USA Cricketer : Gowkaran Roopnarine

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

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

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

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

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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

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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.

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

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

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By Peter Della Penna in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Official Scorecard I Ball-by-Ball Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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By Peter Della Penna in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Official Scorecard I Ball-by-Ball Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

USA Cricket 2011 Twenty20 Nationals - Top Performers & All-Tournament XI

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

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By Peter Della Penna

Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Top 5 Players in Contention for Selection to USA Senior Team

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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By Peter Della Penna in Newark, New Jersey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Team USA leaves for Jersey (Channel Islands)

openingbat — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:20:00 GMT

Team USA leaves for Jersey (Channel Islands)

Messy weather meant that there was very little time for transfers between inbound flights and the outbound flight.

Despite some tension filled moments about incoming flights getting delayed, all the cricketers reached on time and everybody boarded the flight. They got a send-off by a small contingent of fans and supporters. USACA secretary John Aaron was at the airport to wish them luck.

Before the team left, Steve Massiah said -

"We are concentrating on playing good cricket. We had a really productive training camp down in Florida and I think we have put together a well-balanced side with some experienced players and some exciting young talent.

"I am looking forward to getting over there and back into international cricket. It has been a long wait and everybody is really excited waiting for the first game."

The 12 team WCL tournament begins on May 23rd. That gives the USA team about a day to settle in. For complete team profiles click here.

USA: Steve Massiah (captain), Gowkaran Roopnarine, Niraj Shah, Lennox Cush, Imran Awan, Khawaja Shuja, Steve Pitter, Sushil Nadkarni, Orlando Baker, Mohamed Masood, Rashard Marshall, Rahul Kukreti,Wahab Syed, Aditya Thyagarajan. Clayton Lambert (coach) and Sohail Bari (manager)