USA Cricketer : Asif Khan

USA Cricket: Marshall fights through pain, takes USA to 2-wicket win over Oman in Bermuda

openingbat — Thu, 02 May 2013 11:50:00 GMT

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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

USA middle order batsman Rashard Marshall gritted his teeth after receiving a nasty blow to the shoulder from Oman fast bowler Munis Ansari to carry USA to a tense 2-wicket win over Oman at Somerset Cricket Club on Wednesday on the third day of play at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three in Bermuda. Marshall’s 72 not out off 83 balls garnered the Man of the Match award and took USA to 3-0 on the week while Oman falls to 1-2. The win means that another victory in USA’s next match against Uganda on Thursday will clinch a spot for USA at the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand.

“Rashard is a trusted lieutenant in this team,” USA vice-captain Sushil Nadkarni said after the win. “He’s one of the senior batsmen in this team and this is not the first time we’ve seen him do this. He’s done this a few times before for USA but all credit to Rashard today. He really carried the team. He took on the pressure and just like a senior man, when he got in he saw us through and brought the game home. I think it’s nothing short of a great innings.”

USA won the toss and elected to field first with an unchanged eleven as overcast conditions swarmed the island. Both Italy and Nepal made the same choice after winning the toss in their games against Uganda and Bermuda respectively.

Omani openers Ajay Lalcheta and Ghazanfar Iqbal looked uncomfortable against the opening pace of Timroy Allen and Elmore Hutchinson but it took the intervention of Japen Patel’s fielding to make the first breakthrough for USA. Lalcheta tried to push Allen to Patel at mid off for a run that was never there and Patel charged in to field and strike a direct hit from point blank range, sending Lalcheta off for 5 in the third over. Iqbal lasted until the seventh when he was bowled by a full delivery from Allen for 7 to make it 25 for 2. Hutchinson continued his impressive tournament by removing Zeeshan Siddiqui for 8, caught at first slip by Nadkarni to make it 34 for 3 at the start of the eighth over.

In a sign of things to come later in the Oman innings, captain Vaibhav Wategaonkar and Jatinder Singh dug in for an attritional stand of 40 runs for the fourth wicket. Wategaonkar was dropped twice, on 11 by Steven Taylor off Orlando Baker and then again on 23 with a sharp return chance to Patel.

Image (right) - Japen Patel sprints away in celebration with Timroy Allen (left) after taking two wickets in three balls. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

The stand finally ended when Baker removed Singh for 13 with a short ball edged behind to Taylor. It sparked a mini-collapse as Oman lost two more wickets for no runs to slide to 74 for 6. Patel took two in three balls when he had Wategaonkar caught behind by Taylor for 25 before trapping Sultan Ahmed in front for a second-ball duck in the 22nd.

Oman lost two in a clump a few overs later when Aamir Kaleem tried slogging Neil McGarrell and produced a top edge taken by Nadkarni at slip for 12. Amir Ali then fell to McGarrell two overs later when he sent a leading edge back to the left-arm spinner for 8 to make it 95 for 8 one ball into the 28th.

“It was overcast and it was drizzling slightly through the first 20-25 overs for Oman so the wicket was kind of moist and it had some uneven bounce so I would say they had the worst of the conditions while batting,” Nadkarni said. “I think we had them on the mat at 98 for 8 [sic] and then they actually clawed their way back into the game because their last two wickets put on about 70-80 runs which set up a great match today.”

Oman refused to lie down though as number nine Hemal Mehta and number 10 batsman Sufyan Mahmood dug in and frustrated USA’s bowling attack with resolute defense. Their partnership of 41 runs spanned 14 overs before Mehta finally lost his cool and tried to slog McGarrell over long on but Patel took a straightforward catch on the rope to dismiss the batsman for 20, making it 136 for 9.

Mahmood continued to anchor one end while Ansari arrived and delivered some late blows, eventually finishing 26 not out off 22 balls with four boundaries and a six. Oman’s bench cheered vociferously with every run scored in the hopes of getting to a defendable total. The pair took Oman into the final over before Hutchinson finished off the innings by getting Mahmood caught by Steve Massiah at cover for a joint top score of 26 as USA bowled out Oman for 175 in 49.4 overs. McGarrell finished with 3 for 30 to continue his reign as the tournament’s leading wicket taker with 10 in three games.

Ansari’s opening pace blitz rocked USA at the start of their chase and erased any notions that USA could simply chalk up a simple victory on the same ground they posted 366 on Sunday against Nepal. Taylor was bowled on the second ball of the chase for a duck by a searing yorker from Ansari. Nadkarni entered above Massiah at three but only lasted until the end of the fifth over before he too was bowled by a full delivery from Ansari for 7 to make it 17 for 2.

Baker was joined by Massiah and in a crucial sequence in the match, Massiah had yet to score when he was dropped off Ansari in the 7th. On the fifth ball of the over, Massiah drove the fast man straight to Lalcheta at mid off and a straightforward chance was put down. On the very next ball, Massiah inside edged a ball off his pads and the ball rolled backwards into the stumps but the bails failed to dislodge. Lalcheta kept the pressure just as tight at the opposite end, dismissing Baker for 20 with an edge behind to the keeper Ahmed to make it 37 for 3 in the 10th.

It was at this stage that Marshall arrived and like Massiah survived an early chance when a runout opportunity was blown with the batsman on 12. Massiah fended a delivery from the left-arm spin of Kaleem into midwicket and Marshall set off for a run that wasn’t there. Mahmood fielded and threw to Kaleem over the non-striker’s stumps with Marshall still several yards short of making his ground. The bowler caught the ball adjacent to the stumps one-handed with his left hand, but broke the stumps with his right hand and belted out an appeal. Umpire Roger Dill correctly gave Marshall not out after the bowler failed to break the stumps with the hand containing the ball and subsequently failed to pull out a stump with the ball pressed against it before Marshall made his ground. It turned out to be a very costly mental error by Kaleem and Marshall made the most of his second chance.

After a brief rest, Ansari returned for a second spell. Massiah, who had earlier struck Ansari for three fours in an over, carried on in vintage fashion with a glorious back foot drive through the covers to chase Ansari out of the attack once more. A short time later, Massiah brought up the 100 for USA with a single off Kaleem in the 23rd.

Ansari’s third spell had venom similar to his first and with his third ball struck Marshall in the right shoulder with a delivery that took extra bounce off the pitch. After getting some treatment, Marshall continued but two balls later the 90-run stand finally ended when a good length delivery clipped the shoulder of Massiah’s forward defense and lobbed to Kaleem at backward point to make it 127 for 4 in the 27th. USA’s captain provided 39 valuable runs but more importantly stayed at the crease to shield the rest of USA’s order from the majority of Ansari’s spell hostile pace.

Image (left) - Rashard Marshall is in agony after being struck on the shoulder by a sharp rising delivery from Oman fast bowler Munis Ansari. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

McGarrell joined Marshall and the set batsman brought up his half-century in 48 balls with a top edged hook off Ansari over the keeper to end the 27th. The pair safely negotiated Ansari’s final over to take USA to 138 for 4 after 29 as Ansari finished with 3 for 62 in 10 but just when it appeared USA could breathe easier, McGarrell edged Kaleem to Mehta at slip for 4 to spark a middle order collapse. Allen failed with the bat for the first time in the tournament, trapped LBW by Kaleem without scoring to make it 141 for 6. Eight balls later, Mehta had Patel stumped for a duck to make it 142 for 7 and all of a sudden the last 34 runs needed for a USA win seemed very far away.

Marshall kept his composure though and along with Barrington Bartley took advantage of some loose bowling down the stretch. Bartley clubbed a pair of short balls for four and six from Kaleem in the 38th to get USA within seven runs of victory but on the very next ball he was given LBW for 16 despite a possible inside edge to make it 169 for 8.

Hutchinson arrived and with a calm temperament saw off the final two balls of Kaleem’s 10th over. Marshall started the 39th on strike to Mehta and swept back-to-back balls for two before a pair of singles leveled the scores. With Hutchinson on strike to start the 40th, Oman brought on Siddiqui to bowl for the first time in the match and a half-tracker was swatted to mid off for the winning run. USA’s bench sprinted onto the field to hug both batsmen after achieving a thrilling victory. USA also defeated Oman by two wickets at Division Three in Hong Kong two years ago when Usman Shuja and Asif Khan added an unbeaten 72-run stand for the ninth wicket to take USA to an improbable win.

In Wednesday’s other games, Nepal kept their promotion hopes dangling by a thread with an 8-wicket romp over Bermuda at St. David’s CC. Bermuda made 106 after being sent in to bat before Nepal chased the runs in 11.2 overs to not only register their first win but drastically improve their net run rate after the beating it took over the first two days of the tournament. At the National Stadium, Uganda managed to defend 114 for 9 against Italy to win by 23 runs. Italy was 52 for 2 chasing a small target but lost their last 8 wickets for 39 runs. Opener Andy Northcote top scored with 28 but his runout left Italy at 72 for 6 and hastened their collapse. Uganda captain Davis Arinaitwe took 4 for 20 to lead his side to a narrow win.

After the first three days of the tournament, USA and Uganda are both 3-0 while Oman, Nepal and Bermuda’s promotion hopes remain alive at 1-2. Italy is the only team no longer with a chance at promotion with an 0-3 record and will have to work hard to avoid relegation to Division Four with their final two matches coming against Bermuda and Nepal. In order for one of Oman, Bermuda or Nepal to gain promotion, each of the three sides needs a win today and Saturday combined with another loss on Saturday for the loser of Thursday’s USA vs. Uganda match. Nepal plays Oman Thursday in a virtual knockout match with the winning team keeping their promotion hopes alive at 2-2 while the loser will be at 1-3 and in danger of relegation heading into the last day of round-robin play.

DreamCricket.com’s tournament coverage continues on Thursday with a battle of the only two undefeated sides left in the tournament at St. David’s on the east side of the island. Live updates sponsored by New Inning Foundation begin at 10 a.m. local time, 9 a.m. on the east coast in the USA.

USA Cricket: 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier Report Card Part II - Player Grades

openingbat — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:47:00 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)

Player Grades

Sushil Nadkarni – C: The captain was USA’s leading run getter in the tournament with 187 runs and had a high score of 59 against Oman. He was USA’s top scorer in four games (Uganda, Oman, Kenya, Bermuda). However, his string of three consecutive ducks against Italy, Namibia and Ireland crippled the team’s chances in those games. He got a good ball against Italy, but hooking to deep square leg on his second ball against Namibia was not something you’d expect out of a senior player and neither was the way he ran himself out against Ireland.

As a captain, he was hamstrung because the team didn’t have enough preparation ahead of the tournament to figure out which bowlers would be best suited for certain roles such as bowling at the death. There’s nothing wrong with trying to think outside the box but some of the batting lineups were bizarre. Having Abhimanyu Rajp coming in at number three against Ireland was something straight out of Ripley’s, but one suspects the coaching staff had more to do with that than Nadkarni.

Image (right) - Sushil Nadkarni in action against Kenya. [Courtesy: ICC/Thusith Wijedoru]

Steven Taylor – B-: The youngest player on the team was quiet in the first three games in the tournament, but started to click against Ireland and from then on was one of USA’s best batsmen. He finished second on the team in runs with 179 at a strike rate of 117.76. He had plenty of good starts, but never reached 50. However, his top score of 40 came in USA’s win over Scotland, the biggest upset of the tournament.

He was also involved in USA’s best two partnerships of the tournament, teaming with Aditya Mishra on each occasion to score 78 for the first wicket against Scotland and 64 for the third wicket against Namibia. He used to struggle at junior level with carrying on after making a start but erased those issues at the ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Ireland with a pair of centuries. He needs to focus on doing the same thing at the senior level. He also could have probably had a better time with the bat had he not been thrust into the wicketkeeper role by the second match. Taylor played six matches behind the stumps, taking four catches and completing two stumpings during the tournament but unless he shows significant improvement with the gloves he should really be playing as a specialist batsman.

Aditya Mishra – B: The vice-captain led the team in the group stage with 155 runs and finished third overall on the team at the qualifier with 169 runs, including two half-centuries. In the field, he dropped a sharp chance offered by Davis Arinaitwe of Uganda on the first day that had a major impact on the game and sometimes took poor routes to the ball trying to cut off runs, but took three catches overall in the tournament.

In some matches, he looked imperious and brimming with confidence at the crease. In others, he looked tentative and fidgety, which unsurprisingly led to two runouts, not to mention two more he had in the warm-up games ahead of the tournament. There was no middle ground. It usually only took one over to gauge which Mishra was at the crease in a given match.

Image (left) - Aditya Mishra during his match-winning 62 against Scotland. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket]

In the matches against Italy, Namibia and Scotland, the first Mishra appeared and carried the team just short of victory on two occasions. On the third, he scored 62 to lead USA to their best win of the tournament. It is worth noting though that he was the beneficiary of drops in the field in all three of those matches, but managed to make the most of the second chances. Nerves mysteriously seemed to get the better of him in the other five games. For that reason he was arguably USA’s most compelling and confounding player on tour.

Orlando Baker – C+: Given more responsibility with the bat than he had under Steve Massiah’s captaincy in July at the 2011 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20, Baker contributed a few good knocks against Italy and Namibia before playing a crucial support role to Mishra in the late stage of the chase against Scotland. His best score though was 39 against Bermuda, a disappointing stat considering the starts he got in several games. He finished with 130 runs in nine innings, one of only four USA batsmen to break past 100 at the qualifier.

With the ball, Baker took five wickets at an average of 20, which was the second best average on the team behind Ghous. His bowling was only used in four matches though. His strike rate of 15.6 was the best on the team for any bowler with a minimum of one over per team match. It could have been better had three catches not been dropped off his bowling, but he also dropped two chances and took no catches at the tourney. He has a knack for taking wickets and his bowling could have come in handy in some other games but it appeared Nadkarni wanted to keep him fresh for when it came time to bat.

Nauman Mustafa – F: For several years, Mustafa has been one of the best batsmen on the domestic scene, but he failed when it came time to transition his game to the international stage. Had there been a USACA Twenty20 National Tournament in January as originally scheduled, the North West Region had selected a squad in which they dropped Mustafa yet he was brought into the USACA selection camp that took place in Florida instead of the tournament. While it was felt there wasn’t much difference between the standard of keeping between him and incumbent Akeem Dodson, Mustafa’s batting is held in higher esteem than Dodson’s and that helped Mustafa earn selection as USA’s first-choice wicketkeeper heading into the tour.

This proved to be a major error in judgment by the selectors, especially since Dodson had won the Best Wicketkeeper Award at the 2011 ICC Americas Twenty20 Division One tournament in July. Mustafa was making his debut at 37, not exactly ripe for a wicketkeeper and it showed on the first day against Uganda. With just 123 runs to defend, every run mattered in the field but Mustafa gave away at least 10 behind the stumps through byes and other misfields.

He was promptly dropped for the next game against Italy, then recalled for the Namibia match where he was selected as a specialist batsman at number three and scored 0 off 4 balls driving loosely in the air to cover, the same way he got out against Uganda for 13 off 19 balls coming in at number five. When he was a fielder not behind the stumps, he wasn’t exactly fleet of foot. He scored 6 off 15 at number six playing as a specialist batsman against Ireland, then had another two matches on the bench before wearing the gloves against Scotland. He did an adequate job, taking three catches. Two days later against Bermuda, Mustafa scored 9 not out from 3 deliveries at number seven but had a sloppy performance behind the stumps in the first few overs in the field, an easy reminder as to why Taylor had taken over the gloves for most of the tournament. Mustafa was then dropped again for the final day against Hong Kong.

Before the tour began, USACA Cricket Committee chairman Ahmed Jeddy told DreamCricket.com, “We expect a good result,” when asked what he thought of the team’s chances in the qualifier. “Winning it and qualifying for the World Cup is a good result for us.” If the mindset was to try and win now, then perhaps selecting Mustafa for the tournament was worth a gamble.

Image (right) - Nauman Mustafa, seen here against Scotland, entered the tour as USA's first choice wicketkeeper, but only wore the gloves in three of USA's nine matches at the qualifier. [Courtesy: ICC/Ian Jacobs]

However, halfway through the tournament after the team had lost its first four games in Group B, Jeddy told the Associated Press, “I really don’t care what the results of this tournament will be. I want people to look at this team in two years.” If this team was being selected with the future in mind, to groom players and get them experience to set them up for the next few years, 24-year-old Dodson should have been in the team and not been dropped in favor of Mustafa. Dodson didn’t set the world on fire with the bat playing for USA last July in Florida, but he couldn’t have done much worse than Mustafa did with the bat or gloves in the UAE.

Going back to the ICC Americas tournament in July, Mustafa was selected in the original 14-man squad before the administration intervened to remove him in favor of Nadkarni. The coaching staff in the UAE showed little faith in his wicketkeeping after the first match and he never had a clearly defined role afterward, batting in four different positions in his four innings at the tournament. Those things weren’t his fault. USA’s wicketkeeper position has been poorly handled over the last two years and the indecisiveness over who should be in the role both before and during the tour cost the team badly in the UAE.

Ryan Corns – C-: Corns scored 10 off 12 balls and took 1 for 27 in the field against Uganda before sitting out the next three matches with a groin injury. He had initially been ruled out for the rest of the tournament, but came back to play against Oman and played every match the rest of the way. However, he was clearly not 100%. He only came to the crease three more times after the first game but was a disappointment overall with the bat, scoring 27 runs at an average of 9.00.

Despite his problems with the bat, he showed great promise with the ball, taking four wickets in 13 overs at an average of 25.25 and an economy rate of 7.76. That might not sound special, but Corns was one of the bowlers who suffered through a series of drops, with three catches put down off his bowling including a key chance against Uganda that Taylor misjudged coming in from the long on boundary.

Corns took a step back with the bat in the UAE, but a step forward with the ball. Once he gets the balancing act right, he will be a very handy all-rounder for USA at the senior level just as he was at the Under-19 level.

Adil Bhatti – D: Bhatti scored 34 not out off 11 balls in the final warm-up game against Denmark and also took five wickets in three warm-up games, including 4 for 38 against Namibia. But when the live matches got underway he only bowled five overs and took just one wicket which came in his first over of the first game against Uganda. His 21 in that match was also his top score for the tournament. He added just 54 runs in seven innings after that. Five of his eight innings came at number seven but he struggled in the position, whether he was tasked with trying to give USA a late innings surge or helping rebuild when the team was in trouble.

On most days, his fielding was good, not great, as he typically patrolled either the midwicket or cover boundary. He finished with three catches, but also had three drops although one of them was a tough chance against Namibia where he did well just to get to the ball. Bhatti typically demonstrated a positive attitude in everything he did. His effort never seemed to waver and he consistently tried his best. At this level though, trying isn’t good enough. His number one priority should be to sharpen his batting.

Elmore Hutchinson – C+: Team management seemed confused how best to utilize Hutchinson throughout the tournament. He batted at four different positions (three, six, eight and nine). On the bowling side, he opened, came on at first change, but was also the fifth, sixth and seventh bowling option used depending on the match.

Image (left) - Elmore Hutchinson celebrates the dismissal of Ireland's Paul Stirling, who was the number one scorer at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. [Courtesy: ICC/Barry Chambers]

Despite all the shuffling around, he finished with six wickets, tied for third on the team with Usman Shuja. His best performance came against Ireland when he took 3 for 22, including the wickets of Paul Stirling and Gary Wilson, for the best figures of a USA bowler in any match at the qualifier. He then top scored in the second innings with 29 at number nine. He was also a crucial player in the match against Scotland, taking 1 for 10 in two overs before scoring 19 off 20 balls at number three in USA’s successful chase. Hutchinson was adequate in the field, but did have two drops. He’s still a bit unpolished, but showed signs that he could be a solid contributor in future tournaments both for his bowling and batting.

Asif Khan – D: He was supposed to be USA’s frontline spinner, but only managed to take one wicket in 17 overs during the qualifier. That sole wicket came in his very first over of the event against Uganda. His main problem on tour was trying to find consistency. He only bowled one over against Italy in which two boundaries were hit off him. Against Namibia, he was hit for four boundaries in his first over, but then came back and bowled a maiden in his second spell. Against Ireland he went for 10 runs in his first two overs, then 25 in his next two.

In his last match of the tournament, he took 0 for 24 against Scotland and had Scotland’s top scorer, Jan Stander, dropped off his bowling. After the chance was put down, Khan applauded Muhammad Ghous for putting in a sliding effort. Khan then grinned and shook his head as if to say, “Nothing’s going my way.” He still managed to finish second in economy rate for USA with 7.23 runs per over, but his inability to take wickets resulted in him being dropped for the final two games.

With the bat, Khan topped USA’s averages on tour with 42 runs at 42.00. This came primarily from his 35 not out off 29 balls at number six against Italy when he nearly took the team across the line. He top scored for USA that day, but struggled to get the ball away in the last two overs and the team eventually lost by eight runs. Curiously though, Khan was not one of the nine batsmen used the next day against Namibia at a time when USA could have definitely used him in their chase. He came in at number five against Scotland and was in the middle when the winning runs were scored. Overall, it was a disappointing tour for Khan, but hopefully he will bounce back for USA at ICC WCL Division Four.

Abhimanyu Rajp – B+: Rajp entered the tour behind Khan and Ghous in the spin bowling pecking order and sat on the bench for day one against Uganda. After a reshuffle for day two against Italy, he made his debut and took a wicket on his very first delivery, setting the tone for the rest of his time in the tournament. While he never had a big haul, Rajp was USA’s most consistent performer with the ball and finished tied for the team lead with 10 wickets at an average of 21.90.

Image (right) - Abhimanyu Rajp bowling against Scotland. Rajp tied for the team lead with 10 wickets at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. [Courtesy: ICC/Ian Jacobs]

His fielding was usually sharp. He took six catches, the most of any player on the team at the tournament including wicketkeepers. Three of them were off his own bowling. Rajp was also decent with the bat. His 59 runs were the seventh most on the team and came at an average of 11.80. He nearly pulled off a stunning win against Italy after hitting a four and six off the first two balls of the final over before USA fell short by eight runs.

The only noticeable drawback in his game was a tendency to try to buy wickets. He averaged 1.00 boundary or six conceded per over, the highest rate on the team for bowlers with a minimum of nine overs (one over per team game) at the qualifier compared to 2.31 dot balls per over, which was fifth on the team for bowlers with a minimum of nine overs. These are minor adjustments he can make but he should be an even bigger contributor for USA in 50-over cricket when ICC WCL Division Four comes around.

Usman Shuja – C+: Stood out as being USA’s fittest player on tour, Shuja has perhaps the most professional approach to the game of any player on the team and as a result is also one of the most durable players USA has had for the last several years. He was one of only four players on the team to play all nine matches at the qualifier, which is even more remarkable because he’s an opening pace bowler.

He was wicketless in the first three games, but started to hit his stride against Ireland, taking 1 for 16 in three overs. He was named Man of the Match for his spell of 4-1-9-1 against Oman, even though Nadkarni scored a half-century in the first innings. His best figures came against Scotland, with 3 for 39 in the team’s upset win although it could have been 4 for 35 if not for a drop on the last ball of the innings. Shuja also had another chance put down off his bowling on the last day against Hong Kong.

Image (left) - Usman Shuja in his delivery stride vs. Ireland. [Courtesy: ICC/Barry Chambers]

Overall he took six wickets, tied with Hutchinson for third on the team but his average of 33.16 and strike rate of 27.30 were ahead of only Bhatti and Khan. He bowled two of USA’s four maidens and his 2.78 dot balls per over was the best rate of any bowler for USA at the qualifier, but he also conceded 0.99 boundaries or sixes per over, the second highest rate behind Rajp for bowlers with a minimum of one over per team game.

Shuja should have been batting at number eight and definitely not lower than nine. After scoring 8 not out and 8 in the first two matches coming in at nine and eight, Shuja was hardly seen again on the batting side until he scored 14 at number nine on the final day against Hong Kong. He was underutilized in this regard, but the coaching staff was keen to try out different combinations. Shuja will continue to be a key player in the next few years as USA rebuilds in an attempt to climb back up the Associate ladder.

Muhammad Ghous – B+: After two subpar tournaments in 2011, Ghous bounced back in a big way in the UAE and was arguably USA’s standout bowler on tour. He tied for the team lead in wickets with 10 and had USA’s best economy rate of 6.00 runs per over. He bowled the most dot balls at the tournament for USA with 83 and had the second most dot balls per over for bowlers with a minimum of one over per team game with 2.59 behind Shuja’s 2.78. He also had the team’s lowest rate of boundaries or sixes allowed per over with 0.63, well below just about everyone else, a sign that he bowled very few loose deliveries and that teams struggled to get him away all tournament.

Ghous’ fielding was hit or miss. He was given more opportunities to field inside the circle on this tour especially after Corns was injured in the first game. When he was at point, Ghous was very active and did well to save runs by diving and throwing his body around. He was even involved in a run out while fielding at point in the Scotland game. Curiously though, he doesn’t always show the same desperation to save runs while fielding on the boundary. He looks particularly disinterested when fielding at third man or long leg on the boundary and in general is slow to react to the ball off the bat when fielding anywhere along the rope. That seems to be the only flaw in his game, but one that can be corrected with better habits developed at club level.

Japen Patel – Incomplete: Patel joined the tour as an injury replacement for Gowkaran Roopnarine and wound up playing four games. He took 3 for 29 against Oman, the worst batting side at the tournament and the only team to go winless in the group stage. He was rocked for 19 runs in his only over against Kenya and 17 runs in his only over against Hong Kong, a more accurate reflection of his bowling abilities. He bowled 36 legal deliveries in the tournament and 33% of them were hit to or over the boundary.

He also looked out of his depth on the batting side, scoring 11 runs in three innings. He had two drops in the field against one catch. If he is going to make it in the side in the future, it has to be with his batting but he needs a ton of work to improve.

Andy Mohammed – Incomplete: Was the reserve batsman on tour. Despite early injuries to Corns and Roopnarine, Mohammed wound up playing only two games at the qualifier. He scored 18 not out off 18 balls at number six against Namibia. He entered in the 15th over at a time when the team needed at least one boundary per over to stay in the chase, but Mohammed struggled badly to get underneath the ball or get in a position at the crease to try to clear the ropes and that seemed to doom his chances of selection for the rest of the qualifier.

His only other game was against Kenya, where he came in at number three and again struggled against their pace attack, scratching together 3 off 12 balls before getting out. He also had a drop in the field later in that game. Mohammed’s frustrations probably grew when Patel, who was not in the original squad, played ahead of him in the games against Oman, Scotland and Hong Kong. It meant that USA was playing three all-rounders (Baker, Bhatti, Patel), two of which were barely used for their bowling. However, based on his two performances, Mohammed is another who needs to work very hard to improve his batting.

Gowkaran Roopnarine – Incomplete: Juicy was edged out in the starting XI for the opening match by Steven Taylor. When he got his first chance in the game against Italy, he promptly injured a hamstring in the third over fielding on the boundary at third man. He scored 2 off five balls coming in at number nine later in the loss before being declared out of the tournament and replaced by Patel. It was an unfortunate experience for a player who worked hard in the last year to get back into the team.

Coming up in Part III - Looking ahead to ICC WCL Division Four

Click here to read Part I - Team Grades

[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: van Schoor the difference in 17-run loss to Namibia at 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier

openingbat — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:20:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Dubai (on Twitter)

Scorecard powered by the New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

Namibia opener Raymond van Schoor carried his bat to finish 79 not out off 55 balls with 11 boundaries to be named Man of the Match as USA lost to Namibia by 17 runs on Thursday at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai. Van Schoor, in tandem with Namibia captain Sarel Burger, crucially boosted the Namibians from 135 for 4 in 17 overs to 177 for 4 by the end of the innings, which was too much for USA to chase in the end. Namibia stays undefeated and at the top of Group B at 3-0 while USA remains winless at 0-3.

“We had the game under control until the 17th over. Namibia played really well in the last three. That probably had a big impact on the overall game situation,” said USA captain Sushil Nadkarni after the loss. “I feel like we need to develop bowling at the death and that will come with experience. Right now a lot of the bowlers, this format is a little new to them but they’re bowling extremely well. So we’re competing against some of the better teams and playing really well in the field. When you get to the death, teams are going after you and a lot of times you need experience to know what to do and not react to the pressure.”

USA made two changes from the XI against Italy, bringing Nauman Mustafa back into the lineup for the injured Gowkaran Roopnarine, who has been ruled out of the tournament along with Ryan Corns with each player suffering leg injuries. Curiously, Mustafa played in the field and Steven Taylor kept wicket for USA, even though Mustafa was selected to be on tour as the first choice gloveman. Andy Mohammed was also brought in to replace Elmore Hutchinson as USA looked to strengthen their batting against a Namibia team that had posted 192 on Wednesday against Scotland.

Namibia won the toss and elected to bat first on the smallest ground in the tournament, the ICC Global Cricket Academy Oval number two. Considering the score Namibia made against Scotland on a larger outfield in Abu Dhabi, USA’s effort in the field was commendable.

Gerrie Snyman opened the batting with van Schoor and the two put on 49 for the first wicket in just 5.1 overs. The biggest damage was doled in out in the fifth over bowled by Asif Khan who repeatedly strayed on the legs of the Namibia batsman to be swept through the on side for four boundaries.

Snyman was bowled for 29 by Abhimanyu Rajp to start the sixth when an attempted slog through midwicket failed to connect. USA got a big boost when Orlando Baker had Louis van der Westhuizen mistime a drive to Adil Bhatti at mid off and the tournament’s only centurion and overall scoring leader was gone for 4 to make it 70 for 2 in the ninth.

Craig Williams joined van Schoor and should have been out for 12 and the score 83 for 2 in the 11th when he lofted a full delivery from Baker toward Bhatti on the boundary again. Bhatti covered 25 yards running to his right and made a great effort to get two hands to it but couldn’t hang on. Williams spanked the next ball for six to rub it in and eventually made 41 in a 56-run partnership with van Schoor. He fell in the 16th over trying to cross bat a short ball from Rajp and top edged it to Khan at short third man who took a splendid one-handed catch.

USA struck again eight balls later to make it 133 for 4 with one ball to go in the 17th when Nicholaas Scholtz was bowled by Baker for 2. It looked like USA could contain Namibia for under 160, but van Schoor turned it on after reaching 50 on the first ball of the 17th. In his final 11 balls, van Schoor scored 29 runs including five boundaries. Sarel Burger scored off every ball he faced at the other end and 15 minutes later USA was staring at a daunting target of 178.

It didn’t get much better for USA when Nadkarni was out second ball hooking Snyman to deep square leg. Mustafa lasted just four balls coming in at number three before driving loosely to Burger at cover, giving Hendrick Geldenhuys his first wicket as USA stumbled out of the gate with the score 3 for 2 nine balls into the chase.

Aditya Mishra came in and along with Steven Taylor constructed USA’s best partnership of the tournament, 64 runs for the third wicket. Taylor mostly stayed in his shell though, hitting one four in his 21 of 24 balls before he was caught on the cover boundary by van der Westhuizen off the bowling of Louis Klazinga.

Baker came in and after initially struggling to time the ball started to catch up to the pace established by Mishra. The vice-captain was feasting on anything short in his innings, hooking three sixes – one each in the third, fourth and fifth overs – and finished with two fours and five sixes total. Mishra was dropped in the sixth over on 21 at mid on and proceeded to cash in for another 32 runs, finishing with his highest score in a USA uniform and USA’s highest score of the tournament, 53 in 34 balls.

USA entered the 15th over needing 61 in six overs with Baker on 29 and Mishra on 53. Christi Viljoen came on for the first time in the match and immediately struck, getting Mishra with a yorker to make it 117 for 4 and from there USA’s chase tapered off.

After scoring 35 not out off 29 balls coming in at number six against Italy on Wednesday, Khan never came in to bat for USA on Thursday. Instead, Mohammed entered in a pressure situation that required boundaries, but the young batsman struggled to time the ball and only managed one four. Baker sensed he needed to be the one to clear the ropes but couldn’t time a lofted cover drive well enough off Viljoen in the 17th and Burger backpedaled to take a tumbling catch to remove Baker for 38 as USA slipped to 132 for 5. With the equation now 46 required off 21 balls and two fresh batsmen at the crease, Namibia stayed on top and never let up.

Bhatti came in and scored 4 off 7 before he was stumped two balls into the final over. Two balls later, Rajp was run out by the wicketkeeper Steenkamp trying to scamper a run and USA finished 160 for 7 in 20. Namibia’s performance in the field was sloppy with 24 extras conceded, but it didn’t matter in the end.

USA will play Ireland on Friday at the ICC GCA #2 ground in Dubai. Ireland is 2-1 after a two-wicket win over Italy on Thursday in Abu Dhabi. The match will be webcast live on www.quipu.tv. DreamCricket will continue to provide live ball-by-ball updates during the match as well with live coverage beginning at 5:45 a.m. EST. DreamCricket.com’s tournament coverage is made possible in part by the New Inning Foundation.

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USA Cricket: Sandri's all-round show propels Italy past USA by 8 runs at 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier

openingbat — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:49:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna in Abu Dhabi (on Twitter)

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

Carl Sandri scored 49 not out off 28 balls and followed it up with 2 for 32 in the field to lift Italy past USA by 8 runs on Wednesday at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE. The result keeps Italy undefeated at 2-0 while USA remains winless at 0-2.

“I thought today that we lost wickets at the wrong time,” said USA captain Sushil Nadkarni after the loss. “We were stroking the ball well. We were turning over the strike pretty well and just as it looked like we wanted that to happen for another two or three overs, we would lose a wicket.”

Italy won the toss and elected to bat first on a hot morning in Abu Dhabi. USA made two changes to their lineup from Tuesday. Ryan Corns suffered a groin injury and couldn’t suit up while wicketkeeper Nauman Mustafa was dropped from the starting XI. Gowkaran Roopnarine and Abhimanyu Rajp were the two players to come in. Steven Taylor put on the gloves in place of Mustafa.

USA pounced early in the field to runout Michael Di Venuto for 6 in the second over. Andy Northcote guided a ball behind point and Di Venuto called him through but Usman Shuja at point fielded and fired over the stumps to Taylor.

Two overs later, Muhammad Ghous bowled star all-rounder Peter Petricola for 2 to make it 16 for 2 in the fourth. Rajp came on for the sixth over and on his very first ball for the USA at senior level trapped Northcote LBW for 13 to make it 26 for 3.

Gareth Berg and Damian Crowley then wrested back control for Italy with a 39-run stand in 5.3 overs. It came to an end when Berg tried to scoop Orlando Baker over short fine leg but Elmore Hutchinson was in position to take a simple catch. USA struck again six balls later to remove Crowley for 26 when Rajp showed tremendous speed to chase down a ball at short extra cover off his own bowling before throwing to Taylor to make it 70 for 5.

It was at this point that Italy captain Alessandro Bonora joined Sandri at the crease and stabilized the innings with a 43-run stand in 6.2 overs. Bonora did well to rotate the strike as 14 of his 18 runs came off singles. Sandri was striking the ball clean and hard over the ropes at the other end, eventually finishing with two boundaries and four sixes in his innings.

Image (right) - Carl Sandri receives his Man of the Match award. [Courtesy: ICC/Ian Jacobs]

Bonora was dismissed when he lofted Ghous to Rajp at long on to end the 18th. Sandri didn’t slow down though and added 24 off the final two overs to boost Italy to a below par but defendable total of 137 for 6. Ghous was the pick of the bowlers for USA, finishing with 2 for 18 in four.

USA’s chase got off to the worst possible start when Nadkarni was caught behind first ball off the bowling of Berg. Hutchinson came in at three and never got going, LBW for 1 off 7 balls when he played across a full delivery from Sandri.

Taylor got out for 15 when he was trapped in front off left-arm seamer Vince Pennazza to make it 29 for 3 in the sixth. Baker joined Aditya Mishra and the two looked set for a long innings but both got out after getting starts. Hemantha Jayasena pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at midwicket to remove Baker for 11 to give Sandri his second wicket and Mishra was stumped for 25 giving the charge to Crowley’s left-arm spin as Italy took control at 70 for 5 in the 12th over.

Adil Bhatti gave a leading edge back to Crowley to depart for 5 bringing Shuja to the crease where he joined Asif Khan. For a brief while, it looked like the two players were going to reprise their heroics from Hong Kong last year when they won a match for USA against Oman, but it was not to be today. USA needed 38 to win in the final five overs, but Pennazza came back for a second spell and removed Shuja for 8 to make it 103 for 7 in the 16th.

Roopnarine, who injured himself in the field trying to chase after a ball heading for the boundary, came in at number nine but was hampered running between the wickets with a heavy limp. He lasted five balls before missing a sweep against Crowley to be LBW for 2.

Rajp joined Khan with 27 needed off 16 balls. Italy bowled several full tosses down the stretch, but the batsmen struggled to get bat on ball. Heading into the final over, USA needed 21 to win and Rajp provided hope for USA by hitting the first two balls for a four and a six down the ground. With the equation down to 11 off 4, he couldn’t keep it up and managed just 2 runs for the rest of the over. USA finished on 129 for 8. Crowley finished with the best figures for Italy, taking 3 for 20, but Pennazza was also superb with 2 for 11 in his four.

“This is a new team. A lot of guys are playing at this level for the first time,” said Nadkarni. “This is exactly the kind of situations that will help them gain the much needed experience. The key is that we learn from these situations pretty quick and we implement the what not to dos in the future games and start coming through on the results.”

USA will face off against Namibia on Thursday at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai. Namibia defeated Scotland on Wednesday by 49 runs with Namibia's Louis van der Westhuizen scoring the tournament’s first century, 106 not out in 54 balls.

Live coverage of USA’s match against Namibia will begin at 1:45 a.m. EST on Thursday morning. DreamCricket.com’s tournament coverage is made possible in part by the New Inning Foundation.

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USA Cricket: Khan puts positive spin on topsy-turvy journey to get back into the USA squad

openingbat — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 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 (on Twitter)

January 26, 2011. USA vs. Oman in Hong Kong. It was a day when USA pulled off a remarkable triumph, recovering from 20 for 7 to win by two wickets. Unfortunately, that memory quietly faded away in the minds of most people who follow US cricket because it was bookended by two games with varying degrees of humiliation. USA was bowled out by Papua New Guinea for 44 on January 25 and a January 28 loss to Italy sealed USA’s relegation back to Division Four of the ICC’s World Cricket League.

For a time, it appeared that one of the heroes of that match against Oman would be discarded forever just like the memory of that game. Despite taking 3 for 11 and scoring 31 not out as part of a 71-run unbroken ninth wicket stand against Oman, in addition to being one of USA’s most consistent performers throughout the Hong Kong tour, Khan was surprisingly dropped for the 2011 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in July. Rather than pout about it, Khan said it only made him work overtime to force his way back into the USA team for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE.

“At that moment to me I thought that it was a harsh call, but I think everything happens for a reason,” said Khan in an interview with DreamCricket. “When I got dropped, I got more determined. I started working extra hard. I thought that I’m going to come back. I was working hard on my fitness.”

Image (right) - Asif Khan in action at 2011 ICC WCL Division Three in Hong Kong. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket]

“When I got selected for Hong Kong, I wasn’t in the shape I should have been or the fitness level that I ideally should have been. It kind of worked in my favor being dropped because I had to reflect. I thought I’m not where I’m supposed to be and I need to be way better than that.”

Khan is hoping to prove he’s better than what he showed in Hong Kong, which wasn’t even bad to begin with. The 33-year-old left-arm spinner grew up in Karachi, Pakistan before his family moved to Islamabad when he was a teenager. After working his way through the local cricket scene, he made his first-class cricket debut as a 17-year-old in 1996 for the Islamabad Cricket Association against a Lahore team that included Mushtaq Ahmed, Ata-ur-Rehman, and Mohammad Asif.

Khan also captained the Islamabad U-19 team in the domestic U-19 tournament to a Grade II four-day tournament final victory over a Gujranwala U-19 side which contained Abdur Rehman and had Shoaib Malik as captain. After playing six first-class games before the age of 19 for Islamabad, cricket clashed with the wishes of Khan’s parents for him to finish his university studies.

“My mother didn’t want me to play cricket at all,” said Khan. “She wanted me to finish my studies and concentrate on my studies. My father used to help me out a little bit and support me but I never had very strong support from my parents. They always stressed the importance of education and educating myself. It was to a point where I had to choose one or else you’re on your own.”

Khan put his cricket career on hold to attend college in Islamabad and eventually he moved to the USA in August of 2001 to take up a scholarship offer at Winona State University to pursue coursework in computer science. “It was a whole new experience. I didn’t imagine it was going to be like this. It’s a totally different culture, different people. I took at least two years to get adjusted. America was not a place where you could ever imagine to play cricket. I didn’t have any idea cricket is played here until 2004 when I came across a couple of guys playing in a tennis court.”

By this point in time, Khan had transferred from Winona State to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he also switched majors to focus on health sciences. After his fateful tennis court meeting with members of the Milwaukee Cricket Club, Khan started playing with their team in the Midwest Cricket Conference. Khan graduated from UWM in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in radiology technology and in 2007, he became a US citizen. In 2008 he was picked to play for the Central East Region team for the first time. After a string of miserly performances at national tournaments for the Central East, Khan was picked to play for USA to go to Hong Kong in 2011.

Khan’s early personal experiences on the trip might have been a harbinger of things to come for the rest of the team. The team flew Cathay Pacific from JFK to Hong Kong. When the team landed, Khan discovered that the airline had lost all of his luggage, including all of his cricket kit.

“At that time our manager was Imran and Imran helped me buying stuff,” said Khan. “I didn’t have my spikes. I lost my bat. I had to have spikes to bowl. He helped me a lot with buying stuff. Aditya [Thyagarajan] gave me his pads. I was batting with Sushil’s [Nadkarni] bat.”

In the team’s first warm-up match on tour, Khan says he was a bit nervous and it showed in his performance. For a moment he started to doubt himself, but says that the senior players did a lot to keep his confidence intact with their support.

“It took me some time to adjust,” said Khan. “I gave up like 40 runs in six overs without any wicket. I didn’t bowl very well. That was not the kind of start I was looking for. But Steve [Massiah], Sushil and Aditya, especially Aditya and Sushil, they were really pushing me and talking to me throughout the tour. They supported me a lot. After the first game, Steve said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.’ I was worried I wouldn’t play the first game, but eventually I was told I was in the XI.”

In USA’s first match against Hong Kong, Khan bowled respectably on a Kowloon Cricket Club ground with short boundaries and little margin for error for a spinner. He returned figures of 10-0-41-0 as USA won by seven wickets and a day later took 2 for 31 in a gut-wrenching 30-run loss to Denmark.

After USA’s annihilation at the hands of PNG, Khan delivered in the clutch for USA against Oman. The match looked like it would be a cakewalk after Khan took three wickets to help bowl Oman out for 122, but two hours later, the team was in dire straits at 8 for 52 when he joined Usman Shuja at the crease.

“The good thing was that I had a little knock against Denmark and that boosted my confidence batting wise,” said Khan, who finished 17 not out in the loss to Denmark. “I knew that if I stayed there, the good thing was we were not chasing a big total and we had plenty of overs to spare.”

“My initial conversation when I came to the crease, I told Usman, ‘Don’t think that I’m gonna get out. I’m not gonna get out for sure. Don’t worry about that. Just wipe that thing out of your mind. Just watch your wicket, I’m gonna watch my wicket. Just let me settle down a few overs. Let me see the ball well. Once I start seeing the ball well, don’t worry. We’ll rotate the strike. There is nothing wrong with playing a few overs of dot balls just to get ourselves in.’ Once we did that, we’ll win. At that moment, I never thought of losing the game.”

Khan eventually hit the winning runs over mid-on but the excitement faded two days later with the loss to Italy. Then came the news five months later that he’d been dropped from the squad.

With a new USACA Cricket Committee put in place toward the end of 2011, Khan received an invite to come to a USACA selection camp in January in Florida where he had to take on two incumbent left-arm orthodox spinners from the USA squad in July, Bhim George and Samarth Shah. However, Khan impressed the selectors enough to be chosen ahead of George and Shah to be what new USA captain Sushil Nadkarni says is the team’s “front line spin option” in the UAE.

Image (left) - Khan hit the winning shot here against Oman in January 2011, but was left out of USA's next tournament squad in July. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket]

“When Asif came into the selection games, he hadn’t played much cricket because of where he was coming from [in Wisconsin],” said Nadkarni. “After he bowled one over, he was warmed up and basically all through the selection games from then on looked like somebody who was distinguishing himself amongst all the spinners based on his experience and his control and his variations.”

“When he came into Hong Kong, I feel like he was one of the finds of the tournament and pretty much was one of the few players that had a really good tournament. I go back to the game which we won against Oman where Asif had three wickets in that game and then put on a partnership with Usman Shuja to win the game for USA from 20 for 7 to chasing 110 plus. He has played first class cricket in Pakistan. He definitely brings to us a wealth of experience. He is considered one of the senior members of this team. So absolutely I would expect that other younger folks and younger spinners on the team talk to Asif and try to get some good tips on the approach and the mental preparation for the big games.”

Khan works two separate jobs from Monday through Friday as an MRI technician for different medical groups in Milwaukee. The first goes from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. before he heads off to the second job from 5 until 8 p.m. He gets home from work at 8:30, eats dinner and spends a little bit of time with his wife Ghazal and two kids, a 26-month-old son named Azaan and a 13-month-old daughter named Emaan. He then heads off to the gym at 10 p.m. to work on his fitness before coming home around midnight.

On some Saturdays, Khan also has to work from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., but afterwards he drives two hours to Chicago, taking his family with him, for indoor practice sessions organized and paid for by the Midwest Cricket Conference. He then drives two hours back to Chicago the same night before driving back to Chicago again with his family on Sundays for another practice session.

Even though there are few opportunities to devote to training outside of work and family, Khan says he’s tried to make the most of them ahead of this tour. As a result, he says he’s lost 10 to 12 pounds since the USACA camp in January and feels fitter than he has at any point in time since coming to America. He believes the commitment to fitness is being taken seriously by everyone in the team ahead of this tournament and that the results on the field will show it.

“We have quite a few fresh legs in the team and I think the senior players are fitter and stronger than ever,” said Khan. “I believe the way the team is looking right now, I think we have a very good chance of qualifying. I have no doubt in my mind that we are capable of qualifying. We just need to play together and play as a team.”

If the USA qualifies for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka, Khan’s role in achieving that will be vital. After the heartbreak of Hong Kong, he hopes that USA will bounce back and prove to everyone that the team’s last place finish at ICC WCL Division Three was just an aberration and not the start of a trend.

“Our credibility is on the line because we didn’t do well in Hong Kong,” said Khan. “Nobody in this tournament is taking us seriously. I think everybody has kind of wrote us out already. We are determined to prove ourselves and we want to show the rest of the world that yes we belong at this top level and that we are capable of performing.”

USA Cricket Association announces 14-man squad for 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier

openingbat — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:58:00 GMT

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

USACA Media Release

The United States of America Cricket Association announced 14 players squad for the ICC World Cup Qualifier 2012 to be held in UAE in March 2012.

The Squad:

Abhimanyu Rajp
Adil Bhatti
Aditya Mishra – Vice Captain
Asif Khan
Azurdeen Mohammed
Elmore Hutchinson
Gowkaran Roopnarine
Khawaja Shuja
Mohammad Ghous
Nauman Mustafa
Orlando Baker
Ryan Corns
Steven Taylor
Sushil Nadkarni – Captain

The following players are in reserve: Japen Patel, Naseer Jamali, Akeem Dodson and Timothy Saurajbali [sic].

Mr. Mark Johnson has been selected as coach, Mr. Asif Mujtaba as assistant coach, Mr. Naser Javed Charlie as Bowling Coach, Mr. Robin Singh as technical advisor, Mr. Akhtar Syed as physical therapist and Mr. Shoaib Ahmed as Manager.

I would like to thank Mr. Selwyn Caesar, Chief of Selection Committee and all selectors for doing a wonderful job in selecting the squad; it’s an excellent blend of experience, leadership, talent and youth, said Ahmed Jeddy, Chairman, USACA Cricket Committee.

USACA Cricket Committee

USA Cricket: Players give high praise to cricket committee for well-run selection camp

openingbat — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:42:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna

USACA’s newly appointed Cricket Committee, chaired by Central West regional representative Ahmed Jeddy, has received positive reviews from players after this past weekend’s men’s selection camp in Fort Lauderdale. The 28-player camp, which was led by Jeddy, was used to select a preliminary 18-man squad for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE from March 13-24.

According to multiple sources at the camp who requested to remain anonymous, players were extremely satisfied with the way the weekend was organized. For each day of the three-day camp, players were brought from their hotel to the Central Broward Regional Park for an 8 a.m. start inside the cricket stadium at the Lauderhill complex.

On the first day, players went through a fitness test which focused on speed, agility and endurance and lasted approximately four hours. After a break for lunch, four of the national selectors – chairman Selwyn Caesar, Kuldeep Patel, Dawood Ahmed and Barney Jones – separated the players into two sides for a 20-over trial match. Day two included two more trial matches inside the stadium followed by a final trial match on artificial turf outside the stadium on the last day.

According to one player, it was the best run camp since December 2009 when coaches Hamish Barton and Dipak Patel arrived from New Zealand for a weekend of training ahead of the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier and 2010 ICC U-19 World Cup.

“Well, first of all as a board member of USACA, I’ve never attended the previous camps, but all we used to hear through the media was that this went wrong and that went wrong,” said Jeddy. “This time around we wanted to make sure everyone was in sync. We had a program that every player received about 10 days before the camp. Every day we had a bus at the hotel. The players were taken to the ground at 8 a.m. sharp. We made sure lunch was served on time. We made sure we had ample fluids for the players.”

Speaking after the camp, many players felt that this was the first camp in which an overall fitness examination was taken seriously as a tool for selection purposes. At the camp in December 2009, Akeem Dodson and Ryan Corns were the only two players who passed a mile and a half run within the allotted time required to pass the test. Neither player was selected to go on tour with the senior team the following February.

This time around, players had to complete five laps around the stadium within a specified time in the initial phase of the test. Sources indicated that Naseer Jamali turned in the fastest time of anyone at the camp. Jamali was included in the preliminary 18-man squad for the tour to the UAE. Jeddy says that things like this are a sign that the new Cricket Committee is determined to employ a new philosophy when it comes to team selection. Everyone must earn their way into the squad and will not be handed a spot on reputation alone.

“Experience doesn’t really matter if you do not have the body and legs to support it,” said Jeddy. “When you add enthusiasm, energy, passion that this team has, we might not have experience but we are not going to be outrun by every Tom, *** and Harry. In essence I think this team has a lot. Yes, this team is short on experience, but we have players with experience to make up for some of the nervousness or inexperience that might be there with some of the younger players.”

In the past, USA’s teams at many tournaments have struggled badly with their fitness, particularly when playing a second match on back to back days, which is how most ICC tournaments for Associate level teams are scheduled. Several players at the camp believe that with a younger, fitter and hungrier squad, there will be much less of a chance of that happening and are genuinely excited about the talent that has been assembled by the selectors. Jeddy hopes that the way this team was organized will be the way forward for USA’s squads at all levels.

“Our biggest problem has been our fitness and that goes to the fact that we as USACA did not do what it should have done. We wanted to make that correction,” said Jeddy. “The previous teams did not do that. There was a lack of fitness, lack of commitment. The management was not as committed as probably this one. Those guys brought a lot of good results for us. Those guys also brought a lot of bad results for us.”

“Unfortunately lack of planning, lack of management skills has probably cost us a lot. We have started now on a positive note. We expect a good result.” When asked how he would define a good result for the USA squad at the qualifier, Jeddy responded, “Winning it and qualifying for the World Cup is a good result for us.” Players received instruction at the camp from head coach Mark Johnson, assistant coach Asif Mujtaba and Nasir “Charlie” Javed, who reportedly served as a bowling coach at the camp.

“I would personally like to thank every player who gave their weekend to be a part of this camp, all the selectors and coaches, [General Manager] Manaf [Mohamed], the Broward County Stadium and officials,” said Jeddy. “I want to thank all of these people and appreciate what they’ve done.”

While Sushil Nadkarni was named captain at the conclusion of the camp, several players were given opportunities throughout the trial matches to serve as a captain or vice-captain for the split-squad games. According to sources, those players included Usman Shuja, Orlando Baker, Aditya Mishra, Gowkaran Roopnarine and Corns. The fact that Corns was given a chance to be in a leadership position is a sign of how serious the new selectors are in providing younger players a chance to be major contributors.

In terms of the 18 that have been selected into the preliminary squad, there are many young faces like Jamali who made an impact on their fellow players and selectors over the course of the weekend. Sources at the camp were unanimous in their praise of Andy Mohammed and Elmore Hutchinson. The 21-year-old Mohammed consistently produced impressive batting displays during the trial matches to earn a spot in the 18 and in all likelihood will make the cut for the final 14 as well.

Image (right) - Andy Mohammed at the 2010 ICC U-19 World Cup [Courtesy: Daniela Zaharia/USACA]

Hutchinson also seems a shoe-in for the final 14. The tall left-arm seamer, who plays his cricket at Woodley Park and around the Los Angeles area in the SCCA, was equally impressive. According to one source, Hutchinson and Shuja were in a class by themselves in the fast bowling department at the camp.

As for the spinners, Asif Khan received excellent reviews for his efforts on the weekend. The 32-year-old left-arm spinner won plaudits not just for his bowling, but also for his batting and fielding. Off-spinners Muhammad Ghous and Abhimanyu Rajp could present an interesting decision for the selectors. Ghous solidified his reputation as an economical off-spinner. Rajp is more expensive but also a bigger wicket-taking threat.

One player whose stock appeared to rise significantly during the weekend was Adil Bhatti. While he doesn’t possess intimidating pace with the ball, Bhatti is clever in the way he mixes deliveries to keep batsmen off balance. In last year’s USACA Twenty20 Nationals, Bhatti had several solid performances with the bat coming in at number three behind Mishra and Roopnarine for the champion Atlantic Region team. The 27-year-old is considered an all-round option by the selectors and appears to be battling with Japen Patel for a place in the final 14. However, several sources said that the two players impressed everyone so much with their batting, bowling, fielding and fitness on the weekend that there is a chance both may squeeze into the squad.

Sources at the camp were also very impressed with Timothy Surujbally. The 27-year-old has been a part of the South East Region squad on multiple occasions but has struggled to turn in big scores at national tournaments. However, many observers came away with a strong opinion of Surujbally after last weekend and feel he can contribute with the bat if given the opportunity.

Corns and Steven Taylor are another pair of youngsters who showed encouraging signs over the three days. As usual, Taylor caught everyone’s attention for his powerful striking ability. While Corns has always been rated very highly for his batting, his mental strength was a highlight of the camp. Sources indicated that Corns endured a rough outing in the first trial match on the Friday, but came back to light up the scoreboard during the pair of trial games on the Saturday.

The final 14-man roster must be submitted to the ICC by the second weekend in February and Jeddy hopes that USACA will be able to organize one more camp for the players before decisions have to be made. The squad is tentatively scheduled to depart for Dubai on March 6 and will have a week to acclimatize to conditions.

The hypocrisy of the USA senior team selection process

openingbat — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:09:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna

After the hue and cry that came from Down Under earlier this month over the axing of batsman Simon Katich from Cricket Australia’s list of central contracts, it’s not surprising to scan through the comments and feedback forums on the DreamCricket site to get a taste of a similar sense of outrage arising from the composition of the USA senior team for the upcoming ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in Florida. There is no rhyme or reason why players have been selected or not selected. Rules apply for some but not for others.

Many players feel hard done by, but probably none more so than Sushil Nadkarni. While I could spend countless paragraphs illustrating the hypocrisy of numerous selections and non-selections in the 14-man roster, the case of Nadkarni is by far the most compelling one to analyze. His non-selection defies logic for a multitude of reasons.

Chief selector Sew Shivnarine’s assessment that Nadkarni is not a Twenty20 player directly contradicts hard evidence. Aside from the fact that he scored the fourth most runs in New Jersey at the USACA Twenty20 Nationals, his strike rate of 180.00 in the tournament is higher than every player that was selected for the team. In a format of the game where scoring runs quickly is paramount, Nadkarni proved he was well suited for the job.

At the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 last year in Bermuda, Nadkarni not only scored the most runs for USA with 90 in four games, he had the highest strike rate (130.43) for anyone who batted in USA’s top seven (Nadkarni, Carl Wright, Lennox Cush, Steve Massiah, Aditya Thyagarajan, Rashard Marshall, Orlando Baker, Clain Williams, Ashhar Mehdi).

Aside from the limited Twenty20 stats available, which demonstrate that he is as good or better than those who made the cut, the runs he has scored in 50-over cricket, particularly against teams who will feature in the ICC Americas tournament, appear to have been ignored but definitely should have been taken into consideration. Since making his debut for USA at the 2006 ICC Americas Division One Tournament in Canada, no one has scored more runs for USA than Nadkarni. There is no clearer demonstration of the high class batting skills that he possesses, skills that can be applied and adapted to any format of cricket.

Overall, Nadkarni has scored 1538 runs since his 2006 debut for USA in both 50-over and Twenty20 matches. Steve Massiah is second in that time span with 1429 runs. In 50-over cricket, Nadkarni has scored 1435 runs in 34 innings at an average of 55.19. In 2010 alone, he was USA’s third highest scorer in 50-over cricket with 532 runs and had the highest average on the team at 59.11 in 14 innings.

His numbers shoot even higher against ICC Americas teams (Argentina, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Suriname). In 50-over matches against them, Nadkarni has scored 945 runs at an average of 72.69 in 16 innings with four centuries and five half-centuries. Yes, that’s right. He crosses 50 more than 50% of the time he bats against a regional opponent. The man averages 49.33 against Argentina, 52.00 against Bermuda, 190.00 against Cayman Islands and scored 197 in his only knock against Suriname. His most recent century is believed to be the fastest on record for a USA player, a 54-ball unbeaten effort against Cayman Islands in 2010 that brought about a 10-wicket win in just 13.5 overs.

He was named Man of the Series after scoring 407 runs when USA won the 2008 ICC Americas Division One in Florida. The only team inside the region that he’s failed against in 50-over cricket is Canada, with 10 runs in three innings. However, he showed signs of changing that in the Twenty20 format against Canada last year in Bermuda with knocks of 22 in 16 balls (three fours, one six) and 25 in 27 balls (one four, two sixes).

There are two crucial aspects to leaving him out of the USA team against regional competition. First, he has an enormous amount of experience and knowledge regarding the bowling attacks that USA will face, attacks he has largely succeeded against. Nadkarni would have been an invaluable asset for the newer players in the team to communicate the ins and outs of what to expect from each side. In the 14-man squad that was picked only Steve Massiah, Timroy Allen and Orlando Baker have played in multiple ICC Americas tournaments for USA.

The selectors have taken a major gamble by discarding Nadkarni because they’ve cut off access to a vault of knowledge, experience and dependability. Finishing in the top two to clinch a spot at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai next March is no longer a slam-dunk proposition. Senior players like Massiah and Baker now have an unfair and tremendous burden placed on them to score runs in the absence of Nadkarni while Allen and Usman Shuja face even more pressure to restrict scoring because runs may not be as easy to come by when it’s time for USA to bat.

Second, and just as important, Nadkarni’s presence provided a massive intimidation factor for USA. For comparison’s sake, place Sushil Nadkarni in Group A and the current USA 14-man squad in Group B. If any random player out of Group B was placed side-by-side with the lone player in Group A and the question, “Which player would you least like to face at the crease?” was posed to any ICC Americas bowler, the lone player in Group A, Sushil Nadkarni, would be named every single time over anyone in Group B. Nadkarni is a champion, a match-winner through and through. It’s safe to say that the other five teams in this tournament started high fiving each other when they found out Nadkarni was left out of USA’s squad.

The other excuse given by Shivnarine, that Nadkarni’s fitness is not up to standard, is completely hypocritical. In December of 2009, all players were informed at a selection camp in Florida prior to the tour of the UAE and Nepal that anyone who failed the fitness test at the camp would not be selected to go on the tour. A major component of the test was running a mile and a half in 10 minutes and 30 seconds. Akeem Dodson and Ryan Corns were the only two players to successfully complete the distance in the allotted time. Neither player was selected.

Nadkarni’s level of fitness on that tour of the UAE and Nepal in February 2010 was poor, mainly because he was still recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered only six months prior. Nadkarni hobbled around during the entire tour, frequently coming off for a substitute fielder, and was nowhere close to 100%. Yet his fitness was deemed suitable enough to merit selection to the team.

He struggled in most games on that tour but saved USA’s bacon against Nepal in the final do-or-die group game of ICC WCL Division Five, turning in a gutsy 57 not out in an extremely hostile crowd environment in Kathmandu to deliver a five-wicket win for the team and secure a spot for USA in Division Four. For that performance, he received the first of five Man of the Match awards in 2010, the most for any USA player last year.

Image (right) - Sushil Nadkarni, during his Man of the Match performance against Nepal at ICC WCL Division Five in Kathmandu. [Courtesy: Daniela Zaharia/USACA]

His fitness steadily improved over the course of the year and by August, he was running around the fields at Division Four in Italy without any trouble while scoring another big stack of runs. He was named Man of the Series and collected three Man of the Match awards, including one for a déjà vu display against Nepal in USA’s fourth group contest. He wasn’t as nimble in the field in Hong Kong last January, but was it his fault that the batting collapsed in almost every single game? No. Could he stand to lose 15 pounds? Probably. Does he have the conditioning to last 20 overs in the field and at the crease? Yes.

Perhaps the worst part of all is the fact that the selectors, and everyone else in the USACA administration, didn’t have the common courtesy to give Nadkarni a phone call to inform him that he was being left out and explain to him the reasons why. It follows the modus operandi of the selectors for the last few years from other players who have shared identical stories. No phone call, no email, no letter, no explanation as to why they’ve been left out and what they need to work on, if anything, to get back in the team.

Asif Khan is going through the same experience. The left-arm spinner says that he only became informed that he was left out of the USA squad for next month when someone from his own region called to tell him that the team had been published on the web and he was not in it. Khan said he never received any sort of communication from the selectors at any point in time. Despite the fact that all three selectors – Abrar Ahmad, Sunny Khan and Sew Shivnarine – were present in New Jersey for the USACA Twenty20 Nationals, Khan said he never met any of them on the weekend nor has he ever met or had any conversations with any of them, including Shivnarine. When I asked Shivnarine on Monday night why Asif Khan was left out of the USA squad, he responded, “Who’s Asif Khan?” I’m fairly confident that Shivnarine would not be able to identify Asif Khan in a police lineup.

That is the plight of a player who has made just one tour with the USA, one that included a gritty performance of 3 for 11 in 5.4 overs followed by 31 not out in a two-wicket win over Oman. Imagine how Nadkarni must feel having poured his heart and soul into the USA uniform for four years. He’s been a match-winner on so many occasions, a huge reason why USA went from Division Five to Division Three in the span of six months, and he can’t even get a single phone call to say why he’s been left out. Instead, he finds out second-hand, by reading a report in the media, that the chief selector thinks he’s unfit. Or, even crueler, he gets to hear through a game of Chinese Whispers that one of the other selectors felt he should be dropped because the selector thinks he can’t pull or cut. It’s incredibly insulting and shows a fundamental lack of respect for Nadkarni or any other player who has suited up for the national team.

Fans may remember that Abrar Ahmad, Sunny Khan and Sew Shivnarine were not invited to Florida last year for USACA Senior Nationals while USA vice-captain Nadkarni, who was not playing in the tournament, was flown in to help USA captain Steve Massiah and USA coach Clayton Lambert select the team for Hong Kong. With the exception of The Pearls Cup matches against Jamaica in Florida last year, I have never seen Abrar Ahmad, Sunny Khan or Sew Shivnarine present at any match the USA senior team has played.

The first match I covered involving the USA senior team was in Abu Dhabi against Scotland in February 2010. I have been present for four international tournaments that the senior team has played in – 2010 World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE, ICC WCL Division Five in Nepal, Division Four in Italy, Division Three in Hong Kong – and these men were not present. On the other hand, Massiah, Nadkarni and Lambert – despite any bias or conflict of interest they may have had from being teammates or former teammates of the players involved – were definitely present at all of those tournaments to witness and assess how everyone performed. How can Ahmad, Sunny Khan and Shivnarine properly evaluate players on performances which they’ve never witnessed?

Heading into the selection trials that took place two weeks ago, the expectation was that multiple players would be added and dropped from the USA national team due to a change in formats from 50-over to Twenty20 as well as the fact that USA finished last in Hong Kong. However, the process used to arrive at decisions which have a dramatic effect on the careers of many individuals is a total disgrace, from the grotesque condition of the grounds used in New Jersey for the USACA Twenty20 Nationals to the erratic, inconsistent, hypocritical reasoning and methods used for selection. USACA has sucker punched one of its best assets in Sushil Nadkarni, as well as many other players, and shattered the confidence of its stakeholders.

USA Cricket: ICC WCL Division 3 Report Card

openingbat — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 13:50:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna

Team Grades

Batting – F: The team amassed 12 ducks and only three half-centuries in the tournament. Two bowlers, Asif Khan and Muhammad Ghous, finished second and third in the averages column behind Steve Massiah. A different order was used in each game so it appeared that no one understood what their specific roles were. Only seven partnerships crossed 50 runs. The opening stand in each game for USA produced 36, 9, 2, 3, 6 and 12 runs. The small grounds in Hong Kong were supposed to favor USA’s heavy hitters. Instead, they fell flat on their faces.

Image (Right): Usman Shuja took five wickets for USA, allowing 3.07 runs per over, the second best economy rate in the entire tournament.

Bowling – B-: It’s hard to fault the efforts produced by the bowling unit. Kevin Darlington and Usman Shuja were as reliable as ever. There was only one half-century opening stand allowed, against Denmark in their initial encounter, while there were three half-century and two century stands overall. Darlington and Orlando Baker were the main victims of poor catching. Asif Khan performed well in his first tour, but the team was a bowler short in most matches and the absence of Timroy Allen hurt the team badly.

Fielding – D: In addition to the batting, this was the major culprit in USA’s losses. USA missed out on 14 definite chances in the field. By comparison, USA’s opponents only gave them five let offs in the tournament. The only game in which USA didn’t miss a chance was against Papua New Guinea and that’s because they were only in the field for six overs. The fielding performance in the rematch with Denmark was an all-time low. The best way for USA to address this is by improving the country’s infrastructure. Better facilities will produce better ground fielding and catching habits, not to mention better overall cricketers.

Fitness – D: Some of the drops in the field were a direct result of players being slow and out of shape. Far too often, players were coming off the field for treatment. There was almost always at least one and sometimes two substitute fielders on the field at the same time. In Italy, the team never looked fitter. This tournament was well below that standard. Not surprisingly, the players who showed the most energy in the field were the ones playing for America for the first time.

Individual Grades

Carl Wright – D: The wicketkeeper scored 82 against Hong Kong and it appeared his form drought from 2010 had finally ended. It was just a mirage. After top scoring with 43 the next day against Denmark, he was a no-show for the rest of the week, scoring seven runs in his last four innings. He looked disinterested at the crease, and carried over the same attitude into the field. No one questions his talent, but his work ethic is a major concern.

Image (Right): Darlington, who took eight wickets in the tournament, broke Hemin Desai's leg stump in the match against Oman. But he will be 40 when USA plays in Division Four next.

Orlando Baker – D: The allrounder’s tour was submarined when he was moved from his spot as an opener after the second match in favor of Lennox Cush. When Baker arrived at the crease against PNG, the score was 25 for 4 and he could only watch helplessly from the non-striker’s end while the team folded. Against Oman, he entered at 16 for 5 and was the only recognized batsman to cross into double-figures. His 17 in that game wound up being his high score for the event. He took five wickets at key times while Denmark’s Michael Pedersen and Italy’s Peter Petricola were dropped off his bowling during their crucial unbeaten knocks. Forces conspired against him throughout the week to derail his chances of success, but there was no excuse for his deplorable attitude in the field on the final day against Denmark.

Steve Massiah – C-: Finished as the leading scorer for USA in the event and seventh overall, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. His pair of dismissals against PNG and Oman were a result of completely irresponsible batting. He finished with three LBW dismissals, two of which can be chalked up to poor umpiring, but his reaction to the final one was way out of line and got him a reprimand from the ICC. He was part of the leadership group that was responsible for the inclusion of Howard Johnson against PNG and his overall captaincy left a lot to be desired.

Lennox Cush – F: There’s simply no way to sugarcoat it. Cush’s tour was an epic failure. He faced 48 deliveries on the week to produce scores of 2*, 16, 0, 0, 1 and 16 at an average of 7. Part of the blame must go to Massiah and Clayton Lambert. Cush was clearly out of form and should have been mercifully dropped at some point, but instead he was repeatedly thrown to the wolves and eaten alive by the opposition. He was also memorably hammered for 28 in an over against Hong Kong. Despite taking five wickets, his main responsibility in this team was to score runs and he never delivered.

Sushil Nadkarni – D: The vice-captain’s batting took a precipitous fall from the lofty heights he reached in Italy where he was Player of the Tournament. In Bologna, he had three half-centuries, but in Hong Kong his high score was 47 against Italy. It was a sign that he should have been opening the entire time in the tournament and USA’s strategy to move him down the order to negotiate the spinners backfired, mainly because the whole lineup collapsed against PNG and Oman before spin was ever introduced. He left his good fitness behind in Italy and had multiple missed chances in the field that were particularly costly.

Rashard Marshall – C: Marshall was one of the few players from the squad who can look at himself in the mirror without hanging his head in shame. His first three dismissals were a result of good bowling rather than the poor shot selection employed by the majority of his teammates. His next one was off a delivery that should have been called a no-ball on height and he finished off the tournament with an unfortunate run out. Marshall’s fielding was extremely valuable once again as he took four catches – the most for any non-wicketkeeper – including a ridiculous one-handed effort against Hong Kong and was responsible for two run outs. USA’s squad is convinced it should have been three when Rocky hit the stumps on a chance involving Italy’s Petricola, but the leg umpire claimed his vision was blocked by Ritesh Kadu running across and so Petricola batted on to the end.

Usman Shuja – B+: The fast bowler took five wickets for USA, allowing 3.07 runs per over which was the best economy rate for USA and second best overall in the tournament. He never had a bad match with the ball and finally lived up to his immense potential with the bat to score 43 not out in the win over Oman. He played the entire tour wearing a splint for a broken pinky on his bowling hand. He proved it wasn’t an issue when he held onto a bullet on the boundary in the first game against Hong Kong. Shuja can always be counted on to give his best.

Image (Right): Asif Khan claimed six wickets and also took three catches.

Asif Khan – B+: Took six wickets in his debut tour for USA and had the team’s second best economy rate surrendering 3.34 runs per over. His fielding was superb both in the circle and on the boundary and he finished with three catches. He scored 31 not out against Oman, teaming up with Shuja to get USA over the line. He also looked capable of doing the same in the group match against Denmark, but ran out of partners in the team’s 30-run loss. The fact that he finished second on the averages list at 27.50 says just as much about his own determination at the crease as it does about the failure of the recognized batsmen.

Kevin Darlington – B+: Led the team with eight wickets and could have had even better figures had his teammates held onto the chances that came their way. Bowled the most maidens for the second tour in a row, but had his economy go up slightly on the small grounds in Hong Kong. His experience is valuable and he’s another player who turns in his best effort on a daily basis. The only worry is his long term health. Darlo spent an awful lot of time coming off the field to ice his knees and was visibly hobbling around the field during matches. He’ll be 40 when the next Division Four comes around and it would be asking a lot to have him stick around to put a toll on his body when the rewards are not guaranteed.

Muhammad Ghous – Incomplete: It’s hard to know if Ghous had a bad tour because of skills or if it was because he wasn’t given a proper chance to succeed. He was asked to bowl with a short boundary at his back against Hong Kong and after getting by unscathed for a few overs, was finally smashed around before being taken off. Against Denmark the first time around, he was given one over before being harshly taken off by Massiah and sat out the next three games. He bowled the maximum amount of overs in the rematch with Denmark, but got no help in the field. He finished with zero wickets in 16 overs at the event. This tour put a major dent in his confidence and he needs a lot of work to get it restored.

Durale Forrest – Incomplete: The way Lambert talked about how good Johnson looked in the nets, one would have thought it was actually Forrest who was the grandpa. When Forrest came on to bowl, he looked quick enough but wasn’t quite penetrative. He showed a lot of heart to come in and fight hard in the final three games after being overlooked against PNG, but the message was sent by the people in charge that they don’t respect him and probably aren’t about to groom him for future tournaments as long as they’re around, which is unfortunate.

Ritesh Kadu – Incomplete: He walked into a buzz saw against PNG on his debut, looked okay against Oman until running out Nadkarni which messed with his head and led to him playing a poor shot to get out a short time later, and was very unlucky to be run out in the manner he was against Denmark on the last day. He got opportunities though and didn’t capitalize on them. His keeping was okay, not spectacular. It’s difficult to say whether or not he’ll get another chance.

Ryan Corns – Incomplete: Was full of hustle as a substitute fielder during the first four games before finally getting his much deserved opportunity in the final match of the group stage. It probably came one or two matches too late. He showed in his 30 against Italy that he has the tools to succeed at the senior level. Now he needs the support of coaches and administrators to make sure that his talent doesn’t go to waste.

Aditya Thyagarajan – Incomplete: He only had one innings, which everyone will remember for a long time because it brought about the end of his tour through injury. The bowler, Denmark’s Bobby Chawla, tried to send down a googly which turned into a loopy, low full toss. Thyagarajan managed to not only york himself, but dislocate his right knee as well. His true value to the team was underscored by the last place finish that followed after he went down.

Howard Johnson – Incomplete: In Italy, where Johnson served on his first tour as an assistant coach, a fast bowler – Timroy Allen – went down injured but the team opted to leave him in the squad to use as a substitute fielder even though he couldn’t throw the ball or lift his arm above his head. In Hong Kong, a batsman – Thyagarajan – went down injured and Johnson went from assistant coach to replacement player, starting ahead of fellow fast bowler Forrest. Johnson took two wickets and was USA’s quickest bowler in his only appearance, which came at the expense of three players who poured their heart and soul into making the squad on merit. Apparently, the team leadership is prepared to sell their souls to the devil if it gives USA a chance to win. Protocol needs to be put in place to make sure such an incident never happens again.

What the team needs heading into Division Four

An attitude adjustment: USA has a bad reputation for being ungracious in defeat. After the first loss to Denmark, post-match presentation officials asked for both teams to pose for a group photo, but USA’s players and coaches walked away despite repeated requests to come back for pictures, which did not sit well with the ICC nor the Denmark squad. After the loss to Papua New Guinea, everyone walked out to shake hands, but six of the 14 players (Wright, Baker, Cush, Nadkarni, Marshall, Johnson) didn’t bother to come back out of the locker room for the post-match presentation.

Where's the pride? This is a group of players that mainly functioned as 14 individuals instead of one team. While the new players demonstrated a lot of hunger, too many veterans played recklessly and without any fear of being dropped. On paper, USA has tens of thousands of players to choose from, but if this was the best 14 that USA had to offer, they’re really just a bunch of big fish in a small pond. The overall demeanor in the field on the last day against Denmark was an absolute disgrace. They did not play as if they were representing more than 150 years of cricket history by pulling on the red, white and blue uniform.

While there shouldn’t be a knee jerk reaction to drop everyone and start from scratch, there is definitely an argument to cut loose more than a few players and bring in some new ones who have the desire and desperation to fight hard for every run, whether it’s in the first match of the tournament or a fifth place playoff. Instead of playing every game like it was their last, they played each match like it was just another game… and finished last.

Pictures Courtesy - Darlington (ICC/CricketEurope), Asif Khan and Usman Shuja (Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com)

USA Cricket: Shuja and Khan rescue USA in dramatic 2-wicket win over Oman

openingbat — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 14:39:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Hong Kong

Match Scorecard | Live Updates

After another horrendous batting collapse, Usman Shuja and Asif Khan saved the day for USA with a 71-run unbroken ninth wicket stand to lead USA to victory by two wickets over Oman at Hong Kong Cricket Club on Wednesday at ICC WCL Division Three in Hong Kong. Shuja was named Man of the Match after taking 2 for 22 but more importantly for scoring 43 not out after coming to the crease at 20 for 7 with a target of 123 needed to win. USA still has a chance to qualify for Division Two with a win against Italy on Friday while a loss could see them relegated back to Division Four.

Pic (Right): Man of the Match Usman Shuja raises his arms in victory as Asif Khan completes the winning run behind him

“We didn’t play in a professional manner,” said USA head coach Clayton Lambert. “We were 7 for 20 and it took great batting from Shuja and Asif to really bring us home. I had some very strong words with the guys. I would like to enjoy the victory but the type of cricket that we’re playing is so much below par, I’m kind of concerned.”

USA won the toss and fielded first on a cool and sunny morning in which the pitch had plenty of moisture remaining from the overnight dew. On the very first ball of the match, Kevin Darlington bowled a good length ball that Oman opener Hemin Desai edged straight to Sushil Nadkarni at first slip. Nadkarni bobbled the straightforward chance at waist height before spilling it completely. Desai started the next over on strike to Durale Forrest and hit the first two deliveries for six and four and it appeared that he might run away. USA finally got him out for 28 on the last ball of the seventh over when Darlington clean bowled him going for another heave to make it 42 for 1. The delivery broke leg stump in half and a replacement stump was needed.

Pic (Right): Oman wicketkeeper Sultan Ahmed cries for a catch, but Asif Khan beats mid on with this shot for the winning runs

Vaibhav Wategaonkar joined Deep Trivedi and was dropped on 5 in the ninth over at 48 for 1. Wategaonkar pulled a short ball to square leg where Khan got one hand to it diving to his left but couldn’t claim it as the ball burst through to go for a boundary. A much simpler chance off Wategaonkar was offered on 14 at 57 for 1 and put down by Lennox Cush at silly mid off. The batsman checked his drive to a full length delivery from Shuja and the ball spooned up towards Cush, who fell forward to take it before the ball popped out as he rolled over.

Trivedi was run out by Orlando Baker one run later when he pushed a full delivery into the covers and set off for a run. Wategaonkar never responded and Trivedi was about to give up until Baker fumbled trying to collect the ball. Trivedi then turned back and Baker scooped up on the second effort and fired a throw which bounced into the turf and came up to hit the top of the stumps with Trivedi just short and the opener was gone for 11 to make it 58 for 2.

Wategaonkar fell one run later for 15 when he edged a Shuja delivery to Nadkarni at slip, who juggled before taking the catch on a second attempt. It was the first of four wickets in 14 balls. Oman captain Hemal Mehta, who scored a century on the first day of the tournament, went for a golden duck when he got a thin underedge trying to cut Orlando Baker. Wicketkeeper Ritesh Kadu made an outstanding catch diving forward to complete the dismissal. Adnan Ilyas fell next for 8 to give Shuja his second when a good length ball took the shoulder of the bat on a defensive prod and lobbed up to Rashard Marshall at point. Awal Khan was next to go for 1 when he played down the wrong line defending a good length ball from Baker and was pinned on the crease to make it 67 for 7.

Oman fought back briefly as number six Sultan Ahmed top scored with 30. He added 27 runs with Rajesh Kumar before Kumar drove Durale Forrest to Khan at mid off giving the fast bowler his first wicket in USA colors. Amir Ali departed for 7 when he groped at a good length ball from Khan and sent an edge to Nadkarni, who took a sharp catch fielding at silly point to make it 111 for 8 in the 30th over.

Ahmed was eventually bowled around his legs for 30 trying to sweep Khan before the left-arm spinner finished off the innings when Khalid Rasheed drove him to Baker at long off and Oman was all out for 122 in 37.4 overs. Khan finished with the top figures for USA, taking 3 for 11.

Pic (Right): Corns (left) kneels in prayer while Muhammad Ghous (right) watches the final tense moments of the chase from the boundary

USA had six overs to bat before the lunch break, but it was Oman who regained momentum before the interval when they struck for three wickets in the space of seven balls to make it 3 for 3. Carl Wright got out mistiming a drive off Kumar to mid on where the ball swirled around before coming down in the hands of Rasheed. USA captain Steve Massiah then fell three balls later without scoring when he drove a full length delivery from Kumar straight to mid off. He got out to the exact same loose shot the day before against Papua New Guinea. Cush rounded off the top order no-show when he was given out caught behind off Desai playing a forward defense although it appeared he hit bat on pad as the ball went past the outside edge to the keeper.

“I was truly disappointed. The thing is we’ve got bits and pieces going against us. We don’t think Cush actually edged his ball, but the umpire sent him,” said Lambert. “That was done. We were 16 for 3 and coming back out after lunch I was still very hopeful that we could knock off for about four [wickets]. However, I couldn’t understand what took place in the three overs after.”

What happened was that USA lost four more wickets in the span of eight balls to sink to 20 for 7. Kadu and Nadkarni came out after the break and on the third ball upon resuming, Kadu pushed to mid on for a run that wasn’t there. Both men hesitated after Kadu set off before finally coming through. Nadkarni ran in the line of the throw from Kumar, but the ball bounced between his legs and skidded into the stumps to send him off for 4. Forrest fell three balls later when he was given out LBW to Desai.

Kadu, who had looked confident before lunch, was clearly rattled and then dangled his bat to a delivery well wide of off stump sending an edge to Ahmed behind the stumps for Kumar’s third wicket. Marshall came to the crease and drove Kumar down the ground for a first ball four, but was clean bowled playing inside the line of the next delivery on a forward defense.

Pic (Right): Usman Shuja (right) graciously poses to share his Man of the Match award with Asif Khan (left)

Shuja joined Baker at the crease with USA in danger of getting bowled out for not only less than the 44 they scored against PNG, but the record low of 32 vs. Kenya in 1997. Baker edged his first delivery for a boundary to third man and then played seven dot balls before an audacious flick over fine leg for six. Three balls later, he clocked Kumar back over his head for another six and it appeared that a counterattack was on. Shuja was holding up the other end nicely, but Baker fell shortly thereafter when he missed a sweep to the left-arm spin of Mehta and was given out LBW for 17 to make it 52 for 8.

Khan joined Shuja and the field came in to crowd both players with a slip and silly point in place. Khan then negotiated the spinners with a series of sweeps including two boundaries while Shuja played a cover drive for four to help scatter the field. Mehta sent his men back to the boundary and left only the required four men in the circle.

From there, Shuja and Khan calmly knocked the ball around for ones and twos despite intense pressure in the form of countless LBW appeals from Oman’s bowlers. USA had reached 96 for 8 after 29 overs, only 27 runs needed to win, when Shuja decided to target left-arm spinner Rasheed. In Rasheed’s first three overs, he had given up only three runs, but Shuja slammed him over midwicket for six on the fourth ball of the 30th before heaving him back over his head for another maximum to finish the over.

“I was always thinking about the fact that when it gets to 15, 20, 30 runs, that’s always going to be a nervous period,” said Shuja. “I kind of played into that. I didn’t want to stay in that 20-25 run period and I was struggling with the left-arm spinner as well. Those are my instinct shots and luckily he gave me those balls that were in my zone.”

With Khan on strike for the 31st, Desai was set to bowl his last over of pace. On the second ball of the over, Khan pulled a bouncer fiercely through midwicket before driving him through the covers on the next ball for back-to-back boundaries. Oman’s fielders became increasingly frustrated and from there USA only needed seven runs to win.

A series of singles followed before USA got to within two of victory. Oman then bowled 13 dot balls before Shuja came down to talk with Khan before the last ball of the 34th over.

“Usman said, ‘This is the last ball of the over so you can go take a little risk and try to go over the top,’” said Khan. “‘Even if you get out, I will be facing the next over.’”

Khan scooped a full length ball on off stump high over mid on to beat the fielder and took off for the winning pair of runs. Ryan Corns and Muhammad Ghous were the first two players sprinting onto the field to celebrate with the batting heroes of the hour.

In Wednesday’s other matches, Hong Kong chased down 235 to beat Italy by one wicket while PNG defeated Denmark by nine wickets to clinch one of the two spots in Division Two. PNG is now 4-0 while Hong Kong, Oman and USA are at 2-2 with Hong Kong ahead on net run rate followed by Oman and USA. Denmark and Italy are both at 1-3.

On Friday, USA will play Italy while Oman takes on Denmark and PNG plays Hong Kong. If USA wins, they need Denmark to beat Oman and PNG to beat Hong Kong to guarantee a second place finish after the group stage and a spot in Division Two. If USA wins, Oman and/or Hong Kong win, USA must beat Italy by a big enough margin to surpass Oman and/or Hong Kong on net run rate. If USA loses, Denmark must still beat Oman, but by a small margin in order for Denmark and Oman to finish with the same record as USA at 2-3 but behind them on net run rate in order for USA to avoid relegation and stay in Division Three. If USA loses, Oman wins and Hong Kong wins, USA will be relegated to Division Four with Denmark. If PNG, Italy and Denmark all win, five teams will be tied at 2-3 and net run rate will decide who goes to Division Two, who stays in Division Three and who is relegated to Division Four. Currently, USA is fifth on net run rate.

DreamCricket will have live coverage of USA’s final group encounter in Hong Kong against Italy beginning Thursday night at 7:45 p.m. EST.

[All photos courtesy Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

USA Cricket: Four fresh faces hope to make positive impact in Hong Kong

openingbat — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 02:24:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

Unlike the opposition at ICC WCL Division Four in Italy, Division Three in Hong Kong is expected to throw much stiffer competition in the path of USA. A handful of players are ready to make their senior team debuts during the eight-day event beginning on January 22 and much will be expected of them if USA is going to advance up the World Cricket League ladder to Division Two in the UAE this April.

Pic (Right): L to R - Asif Khan, Durale Forrest, Ryan Corns and Ritesh Kadu.

Ryan Corns, Durale Forrest, Ritesh Kadu and Asif Khan all bring varying levels of experience to the USA squad, but each player is eager to contribute whatever they can to push USA toward the tournament title and a third consecutive promotion in the World Cricket League.

The 20-year-old Corns enters the senior team as its youngest player. In 2009, Corns was instrumental in helping USA’s U-19 team qualify for the 2010 U-19 World Cup, but had a disappointing performance at the main event in New Zealand. Although he may not get too many opportunities on this tour due to the established veterans ahead of him, Corns is out to show that he’s a much improved player from the one who fell short of expectations at the U-19 World Cup.

“What I’m hoping to achieve is to I guess prove myself to the senior team selectors that I’m good enough to play here,” said Corns. “So that means I need to contribute with the bat and the ball and I’m just hoping to do well.”

Corns spent part of the winter training overseas and hopes that the hard work will pay off. If an opportunity presents itself, he wants to grab it with both hands.

“I recently just got back from Australia and I did some one-on-one coaching with a Level III coach over there,” said Corns. “So I had about two weeks of good solid practice. I feel good in terms of my form. If I get the opportunity to bat, I’m going to take full advantage of it and bat as long as I can and get as many runs on the board as I can. In terms of the ball, just bowl economically and hopefully take wickets.”

Forrest comes into the team as a fourth pace bowling option that’s also handy with the bat. He made the 40-man list of probables in 2009 when USA was looking to pick a team to tour the UAE and Nepal early last year. After a pair of solid performances at the 2010 USACA Eastern Conference and Senior Nationals, he went from a probable to a definite for Hong Kong.

“I’m expecting to basically go out there and do pretty much the same thing I have been doing,” said Forrest. “To be honest I’m a little nervous, but I’ll be all right. I think I should get accustomed to the situation real fast. I know a couple of the guys pretty well so bonding is pretty good so far.”

Despite the emphasis placed on spin bowling for USA, Forrest could see his number called upon to put in big efforts with bat and ball. Regardless of how well he fares, he wants to soak up everything because he is thrilled just to be part of the squad.

“I’m still overwhelmed,” said Forrest. “My mindset is just basically go out there and try to stay calm and produce.”

Joining USA’s senior team as a reserve wicketkeeper and batsman is Kadu. If USA decides to use Carl Wright as a batsman only, that could open the door for Kadu to have more chances. Either way, Kadu is keen to absorb as much as he can from Wright on this tour.

“I want to learn a lot of things from him, Carl Wright, and I want to learn all the training things from our coaches,” said Kadu. “I’ll get batting tips from [Sushil] Nadkarni and Steve [Massiah], but specifically I’ll be looking forward to play with Carl Wright.”

Kadu was the leading scorer in the Southern California Cricket Association’s Division One in 2010 and got married last month in India. He received news of his selection just days after his nuptials and is excited for the chance to represent America.

“Playing at the international level, that’s any cricketer’s dream to play international cricket,” said Kadu. “I’m very thankful for the committee for giving me this debut opportunity. I’m very excited about the tour, looking forward to play some good cricket. Even if I’m sitting outside, I’ll contribute with giving practice to the batsmen or helping coach with extra stuff and whenever I get a chance in the first XI, I’ll contribute with my bat and wicketkeeping skills.”

The debutant with the most expectations riding on him is Khan. At the conclusion of Division Four in Italy, USA captain Massiah declared that the search was on for a left-arm spinner to be added to the team going to Hong Kong. After four months of deliberation, both Khan and Neil McGarrell were tabbed to share the role. But when McGarrell was ruled ineligible, the workload became Khan’s sole responsibility.

“I think that the experience that I had with first-class cricket, I think that helps me a lot with the pressure and I think I should be all right,” said Khan, who played six matches for Islamabad more than a decade ago in Pakistan. “Definitely there is some pressure to perform but I think I’m prepared for it and I hope I’ll do good.”

Khan works in a radiology lab at a hospital in Milwaukee, Wisc., but still did his best during the winter to prepare for Hong Kong.

“It’s definitely very hard,” said Khan about finding a time and a place to train. “It’s very very cold right now in Wisconsin. I had to drive an hour and a half to almost two hours just to get indoor practice and that was only in a little space that we were practicing. Definitely I prepared hard for this tour. For the last three weeks I’ve been working hard just to do good on this tour so I’m expecting to do very good.”

USA’s first match at ICC WCL Division Three is on Saturday morning against Hong Kong. Live coverage on DreamCricket will begin Friday night at approximately 7:45 p.m. EST.