, Marshall survived a missed runout chance early in his innings and went on to make Oman pay, cracking four boundaries and six sixes on his way to finishing 72 not out and taking USA to a two-wicket win. He arrived at a stage against Bermuda where he needed to take USA to a much bigger total but he got into a mixup with Barrington Bartley which ended with Marshall going back to the pavilion for 5.

Marshall finished fourth overall in runs and average at the tournament for USA with 128 at 32.00. He took an outstanding one-handed catch against Bermuda, but also grassed three other chances which is unusual for someone of his fielding ability. It was a decent comeback tournament for Marshall after not playing for USA in over two years.

Timroy Allen - C: Like Taylor, Allen was hot with the bat early in the tournament before cooling off later on. He scored two half-centuries in USA’s first two matches, 67 not out against Nepal followed by 51 not out against Italy. Unfortunately, he only scored 24 runs in the other four matches. He played a foolish shot to get out against Uganda, slogging to deep square leg after Baker had gotten out in the same manner a short time earlier. Against Bermuda he reached 19 before being caught on the boundary which hampered USA’s efforts to post a bigger score. Like Taylor, it would be unfair to pin USA’s batting failures at the back end of the tournament on Allen when several players never produced in any game.

With the ball he was a disappointment, taking four wickets at an average of 51.75 with an economy rate of 5.17 during the group stage. He went for more than five an over against Uganda, taking 2 for 37 in seven overs when Uganda only made 175, and was smacked for 27 off one over against Bermuda before finishing with 1 for 63 in 10. A bigger burden was placed on Allen to perform with the ball in the absence of the experienced Usman Shuja but Allen did not respond very well.

Image (right) - Timroy Allen, pictured in action against Uganda, struggled to take wickets in Bermuda. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Barrington Bartley – D: Undoubtedly the poorest performing player on tour. There were high expectations for Bartley after his whirlwind century against Bermuda in a trial match against them in March. He assumed a key middle order role for USA in Bermuda but did not deliver once. Bartley came to the crease at the 37th, 45th, 34th, 26th, 31st and 38th over mark during USA’s six games in Division Three. He was never able to remain until the end of the innings. His longest stay at the crease lasted just 20 deliveries when he made 21 but also contributed to the runout of Marshall against Bermuda. His one redeeming moment with the bat came against Oman when he struck two sixes and a four in his short stay to take USA within seven runs of victory before Marshall and Hutchinson finished the job. The largest partnership Bartley contributed to was a 29-run sixth wicket stand in the round-robin match against Bermuda. Overall, he looked like a Twenty20 slogger who seemed unsure how to approach a 50-over innings, especially during difficult situations.

With the ball he was mediocre, taking three wickets during the group stage at an average of 39.66 and an economy rate of 4.40. He was arguably USA’s best bowler in a losing effort against Uganda, taking 1 for 25 in 10 overs. After his failures with the bat, he had one more chance to save face with the ball against Bermuda but he mixed in boundaries with dots and could not sustain pressure long enough to keep them at bay. He was okay as a fielder but did not do enough with bat or ball.

Neil McGarrell – A-: One of the few players who can hold their head up high after coming back from Bermuda, McGarrell performed at a consistently high level in what may turn out to be his only ICC tournament in a USA uniform. He was USA’s leading wicket-taker and finished the group stage tied for the tournament lead in wickets with 12 at an average of 14.58 and an economy rate of 3.55. He only bowled one truly bad over the entire tournament when he was swept for three boundaries by Laurence Sematimba of Uganda.

He could’ve been even more productive with the ball had five catches not been put down off his bowling, although one of those was a return chance he was responsible for. In the field, he took one catch but managed to shell three chances overall, including a crucial chance off Christopher Douglas at slip when the Bermuda wicketkeeper was on 64. It was the only blemish on his gritty performance that day when he scored 45 not out at number seven and then took 1 for 21 in 10 overs while bowling with a severe quadriceps strain that he suffered near the end of his innings while trying to turn a two into three for Patel.

Japen Patel – C-: USA’s selectors and management have clearly identified Patel as a player they want to develop, but they have demonstrated a bizarre method of doing it. The selectors could be heard in Florida in March talking up his bowling skills as a reason for his inclusion but Patel only bowled a total of seven overs in the tournament, taking two wickets against Oman. It was hard to classify him as a specialist batsman either. He didn’t bat at all against Nepal when USA used eight batsmen, came in twice at nine, once at eight, and opened once during USA’s five group games scratching together 46 runs at an average of 11.50. He eventually added another 34 in the third place playoff against Bermuda batting at number six.

Patel was a player without a clearly defined role. If you were from the opposition, you might be fooled into thinking he was playing for USA as a specialist fielder. Indeed he was an asset for USA in the field, taking two catches and also pulling off two runouts but also spilled two other chances. He was very sharp at attacking the ball and preventing singles from turning into twos while patrolling the boundary.

At the end of the day though, picking someone to bowl one over against Nepal and then not at all against Italy and Bermuda after being penciled in at number nine in the batting order would appear to be a mistaken selection. If Patel is to have a future with USA it would be with his batting, which has improved somewhat since he first made his USA debut in 2011 but still has miles to go to warrant a spot in a starting eleven.

Elmore Hutchinson – B-: Hutchinson had his best tour in a USA uniform and was USA’s best pace bowler on tour. He took eight wickets in the group stage and finished with 10 overall, second behind only McGarrell for USA. His best haul came against Italy, taking 3 for 44 in nine overs, but he also turned in solid figures against Uganda with 1 for 12 in five overs. Hutchinson had a nightmarish over at the start of Bermuda’s chase at the National Stadium, conceding four boundaries to Christopher Douglas as part of a 20-run frame, and was never given the ball again that day.

With the bat he finished with USA’s highest average on tour, scoring 52 runs while being dismissed only once, which says as much about his own batting abilities as it does about the impatience of those batting in front of him. He hit the winning single in a two-wicket victory over Oman and also finished 17 not out off 35 balls against Uganda, the third most runs scored and third most deliveries faced by a USA batsman that day, proving that it was possible to knock the ball around for singles for those with the patience to do so. Hutchinson also had a fairly safe pair of hands on the boundary with three catches while his only drop was a sharp caught and bowled chance. It’s a shame that his next 50-over ICC tournament might not be for another two years because he made solid strides in this event.

Muhammad Ghous – B+: This was one of the more impressive tournament performances of Ghous’ career in the men’s national team. Unfortunately it had to come in what was ultimately a third place finish. He was USA’s most economical bowler and finished with a 3.42 economy rate overall in the tournament. Along with McGarrell’s 10-over spell, the initial eight-over spell by Ghous of 0 for 21 in eight overs against Bermuda was the only thing keeping USA in that match.

Image (left) - Muhammad Ghous was USA's most economical bowler at 2013 WCL Division Three. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

He only took five wickets in the group stage but also had five drops off his bowling in the tournament and batsmen found him difficult to get away. His only subpar match was against Uganda and even then he went for under five runs per over, finishing with 1 for 37 in eight overs. His four wickets against Bermuda in the third place playoff took him to a tie with Allen and Howard Johnson for ninth all-time in the wickets column for USA in one-day cricket with 31. He turned 23 in April so even though USA failed to reach the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier, if they continue to play a 50-over ICC tournament every few years then Ghous may eventually become USA’s highest ever wicket-taker in the format.

Akeem Dodson – Incomplete: The reserve wicketkeeper on tour came into USA’s lineup for the final round-robin encounter against Bermuda and scored a half-century, USA’s high score on the day. He only came in as a result of an injury to Sushil Nadkarni, but USA might have been better served playing him earlier in the tour as a wicketkeeper to allow Taylor to play as a specialist batsman and ease his workload.

Naseer Jamali – Incomplete: Did not play in any of the five round-robin matches and took 1 for 21 in four overs against Bermuda in the third place playoff.

Danial Ahmed – Incomplete: Did not play in any of the five round-robin matches and took 0 for 38 in eight overs against Bermuda in the third place playoff.

Coming up in Part 3 – Outlook for USA’s 50-over future

[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.]

USA Cricket: Bermuda stops USA from reaching 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier with stunning 5-wicket win

openingbat — Sun, 05 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Bermuda (on Twitter)

DreamCricket.com's coverage on site from Bermuda at 2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Three is sponsored by New Inning Foundation.

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

A stunning assault at the start of the second innings from Bermuda wicketkeeper Christopher Douglas was the catalyst for a major upset on Saturday as Bermuda beat USA in ICC tournament play for the first time since 2005, winning by five wickets with 5.2 overs to spare at the National Stadium on Saturday at 2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Three in Bermuda. Douglas was named Man of the Match after blindsiding USA with 89 off 75 balls, including a half-century off 25 balls to take Bermuda to 70 for 1 after eight overs chasing USA’s 220 for 9 and Bermuda never looked back on their way to victory.

The loss for USA denied them a spot in the top two at Division Three and along with it a berth in the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier as Nepal’s rapid 8-wicket chase over Italy at St. David’s Cricket Club took them level with USA and Bermuda on points and past USA on net run rate. Meanwhile the win for Bermuda meant they avoided relegation to Division Four after Oman beat Uganda by seven wickets at Somerset Cricket Club.

“The wicket was a little bit dicey when we batted,” USA coach Thiru Kumaran said after the game. “We thought it would be the same for them but I think it dried out a bit, got a little bit easier to bat. It was a good innings by their opener. I thought we had him caught behind but it was not given and also we dropped like four catches for him and those things made us lose the game.”

USA won the toss and batted first under clear skies but had to go into the match without Sushil Nadkarni, who missed the game with what was believed to be a pinched nerve that was causing numbness in his right leg. Akeem Dodson replaced him in the eleven and scored a half-century, but overall USA struggled without the presence of their vice-captain.

Steven Taylor’s rough tournament since the opening match against Nepal continued when he was dismissed in the third over by fast bowler Malachi Jones, caught at first slip by Janeiro Tucker for 9 to make it 13 for 1. Since Taylor’s 162 against Nepal on the opening day, he has scored 15 runs in four matches. USA captain Steve Massiah was the next victim claimed by Jones, gone for a 10-ball duck edging to Tucker in the slips to make it 20 for 2 in the seventh.

Dodson got off to a shaky start, dropped on 1 at slip by Jones off Tucker, and crawled to 2 off 31 balls as Tucker bowled four consecutive maidens in a disciplined opening spell while extracting sharp bounce off the pitch that troubled USA’s batsmen. Dodson was shepherded by Orlando Baker until the pair finally started ticking over the runs.

Image (right) - Akeem Dodson raises his bat after reaching 50 vs. Bermuda [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

They added 82 for the third wicket before Tucker came back for another spell and dismissed Baker for 27 as the batsman tried to sweep him and a top edge popped up for Douglas to claim. Dodson fell two balls after reaching his 50, lofting off-spinner Jacobi Robinson to Jones running to his right at long off to make it 108 for 4 in the 32nd.

USA’s plans at accelerating to a total in the 250 range were scrambled when Bartley and Marshall got into a mixup attempting a third run that resulted in Marshall being runout for 5. Marshall swept a full ball through fine leg for an easy two with Tre Manders needing to run a long way from deep square leg to cut the ball off. Bartley called late for a third run coming back to the striker’s end. Marshall did not look interested in the run but after seeing Bartley continue to charge in his direction, took off late for the opposite end. Manders relayed a throw to Hemp adjacent to the stumps at the striker’s end before Hemp fired a direct hit to the bowler’s end to find Marshall several yards short.

Bartley got out two overs into the batting power play for 21, caught behind trying to slog 15-year-old left-arm spinner Delray Rawlins to make it 140 for 6 in the 37th. Neil McGarrell and Timroy Allen added 36 across 8.3 overs for the seventh wicket before Allen got out trying to accelerate, caught at long on for 19 to make it 176 for 7 with 29 balls to go in the innings.

McGarrell was joined by Japen Patel and the pair put on 29 runs before McGarrell injured his right leg attempting a third run for Patel in the 49th over. McGarrell’s leg got stuck in the turf while turning for the run and his leg buckled, resulting in a lengthy delay on the field. When play eventually resumed, McGarrell stayed on the field and batted on one leg but the break seemed to stall USA’s momentum and cause a lapse in concentration as Patel sliced the next ball to point to go for 12. Hutchinson entered and was dismissed first ball in identical fashion to Patel off the bowling of Treadwell Gibbons to make it 206 for 9.

McGarrell was able to strike a four and a six in the last over to boost USA to their final total of 220. Jones finished with 3 for 48 for Bermuda while Tucker’s valuable spell resulted in 1 for 30. Rawlins also responded well to a pressure situation playing in his first game of the tournament and took 1 for 39 in his 10-over spell. USA’s total seemed like it would be enough to defend but their substandard fielding, which had been masked by big totals earlier in the tournament against Nepal and Italy, finally came back to haunt them at the worst possible time.

At St. David’s Cricket Club to the east of the island, Nepal had restricted Italy to 127 and with a quick chase on the horizon to improve their net run rate, it was clear USA needed a victory to finish in the top two. Yet, Bermuda sent USA a clear message that they would not be lying down to let their regional partner take a spot in the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier when Douglas blasted four boundaries in the second over off Hutchinson as part of a 20-run frame.

USA jabbed back in the sixth when Allen’s pace claimed Gibbons, caught by Patel running in from mid on for 4 to make it 43 for 1. Douglas came straight back in Allen’s next over with a series of body blows that floored USA, tearing into Allen for three boundaries and a pair of sixes to finish off the over, the second of which brought up his 50. By this point Nepal was wrapping up the chase against Italy in just 14.5 overs, putting them past USA on net run rate and leaving no doubt that if USA lost it would be Nepal joining Uganda at the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier.

The partnership between Douglas and Manders added 52 for Bermuda when Manders was caught by Massiah at slip off McGarrell for 13. The left-arm spinner produced a valiant all-round display and finished with 1 for 21 in his 10-over spell, but USA’s other bowlers failed to give him enough support.

Douglas tired himself out after his early onslaught and was begging to be dismissed as he offered the first of three chances off when on 64, dropped at slip by McGarrell off Ghous. His second chance was offered on 71 off McGarrell, put down by Taylor at long on after the fielder reacted slowly to the ball driven in the air toward him on the boundary. The third chance left on the table came when he was on 82 off Massiah, missed at extra cover by Marshall.

Douglas’ charmed stay finally came to an end in the 31st after a brilliant one-handed effort from Marshall at extra cover off Massiah to make it 139 for 3. With both teams under pressure, it looked like Bermuda might be starting to crack as Hemp ran himself out for 11 to end the 35th, making it 156 for 4.

However, USA’s fielding became more and more ragged as Bermuda stole single after single off them inside the 30-yard circle. Multiple run out chances were missed as USA failed to hit the stumps a single time down the stretch, whether the batsman had made his ground or not. The 41st over bowled by Massiah was the straw that broke the camel’s back for USA.

Bermuda entered the frame at 179 for 4 needing 42 in 10 overs to win. Allen missed a runout chance with Tucker on 15 by throwing to the wrong end on the first ball of the over, after which Massiah called the entire team in for a huddle for a last ditch motivational speech. It didn’t have the desired effect as Ghous dropped Tucker at point on 16 to end the over.

“You cannot drop five catches and expect to win in a tight game,” Kumaran said. “Today we dropped straightforward three or four catches and one maybe a 50/50 chance and there were so many runout opportunities we missed. I think basically you need to be on top of all departments to win a tight game. Today we were a little bit lacking in opening bowling, we didn’t get it right and then with the fielding and catching.”

Bartley conceded nine in the 42nd followed by another 14 given away by Massiah in the 43rd. Despite a brief hiccup with the dismissal of Stephen Outerbridge for 37, Bermuda cantered to victory with the winning run raised in the 45th over courtesy of a wide bowled by Taylor.

Image (above) - Nepal fans were waving the Bermuda flag and vice versa after Bermuda helped Nepal into the top two with a win over USA. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

USA and Bermuda will have a rematch on Sunday in the third place game at St. David’s Cricket Club while Uganda and Nepal will square off for the tournament title at the National Stadium in Hamilton. Oman and Italy, who have both been relegated to Division Four, will play in the fifth place playoff at Somerset Cricket Club. Live coverage sponsored by New Inning Foundation of USA’s final match against Bermuda begins at 10 a.m. in Bermuda, 9 a.m. EST on the east coast in America.

USA Cricket: Taylor's 127 not out caps record-breaking week, USA goes 8-0 at 2013 ICC Americas T20

openingbat — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 23:57:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill, Florida (on Twitter)

DreamCricket.com's coverage on site from Florida at the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament is sponsored by New Inning Foundation.

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

Records continued to tumble on Sunday as Steven Taylor’s 127 not out spearheaded a 77-run win over Cayman Islands to wrap up an undefeated week for USA at the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. USA finished 8-0 with the win while Cayman Islands dropped to 1-7 with the loss and as a result they have been relegated to ICC Americas Division Two.

Image (above) - USA finishes number one at the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

“We really worked hard since we arrived in Florida and the effort that we come here and put out to go 8-0, it’s a big achievement for USACA,” said USA captain Orlando Baker.

Taylor’s second century in as many matches reset his own USA T20 record and took him to 413 runs overall on the week to put him atop the run charts for the tournament.

“It was a dream come true and I’m happy for my accomplishment,” Taylor said. “I had one goal, my main goal was to become the highest run getter…. It’s a big boost for me because we qualified to the UAE and I’d like to do good in the UAE.”

USA won the toss and elected to bat first with no changes made to the side that beat Bermuda on Friday as Elmore Hutchinson and Saqib Saleem nursed injuries while Timothy Surujbally sat out. Taylor and Akeem Dodson opened and set a USA record for the country’s largest partnership in T20 cricket. The pair added 155 in 15.1 overs, breaking the mark for highest first-wicket partnership previously held by Taylor and Aditya Mishra with 78 vs. Scotland at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai and the highest partnership overall which was held by Aditya Thyagarajan and Baker with 99 not out in a seventh-wicket stand vs. Ireland at the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.

Unlike his innings in the first match against Cayman Islands when he scored 95, Taylor’s time at the crease on Sunday was a charmed one with two straightforward chances being put down. The first came when he was on 21 in the fifth over with the score 41 for 0. Taylor top edged a sweep against offspinner Kevin Bazil that went straight to Alessandro Morris at fine leg. Morris misjudged it initially and then reached up over his head while backpedalling before spilling the chance.

Taylor treated Cayman Islands medium pacer Troy Taylor with particular disdain, torching him for a six and three boundaries in the 10th over as he brought up his 50 off just 30 balls in the process. On the first ball of the 11th over, Dodson scooped Ramon Sealy over fine leg for a boundary to break Baker and Thyagarajan’s partnership record.

The partnership finally ended when Dodson missed a slog to midwicket against Kervin Ebanks and was bowled for 46. Baker came out to the middle and for the second match in a row was present when Taylor brought up three digits. Bermuda had another chance to deny him of three figures though just five balls after Dodson got out when Taylor sliced a full toss straight to point but the fielder grassed the chance at chest height.

Instead, Taylor reached his century three balls into the 17th over with a single to the leg side. He scored his second 50 in just 21 balls. Cayman Islands still had three more overs to feel Taylor’s wrath though. The teenager added another three fours and a six in the final two overs before he carried his bat off the field with 14 fours and six sixes at the end of his 62-ball knock. The total of 198 for 1 was a record score for USA in T20 cricket, eclipsing the 193 for 5 USA made against Bermuda in Sharjah at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.

Image (above) - Man of the Match Steven Taylor after breaking his own USA record T20 score with 127 not out vs. Cayman Islands. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna]

“There’s so many things that happened. There’s so many records that has break in this tournament, with the batters and partnerships.” Baker said. “But from a personal point of view, I’m very happy to lead this team, a young team. I get the respect from each and every player, from the managers right down to the guys. When I came here to Florida, I said I’m here on a mission as a captain and a senior player and the mission is complete.”

Cayman Islands never had a chance to chase the total despite a 60-run opening stand between Sealy and Zachary McLaughlin. Sealy was dismissed for 27 by Danial Ahmed in the 10th over and from there wickets fell regularly. McLaughlin was the first of three wickets taken by Ryan Corns, caught by Taylor at long on for a top score of 35. Corns had Ronald Ebanks stumped for 12 before Abhimanyu Rajp got into the act, removing Conroy Wright for 8 through the assistance of a brilliant catch on the boundary by Naseer Jamali to make it 100 for 4 in the 17th.

Corns capped off career best figures of 3 for 12 with the wicket of Kervin Ebanks, caught at deep midwicket by Japen Patel for 12 to make it 106 for 5 in the 18th. The last wicket to fall for Cayman Islands was that of Troy Taylor, stumped by Dodson for 1 in the 19th over, before Cayman Islands finished on 121 for 6.

In the day’s other match, Suriname stunned Bermuda by five wickets to take their record to 4-4 while Bermuda finished the tournament at 5-3 but still finished in second place to join USA as the two teams advancing from this tournament to the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE this November. Tre Manders and David Hemp both made 51 in Bermuda’s total of 144 for 4, but Suriname chased it down with two balls to spare aided by some shoddy fielding from Bermuda. Sauid Drepaul led Suriname with 42.

USA has an off day on Monday before a three-match 50-over series against Bermuda begins at Brian Piccolo Park beginning at 10 a.m. DreamCricket.com will have live coverage sponsored by New Inning Foundation for all three matches.

USA Cricket: Patel named Man of Match, USA grinds out 6-wicket win over Suriname at 2013 ICC Americas T20

openingbat — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 01:32:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill, Florida (on Twitter)

DreamCricket.com's coverage on site from Florida at the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament is sponsored by New Inning Foundation.

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

Japen Patel’s responsible innings helped clinch USA’s fifth win in five games on Thursday as they defeated Suriname by 6 wickets on day four of the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. Suriname fell to 2-3 with the loss while USA strengthened their position at the top of the standings. Patel was named Man of the Match for his 27 not out at number six as USA chased Suriname’s 110 for 6 with seven balls to spare.

“I saw that the wicket was staying low,” Patel said. “I told myself that if me and [Nicholas] Standford can bat on through 20 overs, we can pull through. We just have to play a lot of straight shots and nothing across the line because people before us got out the same way. Our game plan was simple. Look for singles, doubles and when we get a bad ball capitalize on it.”

Suriname won the toss and elected to bat first. USA fielded an unchanged eleven from their win on Wednesday over Bermuda as Naseer Jamali and Saqib Saleem remained on the bench while Karan Ganesh was sidelined with a right knee injury. It was confirmed on Thursday by USA team manager Shoaib Ahmed that Ganesh will not take any further part in the tournament due to the injury. Adil Bhatti is scheduled to arrive on Thursday night in Florida as a replacement player ahead of USA’s pair of matches on Friday against Bahamas and Bermuda.

Romell Douglass and Arun Gokoel opened the batting for Suriname. The pair labored for runs, putting on 40 in 9.1 overs before Abhimanyu Rajp struck as Gokoel was caught at long off by Steven Taylor for 16. Douglass was removed by Ryan Corns eight balls later for 23, caught at long on by Barrington Bartley.

Sauid Drepaul and Shazaam Ramjohn took their side to 67 before Ramjohn was caught at deep backward square leg by Elmore Hutchinson off Bartley for 7. Drepaul was dropped twice, first on 9 and again on 22 before he was run out by a spectacular piece of fielding from wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson. Danial Ahmed bowled a delivery that Drepaul tried to nudge into the off side for a quick single, but Dodson bolted out from behind the stumps, ripped off one of his wicketkeeping gloves and fired a direct hit into the stumps at the non-striker’s end to leave Drepaul stunned as Suriname lost their best batsman for 28.

It was the first of three runouts completed in the field by USA. Vishram Shaw was the second for 3 at the end of the 18th when he decided to take on Bartley’s arm from the boundary for a second run. The throw from long off to Hutchinson over the non-striker’s stumps was on target to leave Suriname at 94 for 5. Suriname captain Mohindra Boodram was out on the final ball of the innings, running on anything from the non-striker’s end only to see Hutchinson field one-handed in his follow-through before flicking off the bails. Rajp and Corns both finished with 1 for 23 while Ahmed bowled a miserly spell to finish with 0 for 15 in four overs.

Taylor and Timothy Surujbally opened USA’s chase with Taylor doing all the scoring in their 22-run opening stand. Surujbally lasted nine balls before holing out to mid off for a duck in the fourth over to Arun Gokoel’s offspin. Taylor made 23 before he was run out for the second time in three matches. The teenager got into a mixup with Dodson and couldn’t make his ground in time at the non-striker’s end ahead of Boodram’s throw from midwicket to Drepaul over the stumps.

Dodson and USA captain Orlando Baker took the score to 49 before the wicketkeeper was bowled for 15 playing across the line to a ball that kept slightly low. Baker made 19 before he fell victim to some variable bounce in the pitch, spooning a return catch to Shaw to make it 69 for 4 in the 12th.

Image (right) - Nicholas Standford drives down the ground on his way to 23 not out. Standford is third on the team in runs at the tournament with 93 at a team best average of 46.50. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Standford was joined at the crease by Patel and unlike the previous day against Bermuda, this time Standford was able to stay until the end as the pair played it safe with ones and twos to take USA closer to victory. There was only one four and one six, both hit by Patel, during their unbeaten 42-run partnership which culminated in a single by Patel over midwicket for the winning run five balls into the 19th over. Gokoel finished with Suriname’s best figures taking 1 for 19 in three overs.

In the day’s other game, Bahamas shocked Cayman Islands by 9 wickets. Cayman Islands struggled to make 122 for 9 in their 20 overs before Marc Taylor slammed 89 not out off 61 balls as Bahamas reached the target in 16.1 overs. Both teams now stand at 1-4 and the fight to avoid relegation to Division Two could come down to net run rate by the end of the tournament.

USA returns to the Central Broward Regional Park on Friday morning to take on Bahamas at 10 a.m. EST. In the afternoon, USA head over to Brian Piccolo Park to play Bermuda at 3 p.m. EST. DreamCricket.com’s live coverage sponsored by New Inning Foundation, will begin at 9:30 a.m. EST.

USA Cricket: Taylor breaks USA T20 record with 95 to spearhead two wins at 2013 ICC Americas T20

openingbat — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:59:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill, Florida (on Twitter)

DreamCricket.com's coverage on site from the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament is sponsored by New Inning Foundation.

Scorecard vs. Cayman Islands I Commentary vs. Cayman Islands I Scorecard vs. Suriname I Commentary vs. Suriname

USA’s 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman Steven Taylor set a record for the highest score in Twenty20 cricket for a USA player with 95 in 59 balls to propel USA to a 100-run win over Cayman Islands on Monday at the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. USA made a clean sweep for the day in the afternoon with a 79-run win over Suriname.

“It felt good because it was a long time playing local cricket and I wanted to play some competitive cricket so it felt good,” Taylor said. “[The wicket] played good. Nothing was keeping low. There was no odd bounce or nothing like that.”

In the morning match against Cayman Islands, USA won the toss and elected to bat first. After an initial setback with the dismissal of Timothy Surujbally for 6, Nicholas Standford joined Taylor at the wicket and the pair blasted the Cayman Islands batting unit to produce a 91-run stand for the second wicket. Taylor brought up his 50 off just 37 balls and celebrated by crunching the next delivery for his first six of the match.

Standford went on to score 34 in 30 balls before he was caught at midwicket off the bowling of Kevin Bazil to make it 119 for 2 in 14 overs. USA captain Orlando Baker came to the crease and gave excellent support to Taylor as the teenager pursued triple digits. A single in the 15th over gave Taylor the new record for a T20 score by a USA player as he passed Aditya Thyagarajan’s 72 not out against Ireland in 2010.

Taylor entered the 90s in the 18th over after clubbing his third six straight down the ground followed by a pair of twos to advance to 93. A two on the third ball of the 19th took him within one shot of reaching a century. On the next ball, he skipped down the track to try to hit a six but his attempt at glory fell short when he mistimed a drive in the air to Ronald Ebanks at long on to give Kervin Ebanks his second wicket while also denying Taylor a century that was well within his grasp.

Image (right) - Steven Taylor attemps to reach his century with this shot but only found the fielder at long on. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Baker was run out on the final ball of the innings for 36 and USA ended on 185 for 4, their second highest total in Twenty20 cricket. The USA record is 193 for 5 against Bermuda in Sharjah last year at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. Kervin Ebanks was the only opposition bowler to come away with his reputation intact, taking 2 for 25 in four overs.

“Playing at the stadium, the total always you want to get is over 130,” Taylor said. “Once you get over 130, it’s going to be a hard chase.”

USA put pressure on Cayman Islands early with four wickets in the first eight overs. Elmore Hutchinson had Zachary McLaughlin caught behind for 10 in the third over before Japen Patel claimed two in two overs, Ramon Sealy and Omar Willis each for 6, to make it 24 for 3. Left-arm spinner Danial Ahmed struck with his third ball, bowling Abali Hoilett for 6 and from then on Cayman Islands set about batting out their overs, showing no interest in chasing the target.

Karan Ganesh and Steven Taylor combined to run out Ronald Ebanks off the bowling of Ahmed, who bowled a stifling spell of 1 for 6 in four overs. Cayman Islands put on a 30-run unbeaten stand over the final 6.2 overs to finish on 85 for 5. Patel had the best figures for USA with 2 for 7 in two overs. Conroy Wright finished 36 not out to top score for Cayman Islands.

In the afternoon game in the stadium, USA again won the toss and decided to bat first vs. Suriname. The host side made one change, subbing out Naseer Jamali so that Akeem Dodson could enter the starting eleven and keep wicket in place of Taylor.

Taylor and Surujbally opened the batting again and engineered USA’s third half-century stand of the match, 67 for the first wicket before Taylor was caught on the long on boundary for 28 off the bowling of Sauid Drepaul. Surujbally carried on to make 44 before he was dismissed after a juggling catch by Romell Douglass at long on to make it 88 for 2. Arun Gokoel took his second wicket when he dismissed Karan Ganesh for 27 to make it 152 for 3 in the 19th over. Ryan Corns was then run out on the next delivery trying to come back for a second run on the first ball he faced.

However, Dodson was on his way to 50 at that point. With Baker there for support, Dodson brought up his first half-century for USA at the senior level on the penultimate ball of the innings and then wrapped up USA’s 20 overs by cracking his fourth boundary straight down the ground. USA finished on 171 for 4 with Dodson 54 not out. Gokoel finished with 2 for 38 for Suriname.

Image (above) - Cayman Islands batsman Ronald Ebanks can't make his ground in time to beat the throw from Karan Ganesh to Steven Taylor. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Once again, the USA bowling unit was too good for their opponents as Suriname stumbled their way to 26 for 5 inside the power play overs. Ahmed bowled with the new ball and was on a hat trick after dismissing both openers, Vishram Shaw and Shazaam Ramjohn, in the second over. Troy Dudnath was caught behind by Dodson off Hutchinson for 5 in the third before Suriname lost two in two balls again in the sixth over.

Suriname captain Mohindra Boodram was run out for 1 after a mixup with Andre Percival. On the next delivery, Percival slogged Corns to Taylor at long on for 10. It could have been even worse for Suriname had Barrington Bartley held on to a simple return chance off Drepaul in the eighth over when the batsman was on 3 and the score 32 for 5. Suriname took advantage of the lapse to put on 50 for the sixth wicket before Drepaul was bowled by Surujbally’s offspin for a top score in the innings of 31.

The last Suriname wicket to fall was in the final over when a batsman was run out off Ahmed’s bowling for the second time in the day. This time it was Gokoel who couldn’t take off fast enough from the non-striker’s end after Douglass nudged a delivery toward point. Standford charged in and underhanded to Dodson who whipped off the bails to get rid of Gokoel for 17 as Suriname fell to 88 for 7. They eventually finished on 92 for 7. Ahmed wrapped up a superb day with the ball by claiming 2 for 12 in four overs.

In the day’s other matches at Brian Piccolo Park, Bahamas suffered two defeats at the hands of Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. Bermuda posted 192 for 4 in the morning match before dismissing Bahamas for 65. In the second game, Bahamas were bowled out for 97 before Cayman Islands reached 45 for 2 when rain intervened after eight overs. The match was called with Cayman Islands ahead on Duckworth-Lewis.

USA returns to action at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 18 against Bahamas. DreamCricket.com’s live coverage made possible by New Inning Foundation will begin at 2:30 p.m. EST from the Central Broward Regional Park.

USA Cricket: 2012 ICC WCL Division Four Report Card Part 2 - Player Grades

openingbat — Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:35:00 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

Player Grades

Sushil Nadkarni – A-: USA’s vice-captain finished as the leading scorer at the tournament with 238 runs at 47.60 and two half-centuries. His century stand with Steven Taylor to open the tournament against the host side set the tone for a solid event. He top scored for USA in three of the five games he played. His highest score, and the highest score at the event by a USA player, was his 84 in the group game against Nepal. If he had been able to bat to the end to score a century and take the team to victory, it would have been perhaps his greatest knock in a USA uniform, but he fell just short thanks to a spectacular catch by Binod Das at backward point.

Nadkarni’s fitness has waxed and waned over the last couple of years depending on the tournament. It was definitely waxing at this event where he looked much slimmer than he was at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in March. Nadkarni and Timroy Allen were the only USA players who never looked tired while at the crease. He was a spritely fielder inside the circle as well, regularly flinging his body along the turf to save runs.

Image (right) - Sushil Nadkarni completes a cut shot against Malaysia. Nadkarni finished as USA's leading scorer for the second tour in a row. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Steven Taylor – B+: The youngest player in the squad may have taken over the mantle from Nadkarni as USA’s most intimidating batsman during this tournament. He finished second overall in the runs list behind Nadkarni with 216 at an average of 36.00 and a strike rate of 104.85. He scored half-centuries against Malaysia and Singapore. The only game he really failed to get going was in the final match against Nepal where he made just 11.

While he had several explosive starts, Taylor somehow managed to get out just when he appeared set to destroy the opposition. He looked tired toward the end of the tournament, particularly in the ways he got out against Nepal so fitness may be something he should focus on, particularly if he is committed to keeping wicket. He finished with six catches and a stumping, but also missed two stumping chances.

Steve Massiah – C-: The reinstalled captain struggled to get going on a day when batting looked easy for everyone else against Malaysia, then looked even more out of sorts against spin versus Denmark. He made his highest score of the tournament against Nepal with 41 coming in at number five, but the batting order was mangled for that match to accommodate him after his early troubles against spin. USA wound up paying for it by the end of the match despite an 89-run stand between him and Nadkarni that put the team on the brink of victory. He finished as USA’s fourth highest scorer on the week with 121 runs at 24.20, but generally did less with more opportunities at his disposal than other batsmen.

In the past, Massiah has typically been one of USA’s most reliable fielders, both on the ground and in the catching department. At this tournament though, he looked a step behind, grassing three catches against Nepal and missing a golden opportunity for a run out early against Denmark. He was also responsible for a slow over rate against Denmark that prevented USA from using some of their more desired options later in the innings though he did well leading the side during a hectic second innings against Singapore by going to spin within a few overs after play resumed following a rain delay.

Aditya Thyagarajan – C-: USA’s leading scorer in 2010 had a lukewarm return from injury at this tournament. He top scored in the team’s warm-up match win over Denmark with 48 coming in at number four, but then managed just 35 runs in four innings during the live matches. He didn’t seem to respond well after being shuffled around the batting order to accommodate others, batting at three different positions for his four innings.

Image (left) - Aditya Thyagarajan in action against Denmark at the Selangor Turf Club. Thyagarajan had a rough return to the national team after missing more than a year due to injury, making 35 runs in four innings. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

He played for the team against Malaysia, going to slog after entering with six overs to go and wound up getting out for 2. He failed against Denmark, then got out cheaply again in a situation that appeared tailor-made for him with 10 overs to go against Nepal. His 21 against Singapore might not look special on paper, but it was part of a vital 59-run stand, providing the anchor at one end to allow Allen to swing away at the other. Thyagarajan also gets credit for his fielding. In a team full of butterfingers, he held on to three solid catches running in from the boundary and never dropped a chance.

Aditya Mishra – C-: Mishra was one of USA’s best batsmen in March at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, but overall in this event he was inconsistent and mixed two decent innings with two failures. He provided a solid late boost against Malaysia scoring 25 off 14 balls and along with Taylor tried to score as quickly as possible against Tanzania to lift the team’s net run rate, which made a huge difference by the end of the tournament. He had two sloppy failures against Denmark and Nepal in the group stage and then threw away his wicket in the final against Nepal after getting a decent start. He’s a batsman who can be classified as a team player after being rotated into three different batting positions to suit the needs of the team, although it wasn’t always to great effect for him personally.

A greater cause for concern for him is his fielding. Along the ground he is okay and generally puts in some good efforts to slide or dive to save balls from going over the boundary. In the air though, he is poor at judging the flight of the ball coming off the bat and it leads to bad mistakes, such as when he ran in from the rope against Nepal for a chance against Paras Khadka only to see the ball go over his head before landing inside the rope and bouncing over for a boundary.

Orlando Baker – C: Someone who didn’t do a lot wrong, but didn’t set the world on fire either on this tour. Baker stabilized USA with help from Allen against Denmark after a middle order collapse, but the pair never got a proper chance to bring USA completely back into the contest once rain intervened. He failed after being thrust into the opening slot against Nepal in the group game and then was somewhat harshly dropped for it. Recalled for the final against Nepal, he showed that he still has some gas left in the tank by grinding out 39 to top score with Nadkarni in the defeat. He finished with 66 runs at an average of 33.00 on tour, USA’s fourth best average in Malaysia.

With the ball, he wasn’t used that much, but took three wickets in 15 overs, a strike rate that other players in the squad would have gladly traded for. He dropped two chances that came his way, a sharp one at square leg against Nepal and a reflex return chance against Malaysia. He also missed a chance to run out Subash Khakurel on 99 in the group game against Nepal and fluffed a stumping late in the final against Nepal after putting on the pads to relieve Taylor. The four misses by Baker summed up a forgettable tour in the fielding department for USA overall. However, the fact that Baker is willing to keep wicket if called upon in an emergency shows his unselfishness for the team.

Timroy Allen – A-: USA’s most dynamic player, Allen showed how much USA missed him last year in Hong Kong and again in the UAE in March. Came in with 15 overs to go against Malaysia and produced his best score in a USA uniform, 72 not out in 43 balls on his way to claiming the first of two Man of the Match awards in Malaysia. Allen topped the averages for USA in the event with 166 runs at 55.33. Had he come in at number seven with 11 overs to go against Nepal instead of number three in the fifth over of the chase during their group game, USA would have had a much better chance of winning that game.

Image (right) - Timroy Allen poses with his Man of the Match award after USA's win over Singapore that clinched a spot in next year's ICC WCL Division Three in Bermuda. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

In addition to topping the batting averages for USA, Allen took the most wickets with 10 at an average of 19.80, although he was slightly expensive going at more than five runs per over. Allen also had more chances put down off his bowling than anyone else. USA’s fielders dropped six chances off him and that had an effect on his numbers across the board. In the field, he’s not as energetic as he used to be. He took one catch and put down a sharp one at gully in this tournament. In general he looks more reserved when it comes to throwing his body around, mindful of how he aggravated a back injury in Italy two years ago while diving to stop a boundary in a 10-wicket win over Tanzania.

Ryan Corns – C: When given an opportunity, Corns responded quite well. His stats might not say so, but he was a valuable niche player on tour and has plenty of room to grow into a position where he can be a solid all-rounder for USA in the future. Selecting him as the lone left-arm spin option ahead of Asif Khan was a bold move as Khan is a better pure spinner, but Corns justified the move with some handy performances and the tour did a lot for his continued development.

Batting wise, Corns did about as well as could be expected when thrust into a role he is not suited for, coming in late in the innings to slog quick runs batting at number eight. He finished with 45 runs in three innings at an average of 15.00, his best contribution coming against Singapore with 24 in a tight match. Fielding wise, he needs to work on his throwing accuracy. He is very energetic fielding at point, but dropped a chance and missed two run out opportunities, including a crucial one against Nepal when Subash Khakurel was on 22, before finally converting one against Singapore.

Elmore Hutchinson – B-: Quietly was one of USA’s better bowlers on tour. Hutchinson had the best economy rate for any of USA’s pace bowlers at 3.90 in 40 overs, the second most overs bowled by USA behind Muhammad Ghous. He sometimes had trouble locating his line though, bowling a team-high 14 wide deliveries that went for 19 wide runs out of the 62 wide runs USA conceded. He finished with six wickets, tied with Ghous and Shuja for second on the team.

With the bat, he had USA’s sixth best average on tour, 17.66. Hutchinson scored 53 runs in four innings and was used as a pinch hitter against Tanzania, coming in at three to slog some runs when USA was looking to boost their net run rate. He showed good athleticism overall in the field and despite only taking one catch, never grassed any and always showed tremendous effort and hustle to save balls from going over the boundary.

Image (left) - Elmore Hutchinson bowling against Nepal at Kinrara Academy Oval. Hutchinson was one of USA's better bowlers in Malaysia and finished with the second best economy rate on the team behind Muhammad Ghous. [Courtesy: ICC/Peter Lim]

Abhimanyu Rajp – C-: Rajp was dropped after three games, which may have mystified many back home as he was USA’s second best wicket-taker at the time behind Allen, but his economy rate was frightfully high for a finger-spinner. Rajp shined at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier because it’s a format where a bowler can get away with trading off runs for wickets. A 7.55 economy rate in that event looked okay next to 10 wickets, which was good enough to tie for the team lead. However, a 5.73 economy rate standing next to five wickets in Malaysia was not good enough. Rajp has a learning curve to adjust to in 50-over cricket. He must strike a balance between being economical and attacking for wickets.

With the bat, he was bizarrely asked to bat at number three in the final against Nepal in his only appearance at the crease and didn’t score. Fielding wise, teams aren’t afraid to take him on in the circle and he missed a critical run out chance against Andreas Lambert of Denmark, but in the air he is one of USA’s sure-handed fielders. He got official credit for two catches but also took two other very crucial ones as a sub fielder in a tense battle against Singapore.

Usman Shuja – C: Shuja was named Man of the Match in an easy win over Tanzania after taking 3 for 14. Overall though, he was very average. In the other four games he played against Singapore, Denmark and twice against Nepal, he took just 3 wickets for 116 runs. While he was economical against Denmark, he struggled to make the most of the new ball when conditions were in his favor in that match, taking 1 for 20 in seven overs. Entering the tournament, he had a phenomenal record against Nepal with 14 wickets in six games at an average of 11.86 and an economy rate of 3.25. In the two matches USA played against Nepal in Malaysia, Shuja finished with 1 for 75 in 12 overs.

Shuja had multiple chances dropped off his bowling in the group game against Nepal, but in general was just not as effective as he usually is. His batting has also been marginalized by the current management. This is the same player who rescued USA from 20 for 7 against Oman and took them to a remarkable two-wicket win at Division Three in Hong Kong last year by scoring 43 not out. He is good enough to bat at number eight, definitely no lower than nine but he was sent in at numbers 10 and 11 in this tournament and responded by batting down to that level, scoring 4 runs in three innings.

Muhammad Ghous – B: After going through a sophomore slump in 2011, Ghous has bounced back during his third year with the senior team to be a dependable performer. He had the best economy rate for the team on tour with 3.62 runs per over in a team high 48.3 overs. He can sometimes look lethargic when not a lot is at stake, but put Ghous in a pressure-packed situation and he is very hard to rattle. He was chiefly responsible for the shift in momentum during the second innings against Singapore. After batsman Chetan Suryawanshi flew out of the gate following the rain delay, Ghous reeled Singapore back in by applying outstanding pressure. It didn’t take long for dot balls to turn into wickets.

Like Mishra, Ghous reacts very poorly when the ball comes off the bat in the air and it can result in some angst for his fellow bowlers. When the ball travels directly to him though, he is a solid catching fielder. He put down a difficult return chance in the final against Nepal, but took two catches during the tournament. He finished tied for second with Shuja and Hutchinson by taking six wickets, but also had three chances dropped off his bowling.

Andy Mohammed – Incomplete: Mohammed played two matches, batting just once at number four against Singapore in the final group game. He entered in the 21st over in a situation that called for pushing the ball around for singles and doubles to rebuild in the middle overs after both openers had been dismissed. Instead, he kept trying to slog Singapore’s spinners for six. He succeeded once before being caught on the boundary for 10. Mohammed needs to show greater maturity and awareness of match situations to get more opportunities in the future. In the field, he converted a run out chance against Tanzania and had a brilliant diving catch against Singapore to spark USA’s fightback in the field.

Akeem Dodson – Incomplete: Dodson only played one match, scoring 3 against Singapore. He took one catch behind the stumps but also missed a straightforward stumping. Regardless of whether he was fielding inside the boundary or wearing a 12th man’s pinnie outside of it, no one brought more positive energy to the team when they were at the ground than Dodson. He’s eager to improve and his attitude demonstrates he has unwavering commitment to the team, supporting the squad wholeheartedly whether he plays no match or every match.

Click here for Part 1 - Team Grades

Coming up in Part 3 - Outlook for 2013 ICC WCL Division Three

USA Cricket: 14-man squad officially announced for 2012 ICC WCL Division Four in Malaysia

openingbat — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 21:05:00 GMT

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

[Source: USACA Press Release]

USACA has announced a 14-man squad to participate in the 2012 ICC Pepsi World Cricket League Division 4 Tournament to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from September 3 to 10, 2012. Along with USA, the other participating associate countries are Denmark, Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore and Tanzania.

The tournament will be round robin with each team playing each other once followed by playoffs and finals to determine rankings from 1-6. The top 2 finishers will be promoted to WCL Division 3 scheduled to be held in Bermuda from April 28 to May 5, 2013.

Looking for consistency and continuity, the selectors opted to retain a core of players that participated in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup Qualifier in the UAE in March and recalled five experienced players including Steve Massiah who has returned as captain.

The team is a good blend of experience and youth. However, undoubtedly, USA will be depending heavily on its younger players who have all come through the various regional youth programs and ICC U19 World Cup participation over the past six years.

USA is expected to arrive in Malaysia on August 28 for practice, training and acclimatization prior to the start of the tournament on September 3.

USA squad: Steve Massiah (captain, New York), Sushil Nadkarni (vice-captain, Central East), Timroy Allen (South East), Orlando Baker (Central East), Ryan Corns (Central East), Akeem Dodson (New York), Muhammad Ghous (Atlantic), Elmore Hutchinson (South West), Rashard Marshall (New York), Aditya Mishra (North West), Abhimanyu Rajp (South West), Usman Shuja (Central West), Steven Taylor (South East), Aditya Thyagarajan (South West).

Coach - Robin Singh

Assistant Coach - Thirunavukkarasu Kumaran

Bowling Coach - Nasir "Charlie" Javed

Physio - Akhtar Masood Syed

Manager - Shoaib Ahmed

Video Analyst - Sriram Somayajula

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

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

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

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

By Peter Della Penna

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 2011 Twenty20 Nationals - Top Performers & All-Tournament XI

openingbat — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 07:19:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna

Comments

The USACA 2011 Twenty20 Nationals that took place in New Jersey from June 18-19 was the final opportunity for players from the eight regional teams to present their case for inclusion in USA’s squad for the 2011 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 championship in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from July 18-23. The best performers are being recognized by this writer in an All-Tournament Team.

The All-Tournament Team has been determined by the author based on two days of cricket witnessed for entire matches played at Pine Grove Manor Elementary School in Somerset, N.J., on June 18 and Weequahic Park in Newark, N.J., on June 19. Information obtained from sources present for the pair of matches played at Woodbrook Elementary School in Edison, N.J., on June 18 was also used.

When compiling the list, several factors were taken into consideration. First, I took into account the statistical achievements of the players involved since they are the most tangible proof of a player’s contributions to their team. As such, there will be players left off the team who may be viewed as more talented than players who made the team, but just did not perform that well over the two days.

Second, when choices between players with similar stats became close, more weight was given to performances achieved against better opponents. For example, a player who scored runs or took wickets in a match against Atlantic, who won the tournament, was deemed to have turned in a more impressive performance compared to runs or wickets against South East, who finished last.

Third, these two factors are combined with what I saw with my own eyes and from information obtained from sources in matches where I was not present. This was not just the runs or wickets they took, but how they did it. It includes match situations and technique exhibited, as well as the talent they had surrounding them which could have affected how they performed. Extra emphasis was given to Man of the Match performances as well as performances under pressure in the death overs.

Finally, I tried to select the best performers regardless of their position in the batting order or bowling specialty. The nature of Twenty20 cricket opens the door for unorthodox strategies, with players shuffling up or down the order depending on the situation of a match so this team will not necessarily follow a traditional squad of specialist openers, middle order batsmen, and a balance of pace and spin bowling.

1. Aditya Mishra, Atlantic – The former Karnataka player enters each USACA tournament with big expectations, but hasn’t always lived up to them. Not this time. Mishra made a huge statement against New York with the second highest score of the event, notching 87 in 49 balls with eight fours and six sixes. He had the second most runs in the tourney with 104 at an average of 34.67 and a strike rate of 144.

2. Gowkaran Roopnarine, Atlantic – Juicy (left in the photo) squeezed more runs out of his bat than anyone else on the weekend, finishing with 193 at an average of 96.50 and a strike rate of 169 on his way to becoming the Tournament MVP. He turned in the highest and third highest innings – 96 vs. North East and 81 not out vs. Central West – and teamed with Adil Bhatti for the two highest partnerships of the event – 97 for the second wicket vs. North East and 92 for the second wicket vs. Central West.

3. Adil Bhatti, Atlantic – While Mishra and Roopnarine stole the headlines at the top of the order for Atlantic, Bhatti was given a big responsibility at number three and delivered for his team. He finished tied for fifth in runs on the weekend, scoring 59 runs at an average of 29.50 with a strike rate of 100. Bhatti played unselfishly for the team in turning over the strike to Roopnarine at every opportunity, but the silky smooth straight drives he hit for six against Central West showed that he could have done more if the occasion called for him to do so. He also took 3 wickets for 62 runs in seven overs of medium pace, including the big scalp of the next man on the list during the tournament title game.

4. Sushil Nadkarni (vice-captain), Central West – Nadkarni captained his team to a runner-up finish in the tournament and was his team’s leading scorer with 65 runs at an average of 21.67 and a strike rate of 180. While he didn’t convert his starts into big scores – innings of 17, 24 and 24 – his devastating presence was evident in the fact that he hit eight sixes on the weekend, second only to Roopnarine’s 14 maximums.

5. Timmy Thomas, North East – Thomas led North East with 59 runs at an average of 29.50 and a strike rate of 178. He nearly put his team past the eventual tournament champions with 30 against Atlantic before turning in a Man of the Match effort against South East by scoring 29 and taking three wickets with his off-spin.

6. Syed Fareed Ahmad, North West – Ahmad made waves in the NCCA 4th of July tournament auction, fetching the highest bid for any player, and he justified that hoopla with his Man of the Match performance against South West. Ahmad clubbed 40 not out in 20 balls before taking 2 for 24 with his off-spin to seal a six-run win. Ahmad had similar batting and bowling stats to teammate Sunny Singh, but edged him out for a spot in the All-Tournament Team based on his impact in a team win.

7. Akeem Dodson (wicketkeeper), New York – The winner of the tournament’s Best Young Player (Under-25) award, Dodson was the third highest scorer in the event and leading scorer for New York with 73 at the same average and a strike rate of 137. He fell one short of a deserved half-century against Atlantic and also had a hand in four dismissals plus a run out from behind the stumps.

8. Usman Shuja, Central West – While his teammate Shail Bhatt was the leading wicket-taker, Shuja (pictured left, courtesy ICC) was in a class by himself among bowlers on the weekend. He turned in a spell of 3 for 1 in three overs against South West, producing two of the three maidens bowled by any player on the weekend. Overall, he finished with 6 wickets for 33 runs in 9 overs, taking his wickets at a phenomenal average of 5.50 and his 3.67 economy rate was far and away the best for any bowler in the event.

9. Neil McGarrell (captain), Atlantic – With a spot in the championship match on the line, McGarrell held his nerve after giving up back-to-back sixes by taking four wickets in four balls to bowl his team to victory over New York, snatching a Man of the Match award away from Aditya Mishra in the process. Overall, the left-arm spinner finished tied for third in the event with 5 for 49 in nine overs, taking his wickets at an average of 9.80 and building pressure with a 5.44 economy.

10. Shail Bhatt, Central West – The off-spinner took the most wickets in the event with eight, including the only five-wicket haul of the weekend with 6 for 24 against South West to claim a Man of the Match award in a losing cause. Bhatt (pictured right) wasn’t afraid to toss the ball up, which meant he was slightly expensive, finishing with a 10.63 economy rate. However, his strike rate was 6.00 so if the captain tossed him the ball, there was a fairly good chance he was going to make a breakthrough.

11. Samarth Shah, North West – The tall and lanky left-arm spinner from Seattle bowled a crucial spell late against South West. With 13 needed to win off the last over, he gave up six runs and claimed his fourth wicket to secure a win for his team. He finished with five wickets overall, tying McGarrell for third on the leaderboard and had an identical average and economy of 7.80.

12th Man: Saminda Siriwardena, Central East – The 21-year-old opener was the most aesthetically pleasing batsman on the weekend. He scored 57 runs at an average of 28.50 and a strike rate of 118. Siriwardena’s 42 in a win over North West earned him Man of the Match honors and his team benefitted from half-century partnerships for the first wicket both times he went out to bat. There’s a logjam of talented openers who were on display in this tournament, but if he keeps at it he may get his chance in the national team in another year or two.

13th Man: Asif Khan, Central East – The left-arm spinner showed off his guile to have three men stumped in a mouthwatering spell against North West. Khan was one of seven bowlers tied for fifth with four wickets, but he bested the other six players on style points. Khan’s wickets were taken at an average of 11 with a solid economy rate of 7.33 runs per over.

14th Man: Naseer Islam, Atlantic – Islam bowled a crucial spell of cutters late against New York, taking 2 for 14, before McGarrell stole the show in the final over. Islam was one of the seven tied for fifth with four wickets, taking them at an average of 18.50. In nine overs, he had a respectable economy rate of 8.22 and could be counted upon for some lusty late hitting on the batting side.

Top 5 Players in Contention for Selection to USA Senior Team

1. Gowkaran Roopnarine – He’s been selected for USA multiple times in the past, including the 2005 World Cup Qualifier in Ireland, the 2006 ICC Americas Division One in Canada, ICC WCL Division Five in Jersey in 2008 and the 2008 WICB Cup, all with mixed results. Based on this weekend’s form, it would be criminally negligent not to give the 29-year-old another chance.
2. Aditya Mishra – A player of his pedigree is hard to ignore and he will have gained a tremendous amount of confidence from Sunday’s knock against New York. In his pair of appearances last year in a USA uniform against Jamaica, he looked tense and got out cheaply. If Mishra can be as relaxed against Canada as he was against New York, he will be a major asset to the national team next month in Florida.
3. Akeem Dodson – While Roopnarine played as a specialist batsman this weekend, both he and Dodson are capable wicketkeepers. The top three in this list also demonstrated that Lennox Cush, Carl Wright and Rashard Marshall, none of whom participated in this tournament, are expendable. After a couple of frustrating performances in recent USACA tournaments, Dodson showed newfound maturity in his batting and at 23, can grow into a role as the national team keeper.
4. Neil McGarrell – Just like last time, this depends on eligibility. Despite being 38, he plays with the energy and determination of someone half his age. An asset for his tactical acumen, his bowling, his fielding and the example he sets for others with his overall professionalism, if he’s available and qualifies on residency then he should be selected.
5. Timroy Allen – No one’s stock soared more from not playing this weekend than Allen. The all-rounder was available to play after fully recovering from a back injury sustained in Italy last August, but was not selected for the South East Region team allegedly due to regional politics. They missed him badly and finished last. Allen took the most wickets for USA in Twenty20 matches in 2010 with 12 in nine games. Outside of Shuja, the fast bowling performances were lamentable across the board this weekend so getting Allen back into a USA uniform is a high priority.

Most Wickets
1.S. Bhatt, Central West, RA off-spin – 8 for 85 in 8 overs
2. U. Shuja, Central West, RA fast-medium – 6 for 33 in 9 overs with 2 maidens
T3. S. Shah, North West, LA orthodox spin – 5 for 39 in 5 overs
T3. N. McGarrell, Atlantic, LA orthodox spin – 5 for 49 in 9 overs
T5. B. George, South East, LA orthodox spin – 4 for 14 in 3 overs
T5. J. Rasheed, Atlantic, RA off-spin – 4 for 31 in 5 overs
T5. B. Murphy, New York, RA leg-spin – 4 for 35 in 6 overs
T5. S. Singh, North West, RA off-spin – 4 for 40 in 5 overs
T5. A. Khan, Central East, LA orthodox spin – 4 for 44 in 6 overs
T5. A. Syed, Central East, RA off-spin – 4 for 44 in 6 overs
T5. N. Islam, Atlantic, RA medium – 4 for 74 in 9 overs

Five-Wicket Hauls
S. Bhatt, Central West – 6 for 24 vs. South West

Most Runs
1.G. Roopnarine, Atlantic – 193 runs, 96.50 AVG, S/R 169, two 50s
2. A. Mishra, Atlantic – 104 runs, 34.67 AVG, S/R 144, one 50
3. A. Dodson, New York – 73 runs, 73.00 AVG, S/R 137
4. S. Nadkarni, Central West – 65 runs, 21.67 AVG, S/R 180
T5. A Bhatti, Atlantic – 59 runs, 29.50 AVG, S/R 100
T5. T. Thomas, North East – 59 runs, 29.50 AVG, S/R 163
7. S. Siriwardena, Central East – 57 runs, 28.50 AVG, S/R 118
8. Q. Alfred, New York – 50 runs, 25.00 AVG, S/R 166
9. S. Singh, North West – 48 runs, 24.00 AVG, S/R 114
10. R Kukreti, Central West – 46 runs, 15.33 AVG, S/R 127

Half-centuries
G. Roopnarine, Atlantic – 96 vs. North East; 81 not out vs. Central West
A. Mishra, Atlantic – 87 vs. New York

Complete Match Scorecards [USA score repository made possible by a grant from the New Inning Foundation.]

Central West vs. South West
Central East vs. North West
North West vs. South West
Atlantic vs. North East
New York vs. South East
North East vs. South East
Central East vs. Central West
Atlantic vs. New York
Atlantic vs. Central West

[Views expressed in this article are those of the author. These are not the official views of USACA or its selectors.]

USA Cricket 2011 Twenty20 Nationals Day 3: Atlantic slays New York and Central West to take tournament title

openingbat — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:49:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Newark, New Jersey

Atlantic openers Aditya Mishra and Gowkaran Roopnarine showed their hunger for a spot on the USA national team by feasting on the opposition bowlers Sunday afternoon as they guided their team to a pair of victories to finish as the undefeated tournament champions on Sunday at the 2011 USACA Twenty20 Nationals in Newark, New Jersey. Mishra scored 87 in a five-run win over New York while Roopnarine scored 81 not out in a 42-run win over Central West in the championship match at Weequahic Park.

Game One – North East vs. South East 15-over game

In the first match of the day, North East defeated South East by 16 runs, a final margin that makes the game look much closer than it actually was. North East won the toss and elected to bat first. Three of the top four batsmen – Sharaz Baksh, Manwar Abassi and Timmy Thomas – made solid contributions. Abassi top scored with 34 in 24 balls and produced a 57-run second wicket stand with Baksh that propelled North East to a total of 110 for 8. Bhim George took 4 for 14 bowling left-arm orthodox spin for South East while there were also three runouts in the field.

South East’s chase was reduced by one over for a slow over rate in the field. Despite facing an unheralded North East bowling attack, South East struggled to get any momentum going. Sheldon Smith bowled an economical three over spell of left-arm spin, taking 1 for 7, while Thomas dashed any hopes of a South East charge by taking 3 for 13 with his off-spin. South East needed 33 off the last over to win but the first ball bowled by Fazal Alam went for a single to seal the game. Two sixes off the last two balls by Hussain Haider meant that South East finished on 94 for 9. Thomas was named Man of the Match for scoring 29 in 17 to go along with his tidy bowling effort.

Game Two - Central West vs. Central East 15-over game

In a game to decide who would win the Western Conference, Central West defeated Central East by three wickets in a hard fought contest. Central East won the toss and elected to bat first and for the second match in a row, Central East’s openers got their side off to a fantastic start with a 59-run stand. Fahad Babar played shots all around the ground while Saminda Siriwardena supported him by giving him the strike at every opportunity. Babar fell for 40 in 27 and was replaced by Manpreet Singh, who survived a chance on 20 and went on to rocket 42 off 20 balls. No one crossed double digits outside the top three though and Central East finished on 120 for 9.

Central West came out swinging hard and fast, determined to finish the game as quickly as possible to overtake Central East on net run rate. Akhil Pathan bowled Ryan Corns on the third ball of the innings, but Rahul Kukreti came in and teamed up with Sushil Nadkarni to boost CWR with a 52-run second wicket partnership in 3.4 overs. Nadkarni fell for 24 in 11 and Man of the Match Kukreti a short time later for 35 in 21, both to Airaj Syed’s off-spin.

Amir Nanji carried the chase after the twin setbacks, scoring 23 off 18 balls before falling to Pathan making it 110 for 7 in 11.3 overs. Orlando Baker and Usman Shuja took Central West over the line with 15 balls to spare as Central West finished with a net run rate that took them past Central East by 0.797 runs per over and assured them a place in the final against the winner of the game between New York and Atlantic. South West finished third in the group and North West last on net run rate with all four teams sharing a 1-1 record.

Game Three – New York vs. Atlantic 15-over game

In a thrilling see-saw contest, Atlantic held off New York to win by five runs. Atlantic won the toss and batted first as Aditya Mishra put the New York bowling attack to the sword. A day after his opening partner Gowkaran Roopnarine scored 96 in 58 balls against North East, Mishra tallied 87 in 49 balls, mixing elegance with brute force. Mishra, who brought up his 50 in 33 balls, had eight fours and six sixes in his knock and put on 73 in eight overs for the first wicket with Roopnarine. After both men left the crease, Naseer Islam and Stuart Mills turned in handy cameos to take Atlantic to 161 for 5 at the end of the innings.

Image (above) - Aditya Mishra watches the ball fly away over long on after striking New York leg-spinner Bryan Murphy for his third six in four balls during the 10th over. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket]

New York seemed undaunted by the run rate needed to win as Akeem Dodson and Glen Hall got New York off to a scorching start. Hall fell on the fifth ball of the second over for 17 in 7 balls, but Quasen Alfred picked up where he left off the day before with a series of monster hits. Alfred and Dodson took New York to 89 for 1 after seven overs and it appeared they would cruise to victory until Sean Stanislaus shifted the momentum of the game with a sensational runout on the first ball of the eighth. Stanislaus charged in from the midwicket boundary and fired a sensational direct hit to nab Alfred, who was attempting to come back for a second run and the second wicket stand ended at 63 in 32 balls. Dodson fell a short time later, caught on the boundary for 49 in 28 balls to make it 108 for 3 in 9.4 overs.

New York was still in front of the required scoring rate with a slew of batsmen up their sleeve, but the tide turned back in favor of Atlantic again when Naseer Islam bowled a crucial 12th over, conceding only four runs as he dismissed Bryan Murphy for 20 and two balls later had vice-captain Barrington Bartley out stumped for a golden duck. New York then scored 10 each in the 13th and 14th overs to enter the final over at 144 for 5 needing 18 to win.

Atlantic captain Neil McGarrell came on to bowl his last over with George Adams on strike and Steve Massiah at the opposite end. The first ball was pitched full on the stumps and Adams slogged it over midwicket for six before cracking a full toss over the cover boundary on the next ball for another maximum, whipping the New York bench into a frenzy. McGarrell kept his cool though and fired the next ball in flatter and fuller to clean bowl Adams as the batsman failed in his attempt to end the match with a third straight heave. Karan Ganesh came in was beaten in flight to be stumped on the only ball he faced for the weekend, giving Atlantic belief once again. Andy Mohammed arrived for the hat trick ball and in an attempt to get a single to put Massiah on strike, Mohammed played around a full delivery to see his stumps knocked back as the Atlantic fielders swarmed their captain in celebration. With one ball to go, New York’s last chance at victory was in the hands of Adrian Gordon but he suffered the same fate as Ganesh, beaten in flight and stumped as McGarrell took four wickets in four balls to end the match. McGarrell’s heroics earned him the Man of the Match award ahead of Mishra, who turned in the second highest score of the weekend.

Atlantic finished the Eastern Conference group undefeated while New York finished ahead of North East on net run rate in second place at 1-1. North East finished third while South East was the only winless team on the weekend and finished in last place.

Championship Match – Atlantic vs. Central West 12-over game

Atlantic surged on after the win over New York and left Central West in the dust to win the tournament final by 42 runs, the widest victory margin by runs in the tournament. Central West won the toss and curiously sent Atlantic in to bat. Six of the eight group matches were won by the team batting first, but Central West had successfully won chasing against Central East earlier in the day.

Only a few hours after he plundered New York’s bowling attack, Mishra was out first ball of the innings to Usman Shuja, late on a pull shot to send a top edge to point. It didn’t matter though as Roopnarine and Adil Bhatti combined for a 92-run partnership during the next 8.4 overs. The two players shared a 97-run stand a day before against North East as well, the two highest partnerships of the tournament. Roopnarine was ruthless in his assault on the CWR bowlers, bringing up his 50 in 24 balls, while Bhatti complemented him with a series of graceful lofted drives. The stand ended when Bhatti was run out for 33 in 26 balls trying to turn a single into two. Roopnarine kept on chugging along though and finished with 81 in 38 balls, including four fours and eight sixes, to give Atlantic a first innings total of 133 for 3.

Central West openers Nadkarni and Corns provided brief hope of winning, taking the score to 38 in the first four overs, but on the last ball of the fourth, Nadkarni’s attempt at a fourth six failed and he was bowled by Bhatti’s medium pace for 24 in 12 balls. That wound up being the top score for CWR as their chase soon fizzled. Junaid Rasheed finished with 3 for 10 in two overs of off-spin and Central West ended on 91 for 7 in their 12 overs.

At the tournament awards presentation, Roopnarine cleaned up the awards for Finals MVP, Best Batsman and Tournament MVP, finishing with 193 runs in three innings at an average of 96.50. Shail Bhatt of Central West finished the weekend as the highest wicket-taker with eight and claimed the Best Bowler trophy. New York’s Dodson was given the Best Young Player (Under-25) award after finishing with 73 runs at the same average while completing four dismissals behind the stumps in addition to one runout.

Destroyers and Tigers get ready for Florida tournament

openingbat — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:22:00 GMT

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

On December 3rd, 201, the Bedessee Destroyers will launch their campaign to reacquire the title of best 20/20 team in North America.

Pic (Right): News clip from the Radiant Info T20 in 2009. Can the Destroyers live up to their reputation in Florida?

The Destroyers, underwritten by Bedessee Sporting Goods, is among the handful of fiercely competitive and privately financed teams in USA today. The team was a semi-finalist at each edition of the Radiant Info T20, in addition to winning the title in 2009. The team came up short in the finals of the Cricket Council USA tournament last year.

Comprised of national players from throughout the Caribbean and local players from around the United States of America, the team is among the favorites to take the $25,000 grand prize on offer at the 2010 Cricket Council USA tournament. This year, teams are playing in four groups with five teams each, and a good number of teams are flying in from outside Florida including Washington Tigers, the defending champions.

In an attempt to reverse its fortunes, the New York Destroyers has secured the services of Caribbean stars Lennox Cush, Darren Ganga, Lendl Simmons, Navin Stewart, Dave Mohammed and William Perkins. They will be joined by current USA all rounder Orlando Baker, ex-West Indies fast bowler Jermaine Lawson and ex-Guyana fast bowler Kevin Darlington.

For its part, Washington Tigers, captained by Dawood Ahmed has enlisted familiar names like Imran Awan, Gowkarran Roopnarine, Neil McGarrell and Usman Shuja. “We have invested a lot in this team over the years and the benefits have started to flow, not only now but for a while now,’ Ahmed said in a press release. The press release also noted that USA Captain Steve Massiah will be leading the United Chargers.

The most exciting development is the participation of Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan, playing as part of the CFCA Royals. This is a huge boost for the tournament organizers. Not since Virender Sehwag played at the LA Open in 2007 has USA seen a major Indian cricketer play stateside. In the aftermath of the ICL, and with the introduction of ICC Section 32 in June 2009, senior Indian players have generally avoided playing in private tournaments.

Chubb Bedessee, owner and manager of Bedessee New York Destroyers, has taken his participation a little further this year by entering a second team - the Bedessee Florida Destroyers. "We want to give more players an opportunity to showcase their skills and expanding to a second team was a way of recognizing those players who have shown promise, commitment and to give them an opportunity to match their skills against some of the best national and international players," Chubb Bedessee told DreamCricket.com.

The Bedessee Florida Destroyers include Jamaican national players Danza Hyatt, Krishmar Santokie and Shawn Findlay. Playing alongside them will also be Sherwin Ganga and Denesh Ramdin. With local Floridians such as Shawn Beckford and Kenroy Wright, this team will also be a major contender for the title of T20 supremacy. The Destroyers have begun practice sessions under the watchful eyes of coach Mr. Linden Fraser at the DreamCricket indoor facility in Hillsborough, NJ.

Based on the level of competition experienced in the past, Coach Fraser feels that the Destroyers will be ready to fire on December 3. Highly recognized sports trainer Mr. Basil Butcher Jr. is also helping the team prepare for upcoming tournament. Mr. Butcher is helping in enhancing the player’s fitness with exercise drills and workout sessions to make sure that all players are fit and ready. The full team squads are as follow:

Bedessee New York Destroyers: Barrington Bartley, Lennox Cush, Daren Ganga, Jermaine Lawson, William Perkins, Kavishwar Bridgepaul, Dave Mohammed, Orlando Baker, Kevin Darlington, Dennis Evans, Lendl Simmons, Navin Stewart, Dwayne Smith, George Adams, Andrew Gonsalves, Linden Fraser (Coach), Kerk Higgins ( Asst Coach), Chubb Bedessee (Manager), Lester Hooper (Asst Manager), Basil Butcher Jr. (Physio/Trainer), Curtis Clarke ( Public Relations Rep).

Bedessee Florida Destroyers: Nicholas Standford, Danza Hyatt, Shawn Findlay, Akeem Dodson, Twain Walters, Sherwin Ganga, Krishmar Santokie, Denesh Ramdin, Kenroy Wright, Shawn Beckford, Glenroy Anglin, Masood Mohammed, Keneil Irving, Donald Bennett, Damian Wellington, Nigel Liu (Coach), Tomlin Manna ( Manager).

USA Cricket: There's nothing 'Spooky' about the talent of Akeem Dodson

openingbat — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:39:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna

In the summer of 2004, a 16-year-old named Akeem Dodson was just starting to earn his stripes at Villagers Cricket Club in New York’s Metropolitan League. At the time, he had just joined the club and even though he had represented USA at the U-19 level a year before in Canada, he was mostly unknown to his Villagers teammates. Villagers captain Orlando Baker then decided to slap a nickname on him to make him a little bit easier to identify.

“This guy used to play first class for Jamaica, Mario Ventura, a left-hand batsman,” said Baker. “He resembled Spooky. They bat the same way, left-handed, the way they *** their bat and everything. So I said, ‘Yo Dodson, your new name is Spooky.’ This guy reminds me so much of Spooky and that name stuck on him.”

“When I first got to Villagers, he was the captain of Villagers. I remember the first time I went there, I went to watch one of the games and they told me to come to a meeting,” said Dodson, recalling his version of events. “I went to a meeting and sat down and they were playing dominoes. I don’t think he remembered my name. He looked at me and just called me Spooky. Like a smart person I answered. So since then it’s been that.”

However, Baker says he knew exactly who Dodson was and he could tell just by looking at him bat that the teenager had a promising future and that was the reason behind giving him the nickname. “He’s like, ‘Bakes, who is Spooky?’ I said, ‘Spooky’s a big bat mon. I’m giving you a big bat name, so don’t worry.’”

Dodson’s big bat and big name have been making the rounds of US cricket since he went with USA’s squad to the 2006 U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka. Like most of the other players in that team, it was a rapid rise for Dodson to national prominence.

After being born in Queens, N.Y., Dodson’s family took him back to his father’s native Guyana when he was two years old. He stayed there until he was 12 when his parents divorced and his father took him to rural Pennsylvania where cricket became an endangered species in his life.

Image: Akeem Dodson in action for the Bedessee NY Destroyers. [Courtesy: www.newyorkcricket.com]

“For the two years I was in Pennsylvania I didn’t play any cricket,” said Dodson. “I always had a bat and a ball with me though. I would hit it in the house up against the wall sometimes. My dad would get mad at that.”

When he was 14, he moved to Brooklyn and once again resumed cricket. His skills hadn’t eroded and just a year later in 2003, he was selected to play for USA’s U-19 squad in Canada at the Americas Qualifier for the 2004 U-19 World Cup.

“I felt a certain sense of accomplishment,” said Dodson. “If you get picked for a national team, you were among the 14 best in your country. Being picked to represent your nation is always an honor. I felt really proud. My father was proud of me.”

The bigger accomplishment though was when USA did a u-turn in the span of two years to go undefeated at the 2005 U-19 Americas Qualifier, knocking off Canada in the process to qualify for the U-19 World Cup, USA’s first ever World Cup appearance at any level in cricket.

“I remember that year when we won, we had gone from losing the time before to going and blowing out everyone,” said Dodson. “We were hyped. Yeah let’s go now. We couldn’t wait to go [to Sri Lanka].”

With limited training resources compared to the Test level countries, it could have been a daunting and intimidating process for many of the players. But one member of the management team says he was impressed how Dodson adjusted under the circumstances.

“When we went to the World Cup, the thing that I was most curious about was to see which one of our guys on the team would be able to step up to that next level to compete against the best at their age group in the world and in my opinion, Akeem was one of the guys that did that,” said Basil Butcher Jr., USA’s trainer on the U-19 tour to Sri Lanka.

“The World Cup really taught me to be more patient, especially batting,” said Dodson. “Before that, they used to call me a shotgun because I used to play shots off everything.”

Coming off the heels of the U-19 World Cup, Dodson made two tours with USA’s senior team. The first was going back to Canada later in 2006 with the squad for the ICC Americas Division One tournament. He did not get a game, but got valuable experience being around the side. In November 2008, he did get to suit up for three games when USA went to Guyana for the WICB Cup, where he was captained by Baker, and then stayed in the squad for the ICC Americas Division One tournament in Florida where USA went undefeated to win the title. Since then, he has not appeared for USA.

Butcher has tried to pin the reason down to a few areas, one of which he feels is that Dodson never completely eliminated his shotgun habit.

“He has to bat longer,” said Butcher. “He seems to have a tendency, he’ll hit a bowler around for a short period of time and then give his wicket away. That’s one thing I think he needs to improve on in terms of just wanting to put a higher price on his wicket.”

Image: Akeem Dodson keeping wicket at the Radiant Info USA Twenty20 2010. [Copyright: DreamCricket.com]

Another point that Butcher says that Dodson needs to work on is fine-tuning his technique, something which Dodson wholeheartedly agrees with.

“I think the biggest part of my game that’s hurting right now is the technical stuff,” said Dodson. “As I start to mature in my game, that’s what’s really giving me away. When I was younger, a lot of times I would lack the strength or the physical ability to do something, but now that I have the physical ability, it’s the little technical things that usually gets you.”

One extremely beneficial experience that Dodson took in during his time away from the senior team was to spend the summer of 2009 playing for Waresley Cricket Club, which plays in the UK’s Huntingdonshire & Cambridgeshire League on Saturdays and the Bedfordshire County League on Sundays. Over the summer he posted a career best 190, which was the highest score at the club during the season. Dodson hopes he’s helped to play a part in changing the perception in the minds of Waresley’s opponents about the capabilities of Americans playing cricket.

“They were shocked,” said Dodson. “Every time I’d tell them that I’m an American, they were like, ‘What?! You’re American?!’”

Baker for one has noticed how that time in the UK has helped Dodson’s game.

“I think Dodson’s cricket has progressed a lot. I think the stint he did in England did a lot for his cricket. When Dodson joined Villagers, he was still at youth level cricket and his cricket has grown and he’s matured a lot,” said Baker. “Sometimes I’m just kind of surprised that he’s not really given the opportunity at the national level but then everybody see things different. For me he’s always one for the future because he’s a naturally talented cricketer. He’s very athletic. He can keep, he could bat, he could field. He’s not only a good keeper but he’s also a very good fielder. I always encourage him to keep working and whenever time you get an opportunity, you make use of it.”

Just weeks after turning 23, Dodson had a disappointing time with the bat in Atlanta at the USACA Eastern Conference Tournament playing for the New York Region in September, but this weekend he has a chance to make amends at the USACA Senior Nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In the process, he can plant a seed in the minds of selectors that he is ready for another shot at returning to the national team. At last year’s December trials, Dodson was harshly overlooked despite being one of only two players, with Ryan Corns being the other, to complete a 1.5 mile fitness test in under 12 minutes. It’s that kind of hunger and serious approach that Baker feels will stand Dodson in good stead for whenever his next chance may come.

“He’s always in good physical shape,” said Baker. “I’ve never seen him turn up to a camp unfit. That’s one thing that I admire about him as a kid. That’s something you can’t take away from him because he’s always ready.”

Intrasquad match provides preparation for New York Region junior and senior players

openingbat — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:56:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna

The New York Region’s preparation for next month’s USACA National Tournaments got into full swing on Sunday with an intrasquad match at Idlewild Park in Queens, New York. It was part of a fundraising doubleheader as the New York U-15 team took on an U-15 side from Indoor Cricket USA (NJ) in a T20 match earlier in the day before U-19 and senior team members played in the afternoon.

“I always like to see them play on a regulation ground because a lot of the games we practice are on smaller grounds so it’s good to get them to feel the size of the regulation ground,” said Patrick Sutherland, the New York Region U-19 team manager. “They can get acclimatized to what would be happening in the championship.”

The friendly format of the match allowed U-19 players to play both alongside and against senior players from the region that are likely to represent the region in Florida as each side looks to win a national championship.

“I thought it was a great idea because it would have been pretty much lopsided if the senior team were to take on the U-19s, but in all I didn’t think today was about winning or losing,” said Steve Massiah, captain of the New York Region senior team. “It was just about giving everyone an opportunity because the next couple of weeks pretty much we wouldn’t have an opportunity to do much before we go off to Florida because of the weather. I thought it was important that we played collectively.”

The U-19 captain, Andy Mohammed, led a squad of mixed players against one captained by Massiah. Mohammed won the toss and elected to bat first on a chilly and windy day at one of the top cricket grounds on the east coast.

Dennis Evans and Cameron Mirza opened the batting for the Mohammed XI, but Mirza didn’t last long, run out without scoring when he pushed to mid off and chanced the arm of Adrian Gordon, who fired a direct hit with Mirza a yard short to make it 11 for 1. Mohammed arrived at the crease and built a steady partnership with Evans, adding 40 for the second wicket before Mohammed shouldered arms to the first ball he faced from left arm spinner Barrington Bartley to be clean bowled for 9.

Trevis Ross came on and continued to make inroads for the Massiah XI, getting Trevor Singh for 1 and Regis Burton for a duck as both men played across and were struck in front to make it 53 for 4. Bartley claimed Evans for 32, caught on the long off boundary by Gordon to make it 55 for 5 before Ross had Keon Lake stumped for 14 to make it 70 for 6. Glen Hall was clean bowled for 13 trying to pull a good length ball from Gordon to make it 100 for 7.

The score was 123 for 7 after 20 overs, but in an effort to make the chase more competitive for the Massiah XI, the first innings was extended to 25 overs. Teenagers Amarnauth Persaud and Rocky Kowchai provided some lower order resistance for the Mohammed XI as each player added 27 runs. They combined for their side’s biggest partnership of the innings, 45 runs for the eighth wicket, before Kowchai was bowled off an inside edge at the start of the 24^th over to make it 145 for 8.

Cameron Mirza reappeared for a second batting stint coming in at number 10 and could have been run out again after a dreadful mixup on his first delivery, but the magnanimous Massiah fielding at cover recognized the need for everyone to get adequate practice and he graciously opted to hold onto the ball after collecting it with Mirza stranded. Persaud was bowled in the final over by left arm spinner Trinson Carmichael before last man Casper Davis Jr. was run out for 1 on the last ball of the innings as the Mohammed XI finished with 154.

“Overall, the youngsters the way they applied themselves and the way they approached their innings was good to see but I just think they need to work a little bit more on the fundamentals,” said Massiah. “They need to apply the basics a little more, whether it’s in the field or running between the wickets and to tighten up their technique because certainly as you go on to the next level, your technique will be tested.”

The Massiah XI started their innings in fading light, a product of a delayed start to their match while waiting for the U-15 game to end as well as the extension of the Mohammed XI’s first innings. Carl Wright and Akeem Dodson opened the chase, but Wright departed on the third ball of the innings for 2, going for a big hit off Davis only to sky a chance to Mirza coming in from the cover boundary.

Massiah came in and teamed up with Dodson for a breezy 37-run partnership. Massiah then tried to get creative and walked down the track to Kowchai but drove a fullish ball straight to Singh at mid off to go for 21. Bartley joined Dodson, but their partnership only produced 14 before Dodson sliced a good length ball from Persaud high to Evans at third man, who settled under the ball to take the catch and Dodson was gone for 21 to make it 53 for 3 after 8 overs.

Teenage left arm spinner Saumil Gandhi then struck twice to halt the Massiah XI’s progress even further. First, he dismissed new man Ileo Freeman, who played inside the line of a good length delivery and was clean bowled for 2. Next, he got rid of Bartley for 7 when the batsman played onto his stumps going for a drive to a full and wide delivery to make it 60 for 5 in the 11^th over. Gordon joined Kavishwar Bridgepaul at the crease and after 11 overs the score was 64 for 5.

At this point, the light had been deteriorating at a steady rate, but play continued until the first ball of the 12^th over. Persaud was bowling to Bridgepaul when the batsman flat batted a good length ball back to the bowler at head height. Persaud was late reacting and the ball struck him in the throat. He fell to the ground while Bridgepaul, Gordon, wicketkeeper Mohammed and the rest of the fielders sprinted in to check if Persaud was okay. The match was then called off by the umpires.

Image: Former USA U-15 player and current New York Region U-19 player Amarnauth Persaud. [Courtesy: Ricky Kissoon]

“I thought the benefit of everyone involved was to get a run out pretty much,” said Massiah. “We haven’t played collectively since the last tournament we would have played in Atlanta. So it was good that a couple of the guys came out today. We were able to get some meaningful practice but it’s pretty sad that it ended in the way which it did.”

After several minutes, Persaud was able to get on his feet. According to players who were on the field, Persaud was breathing okay. He was eventually escorted into an ambulance. New York U-19 coach Ricky Kissoon said that Persaud was being taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure. It was the U-19 team’s second casualty of the day after Prashanth Nair sustained a hand injury in the first innings trying to catch a ball off the bat of Evans. Nair was fielding on the boundary in the third over and jumped high to try to prevent a six, hurting himself in the process. He was unable to take any further part in the game.

New York Region Exhibition T20 Match

Massiah XI vs. Mohammed XI

No result – match suspended after 11.1 overs in second innings were completed

Mohammed XI won the toss and elected to bat

Mohammed XI Innings

Batsman Runs Balls 4s 6s Dismissal

D Evans 32 23 3 1 ct Gordon b Bartley

C Mirza 0 6 0 0 runout (Gordon)

A Mohammed*+ 9 11 1 0 b Bartley

T Singh 1 4 0 0 LBW Ross

R Burton 0 3 0 0 LBW Ross

K Lake 14 6 0 2 st Dodson b Ross

G Hall 13 29 0 0 b Gordon

A Persaud 27 40 1 0 b Carmichael

R Kowchai 27 26 1 1 b Powell

C Mirza 6 5 0 0 not out

C Davis Jr. 1 2 0 0 runout (Tariq/Dodson+)

Extras 24 (5 no balls, 1 bye, 6 leg byes, 12 wides)

Team Total 154 all out in 25 overs

Did not bat: K Darlington, S Gandhi.

Fall of Wicket: 11/1 (Mirza), 51/2 (Mohammed), 53/3 (Singh), 53/4 (Burton), 55/5 (Evans), 70/6 (Lake), 100/7 (Hall), 145/8 (Kowchai), 153/9 (Persaud), 154/10 (Davis Jr.).

Massiah XI Bowling Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets

A Gordon 2-0-17-1

K Bridgepaul 2-0-15-0

R James 2-0-20-0

B Bartley 3-0-23-2

T Ross 3-0-7-3

T Carmichael 4-0-14-1

M Powell 3-0-15-1

Z Tariq 2-0-8-0

S Massiah 2-0-16-0

C Wright 2-0-12-0

Massiah XI Innings

Batsman Runs Balls 4s 6s Dismissal

C Wright 2 3 0 0 ct Mirza b Davis Jr.

A Dodson+ 18 18 2 0 ct Evans b Persaud

S Massiah* 21 17 2 1 ct Singh b Kowchai

B Bartley 7 15 0 0 b Gandhi

I Freeman 2 3 0 0 b Gandhi

K Bridgepaul 6 9 0 0 not out

A Gordon 1 2 0 0 not out

Total Extras 7 (0 no balls, 0 byes, 5 leg byes, 2 wides)

Team Total 64 for 5 in 11.1 overs

Did not bat: Z Tariq, T Ross, T Carmichael, M Powell, R James, P Nair.

Fall of wicket: 2/1 (Wright), 39/2 (Massiah), 53/3 (Dodson), 55/4 (Freeman), 60/5 (Bartley).

Mohammed XI Bowling Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets

C Davis Jr. 4-0-23-1

R Kowchai 3-0-22-1

A Persaud 2.1-0-8-1

S Gandhi 2-0-6-2

Radiant Info T20 Cricket 2010: Bedessee NY Destroyers gear up for another victorious campaign!

openingbat — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:49:00 GMT

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

Radiant Info T20 Cricket 2010: Bedessee NY Destroyers gear up for another victorious campaign!

Bedessee NY Destroyers, the 2009 Radiant Info T20 champions, are strongly favored to make the finals this year as well. Their seeding is not just because of their strong line-up! This outfit is a reminder that regardless of individual talent, cricket is really a team sport.

Last year, the team ratcheted up the intensity with each match. Their support structure was top-notch ensuring that the team worked like a well-oiled machine. Their manager even delivered home-cooked food at the hotel after the matches last year. If those are not reasons enough, here are more reasons why this team is the one to beat.

Firstly, Barrington Bartley (pictured right) is a captain's captain - someone that truly leads from the front. Last year, he topped the tournament Impact Index with 6.1 impact rating. The Impact Index is a DreamCricket.com innovation that provides context to the cricketing performance - the state of the match and the series, the strength of the opposition and pitch conditions.

Secondly, there is just one word to describe the Destroyers fielding - magical! And in that context, there is a person who must be named - Akeem Dodson. Take a bow!

And thirdly, there's the team:

Barrington Bartley (29) - Barrington has pedigree. As a youngster, the middle-order batsman played alongside Chris Gayle as part of the Jamaica U19 squad, and beginning 2005, he has been in and out of the USA senior team. In 2009, he was one of eight NY cricketers who were on the list of probables for 2010. A part-time left slow orthodox bowler, Barrington took an incredible 3 wickets for 6 runs in 3 overs in last year's Radiant Info T20, which sealed the fate of his opponents.

Rashard "Rocky" Marshall (27) - Explosive is the one word that describes this USA batsman best. Jamaican born Rocky first raised eyebrows in 2006 when he scored an undefeated 90 to bring the United States very close to defeating West Indies XI captained by Brian Lara. The team eventually fell short by 6 runs. His 90 runs came off just 56 balls and included seven fours and two sixes. One Wavell Hinds' over went for 16 runs!

Since that eventful match, Rocky (picture at right) has continued to torment bowlers in the various ICC Trophies.

Fijians still have nightmares of his innings of 61 from 28 balls that included 8 fours and 4 sixes! This month, Rocky celebrated a personal milestone - a maiden century in an ICC championship - that too in a crucial match against Argentina. His 122 came of 84 deliveries and featured 11 fours and 6 sixes and sent Argentina packing to Division V.

Akeem Dodson (22) - Akeem Dodson is one of a rare species - he is US-born. Akeem is also one of the few members of the 2006 ICC U-19 World Cup team that made a transition to the senior team when he was chosen to play as part of the USA team in the WICB Cup in November of 2008. Akeem scored 31 not out against Trinidad and Tobago and featured in three important partnerships in that match. Of course, it was a brief cameo. Mysteriously, he was left out of the probables list for 2010 but in domestic competition, Akeem has continued to shine as a batsman and as a fielder. In last year's Radiant Info T20, Akeem played a key role in NY's progress to semis hitting 45 from 56 balls. He was also the tournament's best fielder and wicketkeeper.

Azurdeen "Andy" Mohammed (19) - To the casual observer, Trindiad born Andy Mohammed gives off the appearance that life is easy. In Peter Della Penna's words, "For Mohammed, overcoming hardship is old hat." An injury at the Pearls Cup cost him his spot on the team that went to the ICC Americas tournament and forced him to take a short break from cricket.

But by June 15, in only his second competitive game since returning from the injury, Mohammed notched an unbeaten 109 in the NYPD Cricket Twenty20 Cup.

Andy was selected for the USA U-19 squad last year after two half-centuries and 157 runs in three innings for North East at the domestic U-19 tournament. In his first match for USA U-19, Andy scored 60 opening the match before taking 3 for 15 bowling left-arm orthodox spin. At the Global Qualifier, he grinded out 90 runs from the top of the order in his team’s loss to Afghanistan. And in New Zealand, at the U-19 World Cup came his most impressive performance scoring 70 runs in a defeat to Australia, but giving USA some respectability after it was reduced to 28 for 7!

Andrew "Kristoff" Gonsalves (32) - Former West Indies B and Guyana opening batsman Andrew Gonsalves is no stranger to fans of New York cricket. Playing for Global Challengers, he was the best batsman at last year's Radiant Info T20 with 174 runs in his 4 innings including a highest of 87 in the semi-finals with 5 fours and 3 sixes. This year, he is part of the NY Destroyers and hopes to repeat the magic.

The other players on the New York Destroyers include USA cricketer Kevin Darlington and U-19 cricketer Kavishwar Bridgepaul. The full team will be announced along with all the rosters next week.

[Bio of Andy Mohammed courtesy of Peter Della Penna. Pictures courtesy of USACA/ICC/NewYorkCricket.com]