USA Cricketer : Japen Patel

USA Cricket: 2013 ICC WCL Division Three Report Card Part 3 - Outlook for USA's 50-over future

openingbat — Thu, 16 May 2013 21:22:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

Click here for Part 1 - Team Grades and Part 2 - Player Grades

Part 3 - Outlook for USA’s 50-over future

1. Sort out the coaching situation – According to multiple team sources, Robin Singh was furious when talking to the team over the phone from India after USA lost to Bermuda on the last day of round-robin play. It’s hard to understand why he was furious though. Was it because he took a bigger paycheck from the Mumbai Indians to be in India instead of with USA during the Division Three tournament?

Singh is understood to have spoken to the team or team management after every match in Bermuda. Coaching by conference call is no way to coach. At the U-19 and men’s level, USA’s only successes under Robin Singh and his crew have been a second-place finish last September at ICC WCL Division Four and against ICC Americas competition, which is the least competitive standard USA encounters in international play.

Image (right) - Robin Singh, pictured during a match-day training session at the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in Florida, has USA way down the totem pole on his list of coaching priorities. Will he commit fully to USA or should USACA search elsewhere? [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

It is very hard to understand why Robin Singh is paid a princely sum for his services when the USA Cricket Association is an administrative pauper. A cash-strapped governing body certainly should be able to find a less expensive coaching option that will get them more value, specifically someone who is based in the USA and is willing to work with the players on a more consistent basis locally. Singh is paid to more or less be a chaperone on tours or as was the case in Bermuda, to consult by telephone rather than in person because he has higher priorities in India.

USACA needs to put their foot down once and for all to make Singh choose between coaching USA or sticking with his other commitments in Twenty20 franchise leagues around the world. If he wants to make more money coaching with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League or the Khulna Royal Bengals in the Bangladesh Premier League then that's a perfectly normal decision. Coaching USA should be someone's first priority though, not their third, fourth or fifth.

2. Choose a new captain – Steve Massiah took over the role from Richard Staple as USA captain at the ICC Americas Division One tournament in August 2006. There are currently 42 international teams that USA has either played against from 2006-2013, been at the same tournament as USA in that time or are currently ranked above USA in the global 50-over rankings. Of those 42 teams, only three still have the same captain in 50-over cricket: Argentina (Esteban MacDermott), Papua New Guinea (Rarua Dikana) and Tanzania (Hamisi Abdallah).

It’s worth noting that not only has every ICC Full Member changed their 50-over captain in that time, but also every one of the High Performance Program Associate teams. Having a new captain is not necessarily a reflection of a regression in skills from the incumbent. It’s about having fresh ideas and fresh styles, trying something different when the status quo has not achieved desired results.

Image (left) - Steve Massiah, pictured batting against Uganda, has been USA captain since 2006, during which USA has failed to reach the ICC World Cup Qualifier in two consecutive World Cup qualification cycles. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

USA has effectively stood still in the global rankings since Massiah became captain. As a result of their 10th place finish at the 2005 ICC Trophy under Staple, USA was due to participate in 2007 ICC WCL Division Three in Australia before an ICC suspension dropped them down to Division Five. USA has since clawed back into Division Three twice. They were relegated from Division Three in 2011 and are now stuck there after a third place finish in 2013 instead of advancing to the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier. Prior to Massiah becoming captain, USA had participated in every single ICC Trophy, the former name of the ICC World Cup Qualifier, from 1979 through 2005. In seven years under Massiah's captaincy, no progress has been made and USA has arguably gone backwards after failing to reach the ICC World Cup Qualifier, let alone the main event, during two World Cup qualification cycles ahead of the 2011 and 2015 ICC World Cup.

Massiah is USA’s all-time leading scorer in one-day cricket and provided solid contributions at Division Three against Italy and Oman. However, his leadership has become stale and captaincy appears to have had some drain on his batting. He has not scored a century in tournament play since 2006. He doesn’t command a place in USA’s T20 team, let alone a spot as captain, with a T20 average of 11.00 in 14 games. So it’s conceivable that Massiah might not be a participant in any ICC tournament for two years when the next Division Three tournament is anticipated to take place in 2015. The time is right to make a change.

There are a few players who are good candidates to be USA’s captain in both formats. Sushil Nadkarni has been USA's vice-captain for several years and served as captain of the T20 team in the UAE last year. Orlando Baker led USA well in March at the 2013 ICC Americas Division One T20 and has plenty of experience under his belt.

Image (right) - After leading USA to an 8-0 record in March at the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament, Orlando Baker would make a good choice to become USA's captain across all formats. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

USA could also choose to go in a different direction and adopt policies that countries such as Hong Kong and Nepal have employed by naming a much younger player as captain to give them time to ease into the role. In that scenario, Steven Taylor would be the obvious choice. Taylor served as vice-captain to Baker in March during the ICC Americas tournament. He will most likely be captaining the USA U-19 team in Canada this July and has previously captained the USA U-15 squad in 2009 so he is already gaining plenty of experience in leadership positions. It might be good for Baker or Nadkarni to be the captain for the next few years though until Taylor or another up and coming player like Ryan Corns, who captained USA during one of the two T20s against Canada during the Auty Cup tour in November, is ready to take over the mantle.

3. Commit to a core squad, one with better balance focused more on specialist batsmen and bowlers instead of an overload of allrounders and one-dimensional sloggers– USA's selection snafus were chronicled on DreamCricket.com well before the squad took part in Division Three. Taking a much closer look at the composition of USA's squad, they went to Bermuda with only three specialist batsmen: Massiah, Nadkarni and Rashard Marshall. The rest of the 14-man squad was made up of two wicketkeepers, four allrounders and five bowlers. It is almost impossible to win a tournament with such an unbalanced squad.

Taking the field with only three specialist batsmen, USA was basically forced to pick all four allrounders - Baker, Timroy Allen, Barrington Bartley and Japen Patel - in their starting eleven every game during the round-robin phase. Several members of USA’s management touted the fact that USA could bat to number 10 with Neil McGarrell and Elmore Hutchinson down the order, but that meant nothing if the players taking up those spots throughout the order are bits and pieces batsmen rather than full-fledged specialists. The truth is that having so many allrounders created the illusion that USA's batting contained more depth than there actually was. It also meant that no matter what, it would be near impossible for Danial Ahmed or Naseer Jamali to get a game in place of one of the allrounders because it would make USA's batting even thinner.

The unbalanced squad selection came back to bite USA by the end of the tournament, especially when Nadkarni was out with an injury in the final round-robin match against Bermuda. USA was not a team playing with six specialist batsmen in their usual starting eleven, let alone did they have the luxury to call upon a reserve specialist batsman. When Nadkarni couldn't play, USA sent out a starting eleven consisting of two specialist batsmen, two wicketkeepers, four allrounders and three specialist bowlers. It should surprise no one that they lost.

This was why dumping players like Aditya Thyagarajan and Aditya Mishra ahead of the tournament was a mistake. Specialist batsmen who can dig in and rotate the strike rather than relying on fours and sixes to score all of their runs would have been very handy to have against Uganda and Bermuda but they were nowhere to be found.

Although Marshall is a specialist batsman and Allen an allrounder, they have similar batting styles as does Bartley. Marshall demonstrated against Oman that he can knock the ball around for singles, but all three are heavily reliant on clearing the ropes to score the majority of their runs and they sometimes struggle to adjust if the match situation calls for a different method of scoring. At most, two players who play in that style can afford to be in the middle order and not three. Japen Patel playing at number nine and not bowling means he is not capable of holding down a spot in the team on his batting or bowling alone, let alone as an allrounder. Two of those spots in the starting eleven could have gone to specialist batsmen or one each to a batsman and a bowler like Danial Ahmed.

Overall, USA made six changes to the squad that advanced from Division Four in Malaysia. Nepal, the Division Four champions, only made one change to their squad for Division Three in Bermuda. Changing almost half the squad that gained promotion for USA into Division Three was a radical maneuver and clearly didn’t pay off. Meanwhile, Nepal stuck to their core group and wound up Division Three champions.

Image (left) - Aditya Thyagarajan is one of several veterans whose presence was sorely missed in Bermuda at 2013 ICC Division Three. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

The respective squad selections by USA and Nepal from 2012 ICC WCL Division Four to 2013 ICC WCL Division Three are a microcosm of a much deeper issue. From 2008 ICC WCL Division Five in Jersey - the first tournament that USA and Nepal ever played against each other - to 2013 ICC WCL Division Three in Bermuda, Nepal has used 26 players in 81 games in 50-over and T20 cricket. Meanwhile, USA has used almost three times as many, 67 players, across 90 games in 50-over and T20 cricket (see list at end of section three). The list of 67 does not include four other players - Abhijit Joshi, Glen Hall, Hemant Punoo and Josh Dascombe - who either toured with USA's senior team without appearing in a starting eleven or played for USA in unofficial/warm-up matches. USA has picked 52 players that have appeared in 50-over and/or 20-over cricket plus an additional 15 players who have appeared solely in 20-over cricket. Nearly half of those players, 30, were picked for a single tour in that timespan. This means that USA has used more players for a solitary tour experience than Nepal has used for all of its tours combined from 2008-2013.

Those numbers, 67 total players and 30 one-and-dones, are absolutely staggering figures. It can’t be blamed on lack of availability for players to get time off from work or school classes either. It simply comes down to USACA’s lack of vision and planning, with almost no continuity from tournament to tournament.

USA only had five players in their squad for Bermuda that participated in the previous Division Three tournament in Hong Kong in 2011. Clearly, experienced hands like Thyagarajan and Shuja were missed more than anyone in Bermuda, but the services of others who were part of the team in Malaysia such as Mishra, who was USA’s T20 vice-captain in 2012, and Corns were also missed. More continuity and faith in a core group could have led to better results.

Looking elsewhere, a model Associate Member like Ireland has more or less used the same core group of players over the last few years which unsurprisingly has been a recipe for success. From the 15-man squad that was picked to go to the 2011 ICC World Cup, 11 were named in the squad that will play two ODIs against Pakistan later this month. The four who weren’t – Andre Botha, Nigel Jones, Boyd Rankin and Albert van der Merwe – are absent because all four have retired from international cricket. Regardless of the fact that the majority of Ireland’s players are contracted professionals and USA’s are amateurs with either classes or jobs to attend on a daily basis, Ireland’s administration has shown faith in a core group of players and stuck with them.

From the start of the 2011 ICC World Cup, Ireland has used a total of 19 players in ODIs and T20s. Essentially, Ireland has had 11 core players from 2011-2013 and has committed itself to developing four players to replace the four who retired since the 2011 ICC World Cup. Meanwhile, USA has used 50 players in official one-day and T20 matches from 2011-2013. Ireland and Nepal's consistent selection policies have been rewarded with on-field success while USA's fluctuating fortunes are a reflection of their inconsistent, mercurial, haphazard and scatterbrained selection policies.

Players USA has used in official matches since 2008 listed in alphebetical order
Note - Players who only appeared in a single tour from 2008-2013 are listed in bold italics

George Adams, Danial Ahmed, Quasen Alfred, Timroy Allen, Imran Awan, Orlando Baker, Barrington Bartley, Adil Bhatti, Ryan Corns, Robert Cresser, Lennox Cush, Kevin Darlington, Jignesh Desai, Sudesh Dhaniram, Akeem Dodson (wk), Dennis Evans, Durale Forrest, Karan Ganesh, Bhim George, Muhammad Ghous, Adrian Gordon, Hussain Haidar, Elmore Hutchinson, Moazzam Imtiaz, Naseer Jamali, Nasir Javed, Howard Johnson, Ritesh Kadu (wk), Asif Khan, Bilal Khan, Rahul Kukreti (wk), Rashard Marshall, Steve Massiah, Neil McGarrell, Ashhar Mehdi (wk), Stu Mills (wk), Aditya Mishra, Masood Mohamed, Andy Mohammed, Shahid Munir, Nauman Mustafa (wk), Sushil Nadkarni, Kumar Nandalal, Amir Nanjee, Japen Patel, Mital Patel, Timil Patel, William Perkins (wk), Steve Pitter, Abhimanyu Rajp, Gowkaran Roopnarine, Saqib Saleem, Greg Sewdial, Niraj Shah, Samarth Shah, Hammad Shahid, Usman Shuja, Saami Siddiqui (wk), Charan Singh, Nicholas Standford, Timothy Surujbally, Steven Taylor (wk), Aditya Thyagarajan, Anand Tummala, Clain Williams, Carl Wright (wk), Saurabh Verma.

4. Find at least one sponsor for the national team – USA and Oman were the only two teams in Bermuda not to have a sponsor on their jerseys. The USA jerseys themselves were flimsy, with the lettering on the jersey of at least one player falling off halfway through the tournament. Last year, USACA apparently had a brief arrangement with Reebok to have their jerseys provided but that deal has since dried up. It’s hard to believe that a USA national team in any sport has to pay for their uniforms instead of being paid by a major apparel sponsor to wear that sponsor’s logo, but that is the situation USACA continues to find itself in.

Although USACA cleverly presents several business entities as “USACA Partners” on their web site, USACA doesn’t have any genuine sponsors. An ideal business tie would be with one of the many domestic airlines in the USA. Since 2011, USACA has had two board members who are employees at a pair of major airlines, United and American. Such a sponsorship might help defray costs of flying players in and out of Florida for camps, trials and domestic tournaments.

One of former USACA CEO Don Lockerbie’s failures was in not securing any sort of sponsorships in the five to six-figure range. Lockerbie overestimated USA’s market value and kept seeking million dollar deals which never appeared. Although he played a major role in linking USACA with New Zealand Cricket and other investors to form Cricket Holdings America LLC, that partnership has so far done little to advance cricket in the USA financially or developmentally.

Image (above) - Uganda had a sponsor, Mehta Group, at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three. Meanwhile, USA was without corporate support for yet another international tournament. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

There’s no reason why USACA should not be able to find a bank sponsor, airline sponsor, hotel sponsor, automobile sponsor and/or a beverage sponsor in addition to a separate corporation or business as a title sponsor for all of its endeavors. Securing sponsorships is supposed to be Darren Beazley’s calling card. USA’s stakeholders will see over the next few years if he lives up to his billing in that regard.

Reaching the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier might have made it easier for Beazley to secure a sponsorship and finishing in the top four would have almost made it a slam dunk because USA would have then qualified for the ICC High Performance Program, which would have carried admission into the Intercontinental Cup as well as ODI status. USA would have then had a guaranteed number of fixtures each year outside of ICC tournaments. Another domino effect of that would have been an incentive to give a handful of USA’s younger players such as Taylor, Allen and Muhammad Ghous central contracts with any sponsorship funds that could have flowed in.

Instead, USA will now be without a 50-over ICC tournament until at least 2015 and if USA doesn’t finish in the top six at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in November, USA will not participate in a single 50-over or 20-over ICC tournament in 2014. It’s nearly impossible to award a USA player a central contract when they may only be playing a handful of games a year. It’s also hard to secure sponsorship when a team has only a handful of non-televised fixtures to display a sponsor’s logo on a jersey on the field, meaning the opportunities are limited for the sponsor to get exposure and a return on their investment. That makes Beazley’s job much harder, but not impossible.

[Views expressed in this article are those of the author who was present at all of the team's matches at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three in Bermuda. 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: 2013 ICC WCL Division Three Report Card Part 2 - Player Grades

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

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

Click here for Part 1 - Team Grades

Part 2 - Player Grades

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Views expressed in this article are those of the author who was present at all of the team's matches. If you have differing views or opinions, we respect those views and urge you to provide your feedback - both positive and negative - in the comments section.]

USA Cricket: 2013 ICC WCL Division Three Report Card Part 1 - Team Grades

openingbat — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:18:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

Part 1 - Team Grades

Batting – C+: USA had the tournament’s highest scorer after the group stage and overall in Steven Taylor. They also had eight of the 12 highest partnerships in the tournament, with two century stands and seven half-century stands overall. Unfortunately, USA’s batting lacked the overall consistency from the beginning to the end of the tournament as well as from the top to the bottom of the order.

The team scored one century and eight half-centuries, but also compiled eight ducks. The first wicket partnership of Taylor and Orlando Baker produced 125 runs on the first day, USA’s best ever partnership against Nepal, but after that the first wicket partnership averaged just 6.20 the rest of the tournament.

Image (left) - Steven Taylor acknowledges his USA teammates after reaching 100 against Nepal on the opening day of the tournament. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

USA’s best opening tandem in 50-over cricket is Taylor and Sushil Nadkarni. Although USA has had a long established strategy of slotting Nadkarni down the order against Nepal, there was no reason why he should not have been opening in the other matches he played. USA coach Thiru Kumaran stated after Nadkarni missed the crucial round-robin showdown against Bermuda that, “Sushil getting injured and not coming in, maybe that could have affected us a little bit. Being an important game, we didn’t have our best player, our best opener there.”

If Nadkarni is USA’s best player and best opener, it stands to reason that he should have been opening throughout the tournament but he never opened the batting once for USA and that hurt them in the end. The most surprising pair sent out to open was Japen Patel with Taylor against Uganda. Patel is a player who has shown some improvement with his batting and USA’s administration is eager for him to develop, but he has no business batting above Nadkarni under any circumstances, let alone open above him.

USA’s best partnerships of the tournament came for the third wicket where they averaged 71.83. Baker and Taylor produced USA’s best partnership from that spot in the third place game, 156 runs against Bermuda. USA also had half-century stands for the third wicket against Nepal (Taylor and Nadkarni), Italy (Massiah and Nadkarni) and against Bermuda in the last round-robin game (Baker and Dodson).

USA’s middle to lower order partnerships were strong when the pressure was off in the third place game against Bermuda and after a huge platform had been set against Nepal, but otherwise the segment of the game where Aditya Thyagarajan usually specializes in fell apart for USA in his absence. They averaged 14.17 for the fifth wicket and 6.83 for the sixth wicket in the tournament. USA put up a 93-run unbeaten stand for the seventh wicket against Nepal, but in the other four group games they averaged 12.50 for the seventh wicket. Thyagarajan’s ability to put together partnerships in the middle and lower order was sorely missed especially against Oman, Uganda and Bermuda.

Worst of all was the cardinal sin committed by not batting out all 50 overs against Uganda. It cost USA by the end of the tournament when the net run rate tiebreaker came into play. The team shot themselves in the foot multiple times in that match with foolish shots to get out and displayed an inability to rotate the strike. The game plan appeared to be for batsmen to slog their way out of trouble or get out doing it. Uganda scored 92 runs off ones and twos in that match while USA could only manage 36 runs off singles and doubles. No matter how difficult the pitch was in the second innings, that’s poor.

Overall, USA benefitted greatly from missed chances by their opponents. The tournament could have turned out much worse for USA had they not had such good fortune at the crease, although USA more than repaid it in the field against Bermuda. Opponents committed less drops than USA in the field, but USA punished their opponents more for each drop. USA's opponents conceded 14 missed chances during the group stage, but USA seized an extra 354 runs off the misses. Four times a USA batsman finished not out after being dropped. After the first time a batsman was dropped, USA averaged 44.25 extra runs. The most valuable second chance USA had during the group stage was when Oman goofed up a runout opportunity when Rashard Marshall was on 12. The bowler dislodged the bails without the ball in his hand and Marshall went on to win the match for USA by making 72 not out in a two-wicket win.

Bowling – B: USA’s bowling unit performed well for most of the tournament with their only glaring letdown coming during the Christopher Douglas ambush in the last group match against Bermuda. USA allowed just three half-centuries during the tournament, but allowed eight half-century stands during the event, including two in that crucial match against Bermuda. Neil McGarrell was tied for first atop the wickets list after the group stage with 12.

Image (right) - USA fast bowler Elmore Hutchinson on his approach to the crease. Hutchinson finished second on the team with 10 wickets in the tournament. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

USA’s opening bowlers were good at making early breakthroughs. The opposition averaged 13.50 for the first wicket and twice the opposition lost their first wicket without scoring. But the biggest opening stand came at the worst possible time for USA, 43 by Bermuda in their upset win on the last day of round-robin play. The opposition’s best partnerships were for the fourth wicket with an average stand of 37.00 including two-half century stands produced by Bermuda and Uganda. Each of those stands could have been curtailed had USA converted catching or runout opportunities provided to them in the field.

USA also lacked a killer instinct to wipe out the tail, something they have struggled with in the past, as Steve Massiah’s preferred method of captaincy is to let a match drag on rather than go for the kill. As a result, the ninth wicket stand for the opposition averaged 27.40. Noteworthy partnerships of 44 and 41 were produced by Nepal and Oman, something that turned out to be crucial by the end of the tournament when the net run rate tiebreaker came into play.

Fielding – F: USA missed 24 definite chances in the tournament (19 drops and five missed runouts), an average of four per game, while numerous other runout half-chances were missed in the field. Many teams have varied levels of batting and bowling skills, but the two things that every international side can do to narrow any gap against their opponent is to outwork them with fitness and fielding. USA always lags behind in both areas and it keeps their opponents in games.

USA had 19 missed chances during the group stage with the chances coming off 10 batsmen. On six occasions in the group stage, USA gave the same player multiple lives and on three of those occasions they dropped a player three times in one innings. After a batsman’s first missed chance, USA gave up an average of 24.33 extra runs to that player during the group stage, conceding a total of 219 runs overall after missed chances in their first five games. On average, USA conceded an extra 36.50 runs per game in the group stage on missed chances.

The costliest miss came against Nepal, when number seven batsman Sharad Vesawkar was dropped on 0, the first of three extra lives he was given, and made 72. USA’s fielding was horrendous against Bermuda, with six definite missed chances and many more half-chance runout opportunities lost. At 2012 ICC WCL Division Four in Malaysia, Singapore began a frantic chase on the last day against USA by stealing sharp singles at will in the first nine overs. A direct hit by Ryan Corns in the 10th over put Singapore on notice that they could no longer keep challenging USA in the field the way they had been and suddenly the pressure shifted onto Singapore as USA strangled the scoring rate.

All it would have taken was a single runout in the first 15-20 overs to put off Bermuda from stealing those sharp singles at the National Stadium on the final day of round-robin play in Hamilton. USA’s fielders did not score a direct hit the entire afternoon, whether or not a batsman had his bat across the line, and on multiple occasions fielders panicked under pressure by choosing the wrong end to throw to. Many other opportunities could have been converted with an accurate throw to wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson over the stumps. Instead, throws short-hopped into his feet or were wide enough of the stumps that he had to dive just to save them from turning into extra runs on overthrows. USA finally converted a run out in the 35th over, by which time Bermuda had run away with the match. Bermuda reached the target in the 45th.

Fitness – C-: USA’s fitness was good in the early stages of the tournament, but flagged as the tournament continued and was a contributing factor in their losses to Uganda and Bermuda. Taylor was well conditioned at the start of the tournament and his 162 against Nepal was chanceless.

However, he appeared to be weighed down by wicketkeeping on top of opening the batting as the event wore on. The team’s flagging fitness had a definite impact against Bermuda with so many sloppy fumbles, misfields, misfired throws and drops. It’s not as if Bermuda’s fitness was much better with two batsmen, Douglas and Stephen Outerbridge, struggling through their innings while cramping up. Yet they managed to find a way past it while USA was hampered.

USA will have plenty of time to work on their fitness though. By finishing out of the top two in Bermuda, their next 50-over ICC tournament won’t be for another two years.

Coming up in Part 2 - Player Grades

USA Cricket: Uganda spinners rip through USA for 93, win by 82 runs at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three

openingbat — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:25:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Bermuda (on Twitter)

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

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

Uganda captain Davis Arinaitwe’s aggressive use of a four-pronged spin bowling unit was too much for USA to handle on a turning track as the African side bowled out USA for 93 to seal an 82-run win at St. David’s Cricket Club in Bermuda on Thursday at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three. Uganda wicketkeeper Laurence Sematimba was named Man of the Match after his joint top score of 44 as part of a 79-run partnership with Benjamin Musoke was the deciding factor in a low scoring game. Uganda’s win moved them to 4-0 and clinched a spot for them at the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand while the loss dropped USA into second place in the tournament at 3-1.

“Today, we came into this game as a team wanting to put in a lot of intensity and bubble in the field,” USA vice-captain Sushil Nadkarni said after the loss. “I think basically if you look at the entire game, the wicket and the toss had a lot to do with the final outcome because when we started playing our innings, the ball was breaking really hard and there was a lot of uneven bounce which, when they started, it wasn’t as much. Not to give any excuses, but full credit to Uganda. They played a great game.”

Uganda won the toss and elected to bat first as USA fielded the same starting eleven for the fourth match in a row. The first wicket fell four balls into the match when Timroy Allen’s pace was too quick for Arthur Zirabe and the Uganda opener was dismissed without scoring. Number three Roger Mukasa also fell for a duck in the fourth over to Elmore Hutchinson, caught behind by Steven Taylor to make it 12 for 2. Opener Arthur Kyobe was scoring at a brisk pace, but the most aggressive innings of the day ended on 29 when he tried to slog Neil McGarrell over long on but was caught on the boundary by Hutchinson to make it 47 for 3 after 12.

Sematimba joined Musoke at the crease as both sides began to wager an attritional battle for the rest of the innings. USA tried to apply pressure by drying up runs on a pitch where the ball wasn’t coming onto the bat, but Sematimba and Musoke were patient enough to wait for the singles to come without panicking at the slow scoring rate and then seized on the few boundary scoring opportunities presented to them. USA strung together three consecutive maidens to make it 56 for 3 after 19 as Massiah put two slips and a silly point in place. Sematimba was struggling early on and was on 2 off 22 balls but found a way to ease some of the pressure by sweeping McGarrell for three boundaries behind square leg in the 22nd to take the score to 71.

Image (above) - Uganda wicketkeeper Laurence Sematimba goes to sweep Neil McGarrell for one of three boundaries in the 22nd over. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

The run rate hovered around three per over through the rest of the innings, but the stand between Sematimba and Musoke lasted until the 40th over, giving Uganda a strong platform for a late surge. Musoke was eventually dismissed for 44, caught by Hutchinson at long on off Barrington Bartley, who was USA’s most effective bowler on the day and eventually finished with 1 for 25 in 10.

Deusdedit Muhumuza was runout for 2 by a direct hit from Allen to make it 129 for 5 in the 42nd and four balls later Sematimba was trapped LBW by Muhammad Ghous to make it 131 for 6. The second of four runouts in the innings took place in the 44th when Arinaitwe got into a mixup with Frank Nsubuga and was left stranded halfway down the pitch as Massiah tossed to Taylor to take off the bails making it 137 for 7 and it looked like USA might restrict Uganda to under 150.

Nsubuga and Richard Okia played key hands down the order though to provide Uganda with enough insurance runs. Nsubuga struck a four and a six in his run a ball 16 before he was brilliantly caught by Nadkarni running back from point to give Allen his second, making it 155 for 8 one ball into the 47th. Charles Waiswa was runout by Japen Patel for 2 to make it 162 for 9 with nine balls remaining in the innings and Henry Senyondo was runout for 7 trying to stretch a two into three as Uganda finished on 175 in 49.5 overs.

USA promoted Patel up the order to open with Taylor and it produced mixed results. Patel wound up with USA’s second highest score in the innings, but Taylor was dismissed without scoring for the second match in a row. Left-arm seamer Waiswa bowled a length ball that Taylor tried to swat over midwicket but a skied edge swirled in the air before coming down into the gloves of Sematimba behind the stumps to make it 4 for 1 in the third over. Patel’s aggression produced quick runs but also led to his downfall in the ninth. After clubbing a six off the second ball over long on and a boundary off the fifth ball bowled by Arinaitwe, Patel went for another big heave and was bowled to make it 22 for 2.

Image (right) - Uganda captain Davis Arinaitwe made things tough for USA in the field and finished with 2 for 15 in eight overs. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Arinaitwe conceded 10 in his first over, but stifled USA thereafter to finish with 2 for 15 in 8 overs. Nadkarni was locked down at one end while Massiah tried to keep the scoreboard moving at the other, driving a pair of sixes straight down the ground. However, USA struggled to find singles and rotate the strike. Uganda scored 92 runs off of singles and doubles in their innings while USA managed just 36 runs off ones and twos.

Nadkarni’s dogged resistance finally ended when he came forward to defend and edged Arinaitwe to Musoke at slip for 6 to make it 39 for 3 in the 17th. Orlando Baker tried to clear deep square leg with a slog sweep but picked out the man on the rope for 1 as Mukasa claimed his first wicket to make it 50 for 4 one ball into the 20th over and it was clear that USA was going to struggle the rest of the way.

USA’s last hope of victory was an extended stay at the crease by Massiah. However, he was defeated by a sharp spinning delivery from Mukasa that stayed a touch low and pinned him LBW for 24 to spark a middle order collapse as USA lost four wickets for three runs. Bartley spooned a return catch to left-arm spinner Senyondo for 1 before Allen repeated Baker’s mistake and was caught for 1 trying to slog Mukasa over deep square leg. Marshall made 7 before a leading edge gifted Senyondo his second caught and bowled dismissal to finish the slide as USA went for 65 for 4 to 68 for 8.

“I think if you look at the way this goes, you can’t get too much into a shell,” Nadkarni said. “The bowlers have the upper hand and Uganda bowlers were pretty experienced. They were turning the ball pretty well and the speed with which they were bowling was pretty good. They weren’t giving us much. So the guys did their bid in trying to break free and score a few runs instead of getting bogged down just defending the ball all the time. I think at the end of the day it is what it is and we need to look forward as a team.”

Image (above) - Uganda allrounder Roger Mukasa raises his arms in joy after a successful LBW appeal to dismiss USA captain Steve Massiah for 24. Mukasa finished with 3 for 29 on the day. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Hutchinson and McGarrell engineered USA’s longest partnership of the match, lasting 10.5 overs to add 25 runs for the ninth wicket as USA’s priorities shifted from winning the match to batting for as long as possible in order to avoid taking a severe hit to their net run rate, which is the tournament’s tiebreaker. McGarrell finally lost patience at the end of the 39th when he lofted Waiswa to Mukasa at long on to depart for 7. Ghous started the next over on strike and was struck on the back leg on the first ball he faced from Nsubuga to be given out for a golden duck and put an end to the match. Mukasa finished with Uganda’s best figures on the day, taking 3 for 29 while Arinaitwe’s tight spell leaves him entrenched as the tournament’s most economical bowler with a 1.69 economy rate in 35.2 overs.

The total of 93 was tied for USA’s ninth lowest all time, matching the 93 they made against Nepal in a 96-run loss in the third place playoff match at 2008 ICC WCL Division Five in Jersey. USA’s net run rate dipped from +1.540 to +0.690 with the wide margin of defeat to Uganda. However, they still control their own destiny for promotion out of Division Three. A win over Bermuda on Saturday at the National Stadium will clinch a spot for USA at the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier.

History is on USA’s side as they have not lost to Bermuda in ICC tournament play since 2005 when they suffered a 113-run defeat at the ICC Trophy in Ireland. USA is 6-3 vs. Bermuda all-time in limited overs cricket and has never lost to Bermuda at the National Stadium in Hamilton, holding a 4-0 record over Bermuda at the ground with wins over the host side in two 50-over games, one Twenty20 and a three-day Intercontinental Cup match in addition to a pair of draws in a three-day and two-day match played at the National Stadium in the 1970s.

Even if USA loses, they could still advance to the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier because they currently hold a +.704 lead over Nepal in the tiebreaker category and a +1.649 advantage over Bermuda. Nepal and Bermuda would have to win on Saturday and also make up that sizeable difference to go past USA into second place.

In Thursday’s other matches, Nepal defeated Oman by 28 runs in what was essentially an elimination match at the National Stadium. Nepal’s hopes of a top two finish were kept alive at 2-2 while Oman is no longer in contention for promotion at 1-3 and must beat Uganda on Saturday to avoid relegation to Division Four. Nepal was sent in to bat and restricted to 160 for 9 with Gyanendra Malla making 34 to lead Nepal. Oman was 68 for 2 in the 24th over but collapsed against Nepal’s spinners to be bowled out for 132 in 46.4 overs.

Italy remains winless and secured relegation to Division Four with a 60-run loss to Bermuda at Somerset Cricket Club. Bermuda won the toss and batted first making 284. Tre Manders scored 64 at number three after the loss of both openers early while 40-year-old Lionel Cann entered in the 35th over with the score at 135 for 5 and produced a stunning century off 45 balls, finishing with 113 off 48 deliveries before being dismissed in the final over. Peter Petricola and Carl Sandri each scored 66 for Italy but they were eventually bowled out for 224 in 44 overs. The win keeps Bermuda’s slim hopes alive of reaching Division Three.

After a day off on Friday, all teams play their final round-robin match of the tournament on Saturday. Uganda goes for an undefeated group stage run against Oman at Somerset CC with Oman needing a win to avoid being relegated to Division Four. Nepal plays Italy at St. David’s CC and needs not only to win but must hope Bermuda defeats USA and also erase the .704 deficit in net run rate to leapfrog USA into second place. Bermuda must defeat USA by a massive margin to have any hope of finishing in second place, but just as important a win for them would mean avoiding relegation while a loss coupled with an Oman win over Uganda could see Bermuda relegated with Italy.

DreamCricket.com’s live coverage sponsored by New Inning Foundation of the USA national team at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three continues on Saturday with USA taking on Bermuda at the National Stadium in Hamilton. Game time is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. local time, 9:30 a.m. on the east coast in the USA with live coverage on DreamCricket beginning at 10 a.m. in Bermuda.

USA Cricket: USACA announces 14-man squad for 2013 ICC WCL Division Three

openingbat — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 20:35:00 GMT

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USACA Media Release

The United States Cricket Association (USACA) today announced the National Men’s Squad to compete in the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL) Tournament. This competition is a qualification structure for the 2015 ICC 50 Over Cricket World Cup. Currently the USA team are in Division 3 of the WCL and determined to progress to the next phase of qualification in its upcoming tournament in Bermuda from April 28th – May 5th, 2013.

The US squad has been competing in a series of 50 over practice matches against Bermuda at the Lauderhill Stadium in Fort Lauderdale and trialed 21 players from all across the US and one player from Queensland in Australia. The group performed well winning two of the three matches gaining valuable match practice. The practice series also allowed USACA National Selectors to be able to view the players in competition mode and to select the final squad of 14. The final squad to represent the USA is;

Steven Taylor

Sushil Nadkarni

Steve Massiah

Rashard Marshall

Naseer Jamali

Japen Patel

Akeem Dodson

Timroy Allen

Orlando Baker

Barrington Bartley

Neil McGarrell

Danial Ahmed

Muhammad Ghous

Elmore Hutchinson

Team USA will be coached by Kumaran Thirunavukkarasu and will depart for Bermuda on April 25th. The US team will be led by season campaigner captained by Steve Messiah [sic] with Sushil Nadkarni vice-captain.

USACA National Chairman of Selectors Mr. Selwyn Caesar said, “Due to the importance of the ICC tournament in Bermuda, the National selectors wanted to ensure that the selection process was thorough and that players from all over America were given every opportunity to impress. I am delighted that USACA supported our request and provided 21 players with the opportunity to stake their claim to represent their country. The result is that we have a very well balanced team that is capable of winning in Bermuda and advancing to the next stage. I wish them well and know that they will give a good account of themselves”.

The other participating countries in the tournament are Bermuda, Oman, Italy, Nepal and Uganda. This is an extremely important tournament for US cricket as the top 2 teams from Bermuda will move up to WCL Division 2 and automatically qualify for ICC Global World Cup Qualifier to be held in New Zealand in 2014.

USA Cricket: Bermuda spoils Bartley century with 2-wicket win to end USA's 11-match winning streak

openingbat — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 05:02:00 GMT

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

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

DreamCricket.com's coverage on site from Florida for the three-match 50-over series between USA and Bermuda is sponsored by New Inning Foundation.

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

USA allrounder Barrington Bartley scored a thrilling century that was trumped by one from Bermuda’s David Hemp as the visitors knocked off the hosts by two wickets with two balls to spare in the third and final 50-over trial match on Friday at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. Bartley’s 111 not out off 65 balls catapulted USA to 284 for 6 but Hemp’s cool and composed 103 off 114 steered Bermuda toward victory. It was USA’s first loss since a Twenty20 defeat at the hands of Canada in November in Florida.

"When I went in there were almost 31 overs gone and for me to come out and score a century, I really feel pleased with myself and pleased with my performance," Bartley said after the match.

USA won the toss and elected to bat first, making seven changes from the team that beat Bermuda on Thursday. Steven Taylor entered the lineup and captained USA on the day and was joined by Bartley, Timothy Surujbally, Abhimanyu Rajp, Japen Patel, Naseer Jamali and Adil Bhatti in the starting lineup. Making way for them were Akeem Dodson, Sushil Nadkarni, Rashard Marshall, Elmore Hutchinson, Muhammad Ghous, Neil McGarrell and Timroy Allen. The only two members of the 21-man squad not to play in any of the three 50-over matches were Danial Ahmed and Ryan Corns.

Taylor and Surujbally opened for USA but their partnership only lasted 17 balls as Surujbally registered an eight-ball duck, caught driving loosely in the air to Dennico Hollis on the point boundary off the bowling of Malachi Jones to make it 5 for 1. Steve Massiah entered and with Taylor added 26 for the second wicket before Taylor struck a low full toss of the toe of the bat back to Janeiro Tucker for a return catch to be dismissed for 24, making it 31 for 2 in the 10th.

Massiah was joined by Aditya Thyagarajan and the pair demonstrated conservative running in their partnership, adding just 14 runs across 6.5 overs before Massiah was given out LBW for 12 off 29 balls to 15-year-old left-arm spinner Delray Rawlins for the second time in the week. Josh Dascombe entered with the score at 45 for 3 in the 17th and was part of a 50-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Thyagarajan as the pair stabilized the innings by knocking ones and two around the ground off of Bermuda’s spinners.

Dascombe was dropped on 22 by Lionel Cann at long off as the fielder turned a catch into a boundary. However, Dascombe was unable to make the most of his reprieve, dismissed two balls later when he played over the top of a full delivery from offspinner Jacobi Robinson and was bowled to make it 95 for 4 with one ball remaining in the 30th.

Bartley entered and in a harbinger of things to come got off the mark on his fifth delivery with a six over long on. He added 38 with Thyagarajan for the fifth wicket before Thyagarajan was bowled for 47 in the third ball of the 37th by Jones but not before the USA veteran fulfilled his reputation by digging his side out of a hole.

The platform laid by the grind it out partnership between Dascombe and Thyagarajan in particular allowed Bartley and Patel to play their shots freely in the latter stages of the innings. USA added 34 during the five-over batting power play from the 36th to the 40th overs to move to 164 for 5 before a startling acceleration in the final 10 overs in which USA added another 120 runs.

Patel stepped his foot on the gas pedal first, hitting two sixes and a four off medium pacer Greg Maybury in the 42nd. Bartley brought up his half-century in the 43rd over off 41 balls with his third boundary to go along with four sixes at that stage. Patel got out at the end of the 46th over, driving Tucker in the air to Samuel Robinson at long on for 40 off 26 balls, bringing an end to a 95-run stand at which point the score was 228 for 6 with Bartley on 75.

Image (right) - Barrington Bartley walks off the stadium pitch after scoring 111 not out off 65 balls against Bermuda. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Bhatti came in at number eight and with Bartley put on an astonishing 56 runs in the final four overs. Bartley entered the 50th frame on 91 off strike, but a single off the first ball by Bhatti gave Bartley the chance to reach triple figures and he did so in style, crushing back-to-back sixes before ending the innings with his ninth sixth, this time over midwicket. Jones finished with 2 for 49 but with the exception of Rodney Trott, the rest of the Bermuda bowling unit was roughed up during Bartley’s rampage.

Bermuda was undaunted by the size of the target though and unlike the previous two matches when they stumbled after making a good start, this time they made the most of a strong platform set by the top order. Jason Anderson and Tre Manders added 30 for the first wicket before Anderson was caught behind by Taylor off Jamali for 13.

Hemp arrived at the crease and put on 59 for the second wicket with Manders. Abhimanyu Rajp broke up the pair inducing a false drive to Bartley at point to send Manders off for 26. Bermuda’s run rate hovered around five per over for most of their innings and the asking rate never got out of control as a result of Hemp’s efficiency at the crease. He was particularly useful picking balls off his pads through the leg side and brought up his half-century in 59 balls at the start of the 23rd over.

Hemp’s 70-run partnership with Tucker ended in the 34th over when Tucker fell for 25 after he skied a slog off Jamali that was taken on the run by Dascombe coming from long on to the edge of the circle. Hemp raised his century in 113 balls with consecutive fours cut through point off Usman Shuja in the 39th over. He fell one ball later to end the frame, caught by Bhatti at cover to make it 198 for 4 in 39.

With the set batsman Hemp gone and two new players at the crease, USA had a chance to take back control of the match. Shuja got Cann to offer a straightforward chance to Surujbally at deep midwicket on the second ball of the 41st over with the score on 211 for 4 and the batsman on 14. Surujbally got to the ball in plenty of time but grassed the chance and instead of having five men down, Bermuda went on to take 14 off the over in what was the turning point in the match. Rather than nipping the partnership in the bud and ending the stand at 13, Cann and Jones added 54 runs together before Cann got out for 35 in the 45th, well caught at long on by Thyagarajan off Bhatti to make it 252 for 5.

Bhatti struck again in the 47th, getting Jones caught by Dascombe at midwicket for 29 to leave the door ajar for USA to rally back. Jacobi Robinson ended any hope of that happening though with two boundaries to lead off the 49th over bowled by Dascombe. Bermuda entered the final over with one run needed to win and despite a pair of hiccups with the loss of Trott and Jekon Edness, Robinson hit the winning run with an edge to third man. Bhatti finished with USA’s best figures on the day, taking 2 for 17 in two overs while Rajp was the most economical with 1 for 34 in 10.

USACA is expected to announce the squad for 2013 ICC WCL Division Three next week. The final 14 are tentatively scheduled to arrive in Bermuda on April 25, three days before their first match of the tournament. USA will play Italy, Nepal, Oman, Uganda and the host side in a round-robin event with the top two teams advancing to the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand.

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

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

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

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

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

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

USA Cricket: Baker looks forward to captaincy challenge at 2013 ICC Americas Division One T20

openingbat — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:44:00 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)

Veteran allrounder Orlando Baker says he’s ready for the opportunity to captain a young USA side at the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament, which begins next Monday in Lauderhill, Florida at the Central Broward Regional Park. USA kicks off the tournament against Suriname at 10 a.m. on March 18 and Baker says he’s ready to take on more responsibility, not just as a captain but by bringing his talents to the fore with bat and ball as well.

“It’s a good feeling. It’s always a pleasure when you’re captaining your country so it’s an honor,” Baker told DreamCricket.com. “I’m looking forward to leading from the front. I’ve been around for a while now and I know a lot rests on my shoulders. I’m looking forward to take this opportunity to really showcase my talent and show what I can do. It’s always a challenge but I’m just going to go ahead and put my right foot forward and keep working hard.”

Image (right) - In 2010, Orlando Baker combined with Aditya Thyagarajan to produce the highest partnership for USA in Twenty20 matches, an unbroken 99-run stand for the seventh wicket against Ireland in Abu Dhabi. [Courtesy: Daniela Zaharia/USACA]

Baker previously captained USA in 2008 at the West Indies Cricket Board Cup 50-over tournament in Guyana. USA failed to win a game in that event, but the tournament provided opportunities for non-first choice players to get exposure such as Timroy Allen who made his USA debut against Barbados and took 1 for 26 in eight overs. Baker says he wants the players to enjoy themselves on the field and not feel pressure but at the same time they’ll need to adjust quickly to the demands of an ICC qualifying tournament that features eight games in seven days for USA.

“As you know, Twenty20 cricket is not a game that you have too much time,” Baker said. “I think new guys who are coming in, they have to learn pretty fast. There’s a few senior players – myself, Elmore [Hutchinson], [Barrington] Bartley comes back into the team – and then you have Ryan Corns there, Japen Patel, guys who have been around. I think myself and those guys have to really carry the bulk of the work in this tournament. A lot is gonna depend on me as a senior player and the captain but maybe one or two guys will rise to the occasion.”

With several first choice players missing out on this tournament in order to have enough time off work for 2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Three next month in Bermuda, USA’s Twenty20 squad includes a few fresh faces competing in an ICC tourney for the first time and one in which their endurance and conditioning will be severely tested. The top two teams out of Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Suriname and USA will advance to the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE. Only six out of this 14-man squad were part of the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier squad that played a grueling nine matches in 11 days in the UAE.

The fast bowling department looks particularly thin for USA without Allen and Usman Shuja. With only 14 caps, Hutchinson is the senior fast bowler in the squad and as a result, fellow left-arm seamer Naseer Jamali is expected to get plenty of opportunities after debuting in The Auty Cup last November. However, there are no specialist pacemen besides them in a spin heavy bowling unit.

On the batting side, Steven Taylor is the only man in the squad who has been a significant contributor with the bat over the past year and the absence of Sushil Nadkarni, USA’s leading scorer from 2012, creates a big hole to fill. Rather than be worried about the overall inexperience, Baker says this is a chance for younger players to push for a regular spot and increase the level of competition within the national team.

Image (left) - Steven Taylor will be looking for a good foil at the top of the order in the absence of Sushil Nadkarni. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

“There’s a lot of guys there,” Baker said. “You can’t really say someone will fill Sushil’s role. It’s just that somebody has to open with Steven. There’s a lot of guys, Timmy [Surujbally] who has come in as an opener. You have Ryan [Corns] who has batted up the order for the US before. You have young [Nicholas] Standford, even myself. When we get to Florida with Robin [Singh] the coach and the management staff, I think we’ll get to that point when we get there.”

“I’m not worried about the depth,” Baker said. “I think guys have been waiting for the opportunity. I’m looking forward to guys standing up and try and grab the opportunity, try and push the players in the squad for Bermuda. That’s the challenge these guys have ahead. They have to come here and perform. They’ve been given a chance. A lot of people have been calling for younger guys in the US team. You look at this team and it’s a really young team. This is their chance and they have the opportunity to showcase themselves and push their claims.”

The format of the ICC Americas tournament was a single round-robin event in 2011, but that has been revised in the region as a result of Canada not participating in this year’s tournament due to automatic qualification for the World Twenty20 Qualifier after a top-six finish in the same event last year. Instead of a six-team ICC Americas event with everyone playing each other once across six days, this year will see five teams all playing each other twice for a total of eight matches per team crammed into seven days. Although it will be taxing, Baker says there is a silver lining with more players getting more chances to show their stuff on the field and have as much time as possible out in the middle.

“It’s gonna be really tough. There’s going to be a lot of cricket. I think the players themselves have gotta take care of themselves,” Baker said. “If you look back at the [2012] tournament in Dubai, it was really tough. We’ve been getting a program. Robin sent out a program over the last couple of months for guys to be working on physically so I’m expecting everyone to be ready come March 17. I welcome the opportunity. It’s a challenge but I welcome the opportunity to play more games. At least you get to see more players. Players get more opportunities so I welcome the challenge. It’ll be tough but as I said if each individual player is following the training program, the physical program, they should be ready come March 17.”

“I’m not feeling pressure. I’ve played a lot of cricket over the years for the US and outside of the US before I became a member of the team. I’m just looking forward to the challenge. I like challenges. It’s something that I always look up to. I think when I have challenges, that’s when I get the best out of me. I’m looking forward to it. I’m not worried about pressure or worried about senior guys who aren’t there because at the end of the day we all have to perform.”

DreamCricket.com will have live coverage for all of USA’s matches at the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament beginning with the opening contest on Monday, March 18 against Suriname. Coverage begins at 9:30 a.m. EST with the first ball scheduled to be sent down at 10 a.m.

USA Cricket: Team and player reviews for The 2012 Auty Cup

openingbat — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 18:03:00 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)

Batting: USA’s batsmen got off to plenty of decent starts, but hardly any of those starts were converted into a meaningful score. USA had one half-century by Timil Patel in the final Twenty20 match. In comparison, Canada’s batsmen contributed five half-centuries over the four games: two by Raza-ur-Rehman, and one each by Usman Limbada, Hiral Patel and Rizwan Cheema.

In the two-day match, three players made it to 20 – Timothy Surujbally, Karan Ganesh and Ryan Corns – but none of them made it to 30. The pattern was repeated in the 50-over game by Surujbally, Patel, Neil McGarrell and Barrington Bartley, then again in the first Twenty20 by Surujbally and Nicholas Standford. Canada’s players were more determined to make their starts count while USA’s players wasted theirs far too often.

In the 50-over match, USA racked up a stunning number of dot balls, 216 to be exact, almost 70% of the total deliveries in the innings. In the 35 non-power play overs, USA scored just 41 singles which highlights their struggle to find gaps in the circle and turn over the strike to keep pressure from building up. More evidence came in the first Twenty20 match where USA had 61 dot balls, a shocking number for a Twenty20 match especially since USA only batted 19 overs.

USA’s biggest challenge was against Canada’s spin bowlers, particularly leg-spinner Junaid Siddiqui and the left-arm spin of Rehman. Canada’s bowling attack was good but not nearly as good as some of the ones they’ve used in World Cups over the last decade.

Bowling: Against most of Canada’s first choice batsmen, USA’s bowlers turned in an admirable showing, especially in the two-day match. To bowl out a Division One Associate team for under 200 runs in a multi-day match was impressive and they nearly did it twice but ran out of time. Naseer Jamali’s opening spell which claimed three wickets set the tone for USA’s bowlers throughout that match.

The USA bowling was a bit flat in the 50-over match although if they had another 30 to 40 runs to play with they might have had more of a spring in their step. With the exception of Cheema’s first over assault of Adrian Gordon in the first Twenty20, USA’s bowlers were collectively committed in not letting Canada’s batsmen score too freely in those games as well.

USA’s greatest success came through their spin bowlers. Danial Ahmed and Timil Patel led the way while Karan Ganesh provided good support with the ball in the limited overs matches. Barrington Bartley showed a brief glimpse of what he can do in a supporting role with the ball as did Japen Patel with his medium pace, but neither should be seen as a frontline option.

Player Reviews

William Perkins – Scored 15 off 25 balls in the two-day match, 46 off 73 in the 50-over game, and made 32 off 21 in the second T20. He looked solid at the crease, but not dominant. For someone with plenty of recent experience playing domestic cricket in the West Indies, as well as participating in the Champions League T20 with Trinidad & Tobago, more was expected. He certainly didn’t do enough to displace Sushil Nadkarni and Steven Taylor as USA’s incumbent openers, but might be worth consideration in a 14-man squad, if eligible, for some of USA’s upcoming tournaments.

Steven Taylor – Scored 4 off 15 balls in the two-day match, retired hurt on 10 in the 50-over match after pulling a hamstring trying to complete a quick single. Taylor has always carried slightly more weight than he should. The hamstring pull may give him the nudge he needs to focus more of his attention on improving his fitness. He has gotten away with it at most stages because of his supreme natural talent, but the higher the level of competition, the greater risk he runs of his fitness being exposed.

Timothy Surujbally – Scored 24 off 55 balls in the two-day game, 28 off 54 in the 50-over match, made 27 off 10 before retiring hurt in the first T20 with a hamstring pull trying to complete a quick single; with the ball took 0 for 6 in three overs during the two-day game. His performance was a microcosm of so many batsmen during the week who teased, but probably fell short of satisfying the expectations of themselves as well as the selectors with their batting. If there’s one thing that would hold him back more than anything else from making it into a 14-man squad next year, it would be his inability to score off the ball turning away from him. Canada’s Siddiqui and Rehman put the clamps on him and Surujbally didn’t seem to have a plan for how to get off strike.

Image (right) - Timothy Surujbally

Andy Mohammed – Scored 0 off 7 balls in the two-day match, made 11 off 12 opening the batting in the first T20; with the ball took 0 for 6 in one over in the two-day game. Two loose dismissals demonstrated that he still has a lot of maturing to do. Despite his talent, he doesn’t ever look determined to stay at the crease for very long. He needs to go back to the drawing board to develop his game.

Karan Ganesh – Top scored for USA in the two-day match with 29 off 70 balls, made 1 off 4 in the 50-over match and 2 not out off 3 balls in the second T20; with the ball took 0 for 14 in eight overs during the two-day match, 2 for 24 in eight overs in the 50-over match, 1 for 20 in four overs in the second T20. Ganesh should have stayed at the crease longer in the two-day game but only has himself to blame for runout that curtailed his innings. With the ball, his flat off-spin was efficient at restricting runs, particularly in the limited overs matches. He wouldn’t get into a full-strength USA squad solely on his batting or bowling alone, but makes an intriguing case as a reserve player for his combined skillset.

Timil Patel – Scored 11 off 15 balls in the two-day match, 22 off 39 in the 50-over game, 0 off 2 in the first T20 and 67 not out off 55 balls in the second T20; with the ball took match figures of 7 for 107 in 34 overs during the two-day game, 2 for 49 in 8.5 overs in the 50-over game, 1 for 24 in three overs in the first T20, 1 for 28 in four overs in the second T20. Had the best all-round performance of any USA player during the week. It’s unclear if he’ll be eligible to play in ICC tournaments next year though because he’s only been in the USA since 2010.

Japen Patel – Scored 0 off 9 balls in the two-day game, 9 off 17 in the first T20; with the ball took 0 for 34 in seven overs during the two-day game, took 4 for 26 in four overs during the first T20. Inserted into a new ball role in the two-day game that he was ill-suited for, he bowled tidily enough and had a chance dropped off his bowling early, but overall lacked penetration. In the T20 he played, he kept a disciplined line and as a result took more wickets than some of his teammates who bowled quicker but with far less control. Such performances with the ball need to be the rule, not the exception, for him to have any chance of cracking USA’s XI. He still has a long way to go with the bat as well to be up to international standard.

Image (left) - Japen Patel

Adil Bhatti – Scored 7 off 35 balls in the two-day game, 7 off 13 in the first T20, 0 off 1 ball in the second T20; with the ball he took 1 for 20 in five overs during the two-day game, 0 for 24 in three overs in the first T20. Bhatti is a player with similar skill sets to Japen Patel and is probably a better player but was outperformed by Japen during the series by way of Patel’s 4 for 26 in the first T20. Bhatti’s best moment came when he pulled off a fantastic catch as a substitute fielder in the 50-over match, but that’s not going to get him selected. He’s a player who gives tremendous effort but needs to work hard on his batting in particular, much like Japen, to merit full-time selection.

Ryan Corns – Scored 20 off 39 balls in the two-day game, 5 off 7 in the first T20, 5 off 5 in the second T20; with the ball took 1 for 46 in 14 overs during the two-day game, 1 for 22 in four overs during the first T20, 1 for 21 in three overs during the second T20. His spin bowling is always improving, but his batting still hasn’t progressed to the point where it should be. He got a few opportunities to bat higher up the order in this series than he had in previous tournaments USA played in 2012, but didn’t make the most of those chances. The fact that he was selected as a stand-in captain in place of the injured Taylor for the second T20 says a lot about how highly he is now thought of by USA’s management hierarchy, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have a nervous wait this winter to see if his spot is secure the next time USA picks a 14-man squad.

Danial Ahmed – Scored 1 not out off 6 balls in the two-day match; with the ball took 6 for 73 across 37.4 overs in the two-day game, took 1 for 13 in three overs in the second T20. Ahmed was the biggest revelation for USA in the matches against Canada. Although he isn’t a very big turner of the ball, he displayed immaculate control and used clever variations of pace and flight to keep batsmen off balance. USA has tried out numerous specialist left-arm spinners over the past few years – Asif Khan, Samarth Shah, Bhim George – to match up with Nepal’s arsenal of them. Ahmed may be the end of that search. He also was brilliant in the field, another area where USA could definitely benefit from his presence.

Naseer Jamali – Scored 2 off 5 balls in the two-day game; with the ball took 3 for 42 in 12 overs during the two-day game, took 0 for 9 in one over in the second T20. His opening spell in the two-day game was very impressive as he wiped out Canada’s top three with relative ease. He doesn’t have blinding pace, but is showing signs of maturing by bowling a more disciplined line and recognizing that he won’t be able to bounce people out. Not a first-choice option now, but wouldn’t be a bad option should Usman Shuja, Elmore Hutchinson or Timroy Allen get injured.

Nicholas Standford – Scored 0 off 8 balls in the 50-over match, 23 off 26 in the first T20, 18 off 22 in the second T20. He played similar to Surujbally in the way he got some good starts, but ultimately failed to convert them. Looked fluent at the crease in both T20s but at the end of the day a number three batsman needs to do more after getting set like he did regardless of the format.

Neil McGarrell – Scored 26 off 46 balls in the 50-over match, scored 3 off 5 balls in the first T20; with the ball he took 0 for 28 in 10 overs in the 50-over match, took 1 for 14 in three overs in the first T20. Even though he’s 40, McGarrell maintains a very professional approach to the game at all levels. He demonstrated he still has value with the ball and as a fielder, but if there was room for just one specialist left-arm spinner in a USA squad and the choice was between the former West Indies Test bowler and 27-year-old Daniel Ahmed, then Ahmed should get selected. It’s not because Ahmed is younger, it’s because Ahmed showed he’s better.

Barrington Bartley – Scored 23 off 24 balls in the 50-over match, scored 26 off 14 balls in the second T20; with the ball took 0 for 44 in eight overs in the 50-over match, took 3 for 14 in three overs in the second T20. While Bartley had the same issue of carrying on after getting set like many of his teammates, he was actually one of the few efficient batsmen in the squad. It was rare to see him waste a delivery and he was much more skilled at turning over the strike than Ganesh, Surujbally or Standford in particular. He’s also a better fielder than the other three. With the ball, his 0 for 44 in the 50-over game is a more accurate reflection of his bowling abilities than his 3 for 14 in the second T20. If he were to get picked, it would be for his batting.

Saami Siddiqui – Scored 6 off 20 balls in the 50-over game, scored 7 off 8 balls in the first T20; completed no dismissals as a wicketkeeper, conceded 1 bye. Siddiqui kept adequately enough behind the stumps, but as is the case in the modern era of cricket he needs to offer more with the bat as a keeper.

Hammad Shahid – Scored 1 off 10 balls in the 50-over match; with the ball took 1 for 32 in eight overs during the 50-over match, took 0 for 10 in one over in the second T20. The 50-over game was a decent start to his career at the senior level but he didn’t get much of a chance to build on it in the T20 game he played. He hasn’t progressed as quickly as it looked like he would when he was a 16-year-old, but he has a strong frame and will hopefully get better with experience.

Mital Patel – Scored 2 off 9 balls in the 50-over match, made 0 off 4 balls in the first T20; with the ball took 0 for 19 in four overs in the 50-over match, took 0 for 11 in two overs during the first T20. Patel needs to be more disciplined and focused on the basics of finding a consistent line and length. His figures in the 50-over match included a maiden and on paper they look good, but part of the reason he didn’t get to bowl a second spell was because he was somewhat erratic, offering too much width too often. If he can bowl on the stumps on a regular basis, he’ll become a better prospect.

Adrian Gordon – Scored 14 not out off 10 balls in first T20; with the ball took 0 for 26 in one over in first T20, took 1 for 1 in 0.4 overs in second T20. Gordon has practically fallen off the cliff from where he was in his development after ICC WCL Division Four in August of 2010. He’s nowhere close to the bowler he was then. Despite generating good pace, his radar is all over the place. He’s still only 25 so he has time to sort himself out, but it would be good for it to happen sooner rather than later.

Image (right) - Adrian Gordon at ICC WCL Division Four in Italy in 2010. [Courtesy: ICC]

Outlook for 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 and ICC WCL Division Three

Much depends on the eligibility of certain players. Ahmed arrived in the USA in the spring of 2009 so his eligibility for these tournaments depends on how the ICC calculates the residency requirement for qualification, which stipulates that a player must reside in a country for a minimum of 183 days in the four years immediately preceding a tournament in order to play for that country. Only two such players can be picked in any starting XI, which may leave a captain limited if there are multiple such players in a 14-man squad. There is no limit on players who have been residents for a minimum of 183 days for seven years immediately preceding a tournament, or if they are a passport holder/citizen.

Timil Patel arrived in the USA in the summer of 2010, so may not be eligible to play for USA in ICC tournaments until 2014. Perkins last played for the West Indies in 2008, so his eligibility to play for the USA would depend on whether or not he fulfills the residency/citizenship requirements. All three players are definitely capable of slotting into a 14-man squad, but at the moment Timil Patel might be on the outside looking in due to ICC rules.

Probable USA first choice XI for ICC Americas Division One T20 in March:

1. Steven Taylor
2. Sushil Nadkarni
3. Steve Massiah
4. Aditya Thyagarajan
5. Aditya Mishra
6. Orlando Baker
7. Timroy Allen
8. Elmore Hutchinson
9. Usman Shuja
10. Danial Ahmed
11. Muhammad Ghous

As for the three reserves, much of it may depend on squad balance. Would USA opt for a pair of spinners and a batsman? A seamer and two batsmen but no pure spinner? To include or not to include a backup wicketkeeper? Several combinations could be construed. Ryan Corns and Abhimanyu Rajp stand a good chance of keeping their spots in USA’s squad for the time being, but both may be under pressure to hold on to them. If Perkins is eligible he would almost certainly take up the last spot, particularly because he can also keep wicket. Several other players are in contention to be included in a 14-man squad as well including Bartley, Bhatti, Ganesh, Surujbally, Rashard Marshall and Akeem Dodson.

[Views expressed in this article are those of the author. 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: Thyagarajan century headlines trial matches at 2012 National Championship in Florida

openingbat — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 18:27:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

USA veteran batsman Aditya Thyagarajan produced the top score at this weekend’s 2012 USACA National Championship in Florida as his 109 not out led the Eastern Conference to a 40-run win over the Western Conference on Sunday during a 50-over trial match at Brian Piccolo Park in Cooper City, Florida. The East posted 256 for 4 before bowling out the West for 216 in the 47th over.

The USACA National Championship wasn’t played in the traditional sense compared to previous years. Rather than have teams selected by their respective regions to compete in a round-robin super league event, this edition saw players hand-picked by USACA representing the “East” and “West” shuffle between rosters during the weekend in order to give players as many opportunities as possible to demonstrate their skill level against national talent. Thyagarajan, based in California, played for the West in a Twenty20 trial match on Saturday while one player, Saqib Saleem, batted and bowled within the same innings in the 50-over match on Sunday.

Thyagarajan entered at number five in the sixth over with the score at 19 for 2. Timothy Surujbally had retired hurt while Steven Taylor and Steve Massiah had been dismissed for 6 and 1 respectively after the East won the toss and elected to bat first. Like he has done on many occasions with the national team, Thyagarajan stabilized his team’s innings by building a 76-run stand with Ravi Timbawala, who made 43 in 67 balls.

Image (right) - Aditya Thyagarajan file photo in action against Denmark at 2012 ICC WCL Division Four in September. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

After Timbawala fell in the 24th over to Timil Patel, Thyagarajan teamed with Karan Ganesh to add 87 runs for the fourth wicket. Ganesh was caught behind off Japen Patel for 38 following which Thyagarajan added 74 more runs in an unbroken fifth wicket partnership with Adil Bhatti. Bhatti finished 35 not out off 28 balls while Thyagarajan’s unbeaten 109 came off 137 balls with eight fours and a six as the East finished on 256 for 4.

In addition to both Patels, Naseer Jamali and Usman Shuja claimed the other two wickets for the West. Shuja finished with 1 for 18 off five while Jamali had 1 for 29 off seven including a maiden. Ten bowlers were used in the innings by the West.

In reply, the West had several players get starts but with the exception of Orlando Baker, no one was able to turn in a significant score. William Perkins, the Trinidad & Tobago batsman who played one T20 International for the West Indies in 2008, made 20 in 19 balls before departing in the sixth over to the left-arm spin of Danial Ahmed. Japen Patel and Baker added 79 for the second wicket to give the West a solid platform to chase the target of 257, but the West was unable to accelerate and wound up losing by a comfortable margin.

Japen Patel made 40 off 74 balls before being dismissed by Saleem to make it 104 for 2 in the 24th. Timil Patel entered at number four and scored 40 off 54 balls but was trapped LBW by medium pacer Hammad Shahid to make it 173 for 3 in the 38th. Baker retired out on 58 off 80 balls at the end of the over with the score on 174, leaving the West needing 83 runs to win in 12 overs with Sushil Nadkarni and Saleem fresh at the crease.

With nine overs to go, the West needed 69 to win. It was then that Ganesh derailed the West’s chances of chasing the runs by taking three wickets in four balls. Ganesh bowled Nadkarni for 5 off the first ball of the 42nd. Two balls later he had Saami Siddiqui caught by Steven Taylor for a duck. He then followed it up by trapping Abhimanyu Rajp leg before to put himself on a hat-trick as the West slumped to 188 for 7.

Shuja was dimissed by Junaid Rasheed for 8, which was sandwiched between the dismissals of Saleem and Adrian Gordon by Bhatti as the West finished all out for 216 in 46.4 overs. Ganesh took 3 for 6 in two overs while Bhatti claimed 2 for 27 in 6.4 overs. Ahmed finished with solid figures of 1 for 32 in 10 overs including a maiden opening the bowling with Elmore Hutchinson, who finished with 0 for 26 in seven overs with two maidens.

In a Twenty20 match trial match on Saturday, Ahmed took 3 for 12 in four overs with a maiden as the East restricted the West to 100 for 7 in 20 overs before scoring 146 for 7 in 20 overs, batting out their full quota after passing the small target of 101. Ahmed claimed the big scalps of Thyagarajan and Nadkarni as well as Timil Patel to finish with the best bowling figures on the day. Nadkarni’s 30 off 34 balls was the high score in the first innings with 17 extras contributing to the total. Adil Bhatti claimed 2 for 12 in four overs while the other two wickets were a result of runouts.

In the East innings, Taylor was dismissed in the second over without scoring for an early setback. Perkins and Surujbally responded by blitzing the Western bowling unit for 77 runs in just 5.4 overs before both batsmen retired at the end of the seventh over with the score on 86. Perkins tallied 48 off 18 balls with three boundaries and five sixes while Surujbally walked off after scoring 35 off 22 balls including five fours and a six. Japen Patel had the next best contribution with 22 off 28 balls. Leg-spinner Saleem finished with 2 for 22 in four overs, claiming the wickets of Japen Patel and Andy Mohammed. Shahid, Hutchinson and Baker took a wicket each.

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

USA Cricket: Nadkarni & Shuja lead the way in 30-run win over Oman at 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier

openingbat — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 18:39:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna in Dubai (on Twitter)

Scorecard powered by the New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

Senior players Sushil Nadkarni and Usman Shuja turned in their best batting and bowling performances of the tournament respectively to lead USA to a 30-run win over Oman on Sunday at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai. Nadkarni scored 59 off 47 balls to open up the match and Shuja stifled Oman to start the second innings with a four over spell of 1 for 9 to claim Man of the Match honors. USA comes away with their first win of the tournament to go to 0-4 while Oman remains winless at 0-5.

“We’ve been under pressure this tournament because it’s never easy to go with losses in the tournament knowing full well there are a lot of people back home who have some high expectations for the team,” said Nadkarni after the win. “Coming into this game, We were pretty pumped up because we knew Oman was in the same boat as us and I really didn’t want to be the 15th or 16th spot in this tournament. Now we’ve given ourselves a chance because moving forward we still have Kenya and Scotland and if we can win those games we can at least be looking for a higher ranking in this tournament.”

USA won the toss and elected to bat first with Asif Khan and Nauman Mustafa coming out of the XI from the previous match in favor of Ryan Corns, whose groin injury rapidly improved to the point where he was cleared to play after initially being ruled out of the tournament, and Japen Patel who flew in on Friday night from Atlanta after being approved by the ICC Technical Committee as an injury replacement for Gowkaran Roopnarine.

Nadkarni opened with Steven Taylor and it was the teenager who was the aggressor in their opening stand while Nadkarni eased his way back into form after three consecutive ducks. Taylor smacked three fours – over cover, over midwicket and through point – before top-edging a pull to deep midwicket for 15 to give Awal Khan his first wicket and make the score 20 for 1 in the fifth over.

Image (right) - Usman Shuja receives his Man of the Match award for his performance in a win over Oman. [Courtesy: ICC/Ian Jacobs]

Aditya Mishra came out and struggled to turn over the strike but Nadkarni did the heavy lifting whenever he did take guard, dominating a 49-run stand between the two. Nadkarni hit a six over midwicket to end the ninth over then struck another over long off as part of a 12-run 10th to get the scoring rate moving.

Mishra was finally run out for 8 when a direct hit from midwicket to the keeper’s end found him short responding to Nadkarni’s call for a single. Orlando Baker was out first ball in the next over playing across to a full length delivery from Amir Ali and was trapped in front to make it 76 for 3 in the 13th.

Nadkarni brought up his 50 in 41 balls with a six over square leg, then followed it up in the 14th over with another big hit over the midwicket rope. He tried to repeat the shot against the left-arm spin of Hemal Mehta but mistimed a full delivery toward long on and was caught just inside the rope for USA’s highest individual score on the week to make it 86 for 4 in the 14th.

Wickets continued to tumble as Oman clawed their way back. Elmore Hutchinson was caught at long on for 4 trying to muscle leg-spinner Zeeshan Siddiqui over the ropes. Adil Bhatti was stumped for 19 overbalancing after missing a slog against Siddiqui as USA looked like they would struggle to post a defendable total at 109 for 6 with 15 balls to go in the innings.

It was left to Abhimanyu Rajp to boost USA with some lusty hitting at number eight. He got off the mark first ball with a six back over Siddiqi’s head, then followed it up with another straight drive for four. In the 19th he benefitted from a misjudged chance on the long on rope to get another six before getting out for 20 with two balls to go in the innings, but not before taking USA to 138. Three runs were taken off the last two balls faced by Patel and USA ended much more comfortably on 141 for 7.

Rajeshkumar Ranpura bowled a solid spell to take 1 for 21 with a maiden in four overs while Awal Khan took 1 for 11 in three with 13 dot balls in his 18 deliveries. Siddiqi finished with Oman’s best figures of 2 for 19 in two.

Oman’s chase never gained any traction after Shuja put the clamps on their top order. In the first over he bowled a wicket maiden, claiming Siddiqui via Corns at point. In his next over, he conceded a wide, but nothing off the bat. Eight singles came off his final two overs, but Adnan Ilyas and Vaibhav Watagaonkar struggled to get him away as Oman ended the seventh over at 25 for 1, with 116 needed to win in 13 overs, an asking rate that was too difficult in the end.

The partnership between Ilyas and Watagaonkar was good for 54, but it took 10.2 overs to accomplish. It finally ended when Patel beat Ilyas for pace and the batsman top-edged a pull to Mishra at cover to go for 24. Four balls later, Watagaonkar was stumped for 30 by Taylor off Rajp. With both set batsmen out, the chase meandered along to an inevitable conclusion.

Patel struck twice more in the 15th when Farhan Khan was caught inside the cover boundary by Bhatti for 8. Three balls later, Ali got out for 4 when Nadkarni took a swirling top edge at midwicket to make it 78 for 5. Awal Khan was the second victim of the day and team high seventh in the tournament for Rajp when he top edged a slog to Ghous at mid on for 13. The last wicket to fall happened in the 19th when Sultan Ahmed top edged a pull to Patel at cover to give Ghous his only wicket, making the score 105 for 7. Oman eventually ended their innings on 111 for 7.

While Shuja was named Man of the Match for his tone-setting spell, Patel took the best figures in the innings with 3 for 29 in four overs of medium pace. Rajp finished with 2 for 23 in three.

USA’s next match is against Kenya, who lost to Namibia by seven wickets after being bowled out for 108. Kenya is 2-3 in the tournament and a win for USA, combined with a Uganda loss to Ireland, could see USA move into a tie for fifth place. USA’s net run rate is good enough that they’d probably be placed above either of the other two sides if they wind up with the same record.. Live coverage of USA’s match vs. Kenya in Abu Dhabi begins Monday at 1:45 a.m. EST on DreamCricket. DreamCricket.com’s tournament coverage is made possible in part by the New Inning Foundation.

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

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

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By Peter Della Penna

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Atlanta Georgia Cricket Conference wins the SER Regional Tournament for the first time

openingbat — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 16:28:00 GMT

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[Conroy Reid and Lada Bedi contributed to this report. For earlier report, click here.]

Japen Patel, Atlanta-Georgia Cricket Conference’s (AGCC) two time player-of-the-year, and one of the most dynamic young players in the country, turned in a strong all-round performance – 8 wickets and 184 runs in three games – to lead AGCC to the 2011 SER tournament title in the games played in Orlando this past week-end.

Pic (right): Japen Patel's fine performances with bat and ball earned him the tournament MVP award.

The fine performance earned Japen Patel the MVP and Best Bowler honors for the tournament. The former national under 19, and member of the SER team for the last four years, continued his strong season run from league competition where he has racked up two consecutive undefeated centuries, complimented with two consecutive five wickets haul.

Japen was supported by a very young and talented squad consisting of few former SE national players such as Jibran Gul, Anand Tummala and Hammad Choudry. AGCC played some exciting cricket under the newly appointed captain Jibran Gul to take the title. Middle order batsman Anand Tummala scored three impressive half centuries to accumulate 199 runs.

AGCC completed the tournament with a 2-0-1 record – defeating South Florida (SFCA), then tying defending champions Central Florida in the tournament’s most exciting game, before crushing Florida Southeast (FSCL) by over 100 runs. Georgia Supreme (2-1) lost in their bid for a second hold on the title by falling to the defending champions CFCA, after defeating both FSCL and SFCA. Mid Atlantic did not field a team.

In its first match against SFCA led by Timmy Surajbali, AGCC won the toss and elected to bat first putting 208 on the board on a good batting surface yet with a very sluggish outfield. Japen Patel provided a stable start scoring 38 runs and Anand Tumala high scored with 81* to stabilize the innings. In reply, SFCA scored 159 all out in 34.3 overs with Steven Taylor scoring a hard earned 53. The pick of the bowlers was the smart and talented left arm spinner Nimir Desai getting 5 wickets for 34 runs in his allotted 10 overs and Japen Patel with 2 wickets.

For AGCC, its encounter with CFCA was a nail-biter. The CFCA captain Christopher Chung won the toss and chose to bat as his side finished with 253 all out. The top scorer was Bhim George with 95*, the recipient of the Best Batsman award for the tournament. Japen Patel bowled an excellent first spell and ended with 3 wickets while former SE National player Hammad Choudry took 3 in 7.1 over to wrap up the innings.

Pic (Right): AGCC captain Jibran Gul

AGCC started their chase with Japen Patel scoring 78 well supported by Anand Tumala 52, Jibran Gul 27 and Nimir Desai 30. The match had many twist and turns. In the end, AGCC needed 3 runs to win and ended up with a tie. It was an amazing game of cricket and both teams showed their sportsmanship.

AGCC's third match was against the strong FSCL side with former USA players such as Nasir Javed and Muazzam Imtiaz. On the South field on Sunday, AGGC won the toss and opted to bat. Keyur Patel (12) and Jibran Gul (4) were removed early, before Japen (68) and Tummala (66) shared an 81-run third wicket partnership to lay the foundation for a formidable score. Sunju Patel (39) and Suhail Sangoi, 33 not out added the finishing surge to propel the score to 239 for 5 off the allotted 50 overs.

With the ball, AGCC used a confident and aggressive strategy as Jibran Gul opened with a spinner who struck in the very first over and followed up with a second wicket soon after . The choke-hold tightened with every over owing to aggressive field placement and consistent bowling. The middle order provided some resistance with the help of Muazzam Imtiaz who seemed to have settled well and scoring at will until his crucial dismissal by in swinging delivery by the captain Jibran Gul.

From that point forward AGCC were in complete control and destroyed FSCL in 26.5 overs for a tournament-low score of 105 all out. The top bowler for AGCC was Japen Patel with figures of 7-0-29-3. He received ample support from Grover (2 for 11) and Jaideep Desai (2 for 39). The FSCL batsmen showed poor judgement of the moving ball as AGCC keeper Nitin Sanam had a dream day behind the stumps grabbing 7 catches, some through spectacular effort. Overall, it was just an unbelievable team performance on the field by AGCC.

Meanwhile, the center field was the venue of the highly anticipated match-up between the last two title holders, CFCA and GSCL. At stake was the tournament title, where a win for the GSCL would give them their second hold. Central Florida won the toss and took first strike. Even though the opening batsmen fell cheaply, and the score was soon 20 for 3 off just four overs, GSCL failed to make any further inroads as the number four batsman, Bhim George, the tournament’s Best Batsman, chalked up the only century (114) of the tournament. George, when on 53, snicked one into the keeper’s gloves but stood his ground while the close-in fieldsmen and bowler celebrated in the middle of the pitch. The umpire though was unmoved, and celebration quickly turned to dismay and a short lived disruption.

Ed Lewis (47) and Chris Chung (42) chipped in with significant scores to take the total to 260 off the allotted 50 overs. Pick of the GSCL bowlers were Jowayne Powell (4 for 50) and Evroy Dyer (3 for 54), as both finished in a three way tie for most wickets in the tournament. McFarlane failed to pick-up a wicket but had the mean figures of 10-3-23-0.

GSCL’s reply was stymied by some accurate bowling from the Central Florida’s pacemen, and the opening batsmen failed to negotiate the deliveries that pitched on off stump and moved away. Runs were nowhere to be had, and the first 10 overs yielded just twenty-five. After Powell drove one hard to mid-off, and Tulloch prodded inside the line of an off-break, the score reached a mediocre 63 for 4, and the required run rate had escalated to nearly seven per over.

But hope was restored by an exciting partnership between Parchment and McFarlane, and at the second break – 31 overs – 128 runs were required with still six wickets in hand. The inning had been revived, and with Lindo and Dyer still to come GSCL seemed set.

It turned out not to be. With the score at 153, McFarlane (56) was foolishly run out – taking off on a suicidal run to a ball collected by the wicketkeeper standing back - to end a 90 run partnership. Parchment (52) and Lindo were given out LBW, only to be followed by Dyer on another suicidal run, as GSCL batsmen lost their way, and hopes for a second title evaporated. The inning closed at 198 off 41 overs.

“Our goal was to come out here and play team cricket, no one player is too valuable to the team, it had to be a complete team effort if we were to succeed. I am happy that all the players responded well to my captainship and we really gelled together on and off the field. AGCC has finally made a mark in Cricket in USA and have proved they have taken plenty of strides towards the right direction," AGCC Captain Jibran Gul said, adding, "AGCC is a team to team to watch out for in the years to come.”

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PostScript: The South East region owes much to the untiring efforts of Barney Jones (CFCL's president) and his team who worked hard to repair the damage to the pitches as some individuals tried to sabotage the entire event by vandalizing the synthetic turf wickets.

Trained by Rajasthan Royals, Japen Patel tears up Atlanta Georgia Cricket

openingbat — Sun, 29 May 2011 11:32:00 GMT

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If members of the Atlanta Georgia Cricket Conference (AGCC) were asked to pick the one league player they would not want to bowl or bat against, the most would likely reply would be, “Japen Patel.” Japen is not only the most dangerous all-rounder in AGCC, but is also the biggest match-winner in the league. Two consecutive five wicket hauls, followed by two consecutive unbeaten match-winning hundreds (141* & 173*) not only testify to Japen’s unbelievable form at the moment, but also to the distance between him and his closest competitor.

Japen sits atop of the batting and bowling ranks this year and seems set to win his third consecutive AGCC Player of the Year award. So far, in six matches he has accumulated 505 runs with average of 168.3 and has taken 17 wickets.

Moreover, his dynamic fielding, positive attitude and unsurpassed passion for cricket has gotten him the respect on and off the field, and there’s no doubt this talent is something to watch for.

Talent, however, can only take a player so far; it’s dedication and hard work that will bring him continued success. Japen understands that, and knows that the success he is enjoying now is the result of his efforts during a three-month stay in India earlier this year.

In January of 2011, Japen made a crucial decision about his cricketing career and decided to join the Rajasthan Royals Development Camp under the guidance of Coach Mrugang (Monty) Desai. Cricket in the United States has yet to professionalize and so Japen decided to attend the camp to get a taste of how young Indian players train to become first-class cricketers.

In the camp, Japen was specially monitored by trainers Afzal Khan and Pratik Kadam and tested with fitness drills that focused on leg work, such as shuttles, lunges, sprints and long jogs.

Japen was pushed to bowl for hours, working on specific skills such as bowling slow balls, bouncers, yorkers and wide yorkers with correct field sets. These are especially helpful as they are tactics; that can be in match scenarios. To test his mettle, Japen bowled against the likes of Rahul Dravid, Ajinkya Rahane, Abhishek Raut and Stuart Binny.

Batting practice concentrated on drills designed to make Japen capable of standing in against quality spinners. In these sessions, his batting was tested by some imaginative fields set by a few present and future Rajasthan Royals spinners who bowled well to him, such as Dinesh Salunke and Ankit Chavan.

He also got the priceless experience of mingling with first-class players and learning firsthand how they prepare for a match. Under the watchful eye of Coach Desai, Japen improved both his bowling action and batting technique.

“I am sure these camps have not only made him more confident technically and tactically but also mentally as he feels he belongs to the next level,” Desai said. “I really hope USA looks at investing in talented players like him which I am sure will be many all over the states.”

“He (Japen) is a very good listener and fantastic student of this game which is one of the important attributes for a sportsman,” Desai said. “I wish him all the success for his future.”

Before the camp, Japen was a raw talent that needed direction and guidance to fulfill the tremendous potential he possessed. He was more streaky than consistent, but even then stood out as one of the top players in the AGCC.

Japen joined the Atlanta Rising Stars Cricket Club in 2009 and has played a key role in their achievements since. He is also a member of the US Tigers Cricket Club that competes nationally in Twenty20 tournaments across the country. As a member of the South East Regional Team for the last 4 years, Japen has made important contributions in national tournaments. Selected to the U-19 South East Regional Team of 2006-2007, he captured both the Best Batsman and the Most Valuable Player awards of the tournament.

Those following Japen’s accomplishments during the last four to five years would conclude that he has matured as a cricket player and is ready to move on to better competition. He seems ready to play with the best cricketers in the USA and has the track record to merit consideration for selection to the US national team.

Ask his opposition in the AGCC and they will tell you that it’s about time he stops torturing the club cricketers of Atlanta every Sunday.

[Article and picture - Courtesy of AGCC]