USA Cricket: Basil Butcher Jr. to coach women's team, two changes made to squad for ICC Americas tournament

openingbat — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 16:53:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

Basil Butcher Jr. will coach the USA Women’s team this month at the 2012 ICC Americas Women’s Twenty20 Championship in the Cayman Islands, according to documents obtained from a source. A traveling party list obtained from the source also included Jacqueline Frank, Selwyn Caesar and Brian Jackson as members of the traveling party.

Butcher previously served as the women’s team physio last summer during the squad’s 10-day training camp in Barbados. He has also coached the Atlantic Region men’s team and the Atlantic Region U-19 team at USACA tournaments in the past and was the USA U-19 team physio at the 2006 ICC U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka.

It is understood that Frank will be serving as the team manager, but it is unclear what roles Caesar and Jackson will be filling on tour. USACA officials have not responded to emails asking for information and clarification on members of the tour management.

Two changes were made to the team roster for the tournament as well, according to an ICC Americas spokesperson. Erica Rendler and Ritu Bhargava have been replaced by Beulah Pidakala and Geetha Shawkarla. Pidakala played in last year’s USACA Women’s Tournament, scoring 3 runs in two innings. Shawkarla did not participate in the 2011 USACA Women’s Tournament.

The absence of Rendler means that USA will enter the tournament without their top three scorers from the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier. The other two, Shebani Bhaskar and Doris Francis, were also not named in the squad.

The team is tentatively scheduled to leave the USA for the Cayman Islands on April 18 for four days of training before opening up tournament play on April 23 against the Cayman Islands. USA will play five matches in six days and their other opponents include Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil and Canada. The winner of the tournament moves on to the 2013 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier.

USA Cricketer : Jacqueline Frank, Brian Jackson, 2012 ICC Americas Women's Twenty20 Championship

USA Cricket: Basil Butcher Jr. to coach women's team, two changes made to squad for ICC Americas tournament