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USA Cricket: 24 players announced for 2013 USA U-19 selection combine

openingbat — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:02:00 GMT

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USACA Media Release

After a month of Regional trials across the nation, The United States of America Cricket Association (USACA), today announced that it has sent letters of invitation to 24 players to attend its inaugural U19 Combine to be held in Florida from May 31 to June 2, 2013.

An invitation to this inaugural USACA Combine is an honor and it gives players the opportunity to advance their cricket education and be part of the USACA Talented Player Pathway designed to track and support players from the youth level all the way up into the National senior team.

By attending the Combine players will be included in USACA Talented Player database and will be targeted for future skills development. Performance at the local level will be monitored on an on-going basis.

The format of the Combine will include speed, endurance and strength tests and cricketing skills testing along with a series of matches of varying lengths. The Combine also provides the opportunity to assess technical, tactical, physical and mental strengths. All tests will be measurable to allow for direct comparisons between players.

Selwyn Caesar, Chair of USACA National Selection Committee commented “The USACA U19 Combine was designed to prepare players who were identified during the evaluation period. The selected players would be participating in multiple facets of physical training, dexterity and other cricket related activities which would be managed by Mr. Andy Pick, ICC Americas High Performance Manager in conjunction with coaches and other specialist trainers.”

The Combine is one component of the USA National U19 Team preparation for ICC Americas U19 Tournament to be held in Toronto, Canada from July 7 to 15, 2013. Participating countries are USA, Bermuda and Canada. The winner automatically advances to ICC U19 2014 World Cup to be held in UAE.

List of players invited to USACA U19 Combine:

Raj Bhavasar AR
Rishi Patel AR
Ryan Persaud AR
Salman Ahmed CER
Jay Pathak CWR
Vibhav Altekar NWR
Arsh Buch NWR
Krish Goel NWR
Dave Parikh NWR
Roshan Varadarajan NWR
Omar Afridi NYR
Clifford Hamilton NYR
Aown Iqbal NYR
Amarnauth Persaud NYR
Keifer Phill NYR
Travis Ross NYR
Waqas Shah NYR
Randal Wilson NYR
Kwiese Edmondson SER
Patrick Palmer SER
Steven Taylor SER
Omari Williams SER
Shakeel Ahmad SWR
Sahaj Patel SWR

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: Taylor's 97 delivers 30-run consolation win over Bermuda at 2013 WCL Division Three

openingbat — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:12:00 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

USA opener Steven Taylor top scored with 97 as USA achieved a 30-run win over Bermuda in the third place playoff match at St. David’s Cricket Club in Bermuda on Sunday at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three. Taylor was named Man of the Match for his knock and finished as the tournament’s leading scorer with 274 runs in six games, 82 runs ahead of the next man on the list, Italy’s Peter Petricola with 192.

“If we could have done it yesterday that would have been really sweet,” USA coach Thiru Kumaran said after the match. “The thing about today’s match is if we win this it’s not really important but if you lose you go back really, really sad. So it was really important to win this game and guys played really well. They understood what they did wrong yesterday. They played a really good game today.”

USA won the toss and elected to bat making two changes to the side that lost on Saturday to Bermuda at the National Stadium. Danial Ahmed and Naseer Jamali both got their first games of the tournament in place of Rashard Marshall and the injured Neil McGarrell. Sushil Nadkarni also stayed out with a pinched nerve that has been causing numbness in his left leg. Meanwhile, two of Bermuda’s heroes from Saturday, Man of the Match Christopher Douglas and captain Stephen Outerbridge, sat out along with Lionel Cann in favor of Greg Maybury, Jason Anderson and Curt Stovell with Rodney Trott serving as the stand-in captain.

USA got off to a slow start initially with two wickets falling inside the first four overs. Akeem Dodson opened with Taylor but only lasted nine balls before he was caught for 4 flicking a full toss from the off-spin of Stovell to Tre Manders at deep square leg. Steve Massiah was caught behind for a golden duck after edging an attempted cut off Janeiro Tucker’s medium pace to make it back-to-back ducks against Bermuda for USA’s captain as the tourists slipped to 15 for 2.

Image (right) - Steven Taylor goes to sweep early in his innings of 97 vs. Bermuda. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Taylor was joined by Orlando Baker and the pair produced USA’s largest partnership of the tournament, 156 runs for the third wicket. Taylor had earlier offered a chance on 5 and produced another one on 9, both driving to the catching fielder at short extra cover, but Taylor moved on in quick fashion to punish Bermuda’s bowlers early and often through the off side. He brought up his 50 in 48 balls with his seventh boundary, smashed through the covers in the 18th over which ended with USA on 89 for 2. The partnership ended with Taylor one shot away from his second century of the tournament when he pushed Stovell softly to Rodney Trott at cover in the circle to make it 171 for 3 in the 32nd.

“Steven, he got to a brilliant start in this tournament, 160 [sic 162 vs. Nepal],” Kumaran said. “He hit every ball that was there for him to hit, but the wickets didn’t play well. He continued playing the same game but he didn’t adapt to the different wickets. So today I think, after we spoke to him so many times, today I think he adapted to the wicket. He settled himself in. He paced his innings beautifully. After the innings, I spoke with him. This is how most of your innings will be. One in ten will be the kind of 160 [sic 162] he scored against Nepal. So hopefully he learns from this experience and can give us a consistent run all the time.”

Timroy Allen entered at five as USA approached the batting power play looking for a boost, particularly with Marshall not in the lineup, but he only managed 4 when he was bowled by Treadwell Gibbons after missing a swipe across the line to make it 193 for 4 in the 37th. Baker was out in the following over for 72, giving a return catch to Stovell, but not before becoming the third batsman to pass 1,000 runs in 50-over cricket for USA.

Image (left) - Orlando Baker runs between the wickets for USA. On Sunday, Baker joined Steve Massiah and Sushil Nadkarni as the only three USA players to score 1000 runs in 50-over cricket. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Stovell claimed his fourth when Barrington Bartley was bowled for 1 to make it 199 for 6 in the 40th. USA managed to score just 12 runs for the loss of three wickets during their five-over batting power play between the 35th and 40th overs.

Elmore Hutchinson and Japen Patel got things back on track for USA with a 62-run partnership for the seventh wicket to take USA to a defendable total. It included 18 runs plundered off Tucker in the 48th over, including a six by Hutchinson over long off that nearly struck a man on a moped as he was driving out of the parking lot at the ground. Patel was dismissed with four balls to go in the innings for 34, slicing an edge to Jacobi Robinson at short third man for 34. Muhammad Ghous and Hutchinson each took a boundary and a single off the final four balls to take USA to their final total of 271 for 7. Stovell finished with 4 for 38 for Bermuda’s best figures on the day.

On Saturday, Douglas toyed with USA’s bowling unit while opening the innings for Bermuda but Stovell experienced something entirely different in his place at the top of the order, trapped LBW by Jamali on the first ball of the chase. His fellow opener Gibbons made 5 before he was bowled by Hutchinson going for a slog over midwicket to make it 22 for 2 in the sixth. Manders became the first scalp for Ghous on the day, edging to Massiah at slip for 18 to make it 44 for 3 in the 12th.

Bermuda had their first solid partnership of the day forged by Anderson and David Hemp as the two experienced batsmen added 57 for the fourth wicket. Hemp looked set for a long stay but he was bowled for 45 by Allen’s off-spin when he could not keep out a full length delivery to make it 101 for 4 in the 26th. Anderson went two overs later, caught for 30 by Dodson running out from behind the stumps after a bat pad chance ballooned into the air toward square leg.

Bermuda still had plenty of fight left though as Malachi Jones and Tucker added 61 for the sixth wicket in just 8.4 overs. Each man took on USA’s spinners, belting Allen and Bartley out of the attack before taking Hutchinson for 11 runs in the 36th over at the start of the power play. It was left to Ghous to break the stand, pinning Jones for 29 with a ball that kept low to make it 171 for 6 in the 37th. Ghous also claimed Tucker for 34 to end the 39th when the batsmen was bowled while backing away from the stumps trying to clear the off side field.

Hutchinson claimed Trott for 2 to make it 182 for 8 in the 40th. Yet Bermuda still refused to give in as Robinson entered at number nine and attacked Bartley for 18 in the 42nd. After being dropped off a skied chance to mid on earlier in the over, Robinson made USA pay with back-to-back sixes slogged over the leg side. His luck ran out when he gave Ghous the charge in the following over and was stumped for 31. The match ended in the 49th when Taylor’s off spin claimed Delray Rawlins LBW for 9 as Bermuda was bowled out for 241 in 48.4 overs. Ghous fell just short of his first five-wicket haul for USA at the senior level, taking 4 for 43 in his 10 overs to lead USA in the field.

In the 2013 WCL Division Three Championship match at the National Stadium in Hamilton, Nepal got revenge over Uganda in their rematch from the second day of the tournament, beating them by five wickets to claim the tournament title. Uganda won the toss and batted but could only muster 151 for 8 with Deusdedit Muhumuza’s 28 finishing as the top score. In response, Nepal tumbled to 30 for 3 but opener Pradeep Airee weathered the early storm to score 60 and put on 77 in partnership with Sharad Vesawkar for the fourth wicket. Vesawkar saw his side over the line with 50 not out as Nepal chased the target in 39.2 overs.

Oman ensured that Italy finished the tournament winless with a five-wicket win over the European side at Somerset Cricket Club in the fifth place playoff. Italy won the toss and batted first, posting 207. Captain Alessandro Bonora scored 42 while Oman speedster Munis Ansari took 4 for 72 and finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker after claiming 16 scalps in six matches. Oman completed their chase in 44.5 overs with Zeeshan Siddiqui making 64 to lead the way. Italy looked like they might pull off their first win with Oman at 148 for 5 in the 36th over, but Amir Ali and Sultan Ahmed added 60 in an unbeaten sixth wicket stand as Ali finished 42 not out in 39 balls.

Nepal and Uganda will now advance to the 2014 ICC World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand. USA’s next tour will take place in July when they head to Edmonton, Alberta for the 2013 Auty Cup. However, USA’s next 50-over tournament in ICC competition may not be until 2015 when the next Division Three is anticipated to take place.

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

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

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

By Peter Della Penna in Bermuda (on Twitter)

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

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Peter Della Penna in Bermuda (on Twitter)

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

Scorecard powered by New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

USA Cricket: Nadkarni's gritty 73 sets up Allen's 51* as USA beats Italy by 74 runs in Bermuda

openingbat — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:40:00 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

USA captain Steve Massiah and vice-captain Sushil Nadkarni grinded out a vital 78-run third wicket partnership that laid the platform for a late burst from Timroy Allen to give USA enough runs to defend as they defeated Italy by 74 runs on Monday at the National Stadium in Hamilton, Bermuda, at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three. Allen was named Man of the Match after notching 51 not out in 26 balls.

USA won the toss and elected to bat under a bright sun but as the players took the field, a large amount of cloud cover came over the ground producing ideal bowling conditions for Italy. Opening seamers Gayashan Munasinghe and Vince Pennazza removed USA’s openers within the first five overs as Orlando Baker was trapped LBW for 2 while Taylor was caught at mid off for 6 to make it 10 for 2.

Nadkarni then joined Massiah at the crease and the experience of the pair shone through in a determined stand. Massiah was on 10 off 24 balls at one point and Nadkarni 7 off 39 as they sought to leave and defend as many deliveries as possible under trying conditions. By the time Munasinghe and Pennazza had finished each of their opening 6-over spells, USA was at 31 for 2 after 12.

“It was tough,” Nadkarni said. “When I went in there I immediately realized for the fast bowlers it was doing something on the wicket and the conditions were not that great for some stroke-making immediately. So Steve and I decided to consolidate and build a partnership and Steve got going pretty quick after that and raced to his 50 so I think that was kind of the building blocks for us in this innings.”

Massiah broke free initially with three boundaries in the space of six deliveries to get USA some momentum. The first was courtesy of a misfield at point before Massiah elected to go the aerial route over mid off. The third boundary in the sequence was a wristy flick through mid on as USA began fighting back from the early trouble. The 50 partnership was brought up on the last ball of the 18th when Massiah drove medium pacer Dilan Fernando through the covers for Massiah’s sixth boundary and the third of three boundaries in the over for USA.

After surviving a missed run out chance on 41, Massiah brought up his 50 in 69 balls with a lofted drive straight down the ground off the left-arm spin of Damian Crowley in the 25th over. However, Massiah was unfortunately out three balls later for 51 when he played onto his stumps attempting to cut Crowley.

Image (right) - Sushil Nadkarni sets off for a run after punching one to the off side. Nadkarni top scored for USA with 73 vs. Italy. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Rashard Marshall arrived at the crease and with Nadkarni produced USA’s largest partnership of the match, 90 for the fourth wicket across 17.1 overs. Nadkarni brought up his 50 in 100 balls with a slog sweep over midwicket in the 37th over bowled by Carl Sandri and two overs later survived a point blank run out chance from five yards out when Munasinghe missed underhanding for the striker’s end stumps in his follow through. He was finally dismissed for 73 by Dilan Fernando after top edging a hook to third man to end the 42nd over with USA 178 for 4.

Allen arrived at the crease and wasted no time giving USA a late innings burst, getting off the mark on his second ball with a six over long on followed on the next delivery by a boundary swept over square leg off of Sandri. Marshall was out in the 45th to Munasinghe for 39, caught at extra cover mistiming a slower ball to make it 200 for 5. At the start of the 46th, Allen was put down on 15 after a straightforward chance at midwicket was grassed by Pennazza off Dilan Fernando.

Italy claimed Barrington Bartley for 1 just four balls later, but they would regret the missed chance off Allen as he punished them for another 36 runs in the final four overs. Munasinghe in particular felt the brunt of Allen with two sixes smashed off him in the 47th. Neil McGarrell was out on the first ball of the 48th to Dilan Fernando for 2, but Munasinghe’s figures took another beating in the 49th when Allen and Japen Patel each hit sixes off him in the frame.

Allen hit his fifth six off Dilan Fernando to begin the 50th over and a string of twos brought up his half-century with one ball remaining in the innings. Patel was run out on the final ball for 14 trying to stretch for another two for Allen and USA finished on 254 for 8, which turned out to be more than enough to defend. Dilan Fernando finished with 3 for 54 for Italy while Munasinghe finished with 2 for 52 despite bowling a testing six-over spell at the start in which he took 1 for 16.

Image (left) - Timroy Allen raises his bat after crossing 50 in the final over vs. Italy. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

For the second day in a row, Elmore Hutchinson made the early breakthroughs for USA with the new ball. The first to go for Italy was Damian Fernando, beaten for pace trying to pull the fast bowler and caught thanks to an outstanding diving catch from Muhammad Ghous running in from mid on for 11. Italy captain Alessandro Bonora came in next but didn’t last very long, caught behind by Taylor off Hutchinson for 6 to make it 38 for 2 after 8.

Peter Petricola joined opener Andy Northcote as Italy regained momentum with their two best batsmen at the crease. USA’s bowlers engineered multiple chances to dismiss them including a pair in the 18th off McGarrell when each batsmen was put down as Italy frustrated USA heading into the drinks break at 82 for 2. It took the intervention of Ghous to bring an end to their 57-run partnership when Petricola bottom edged a cut onto his stumps for 25 to make it 95 for 3 in the 23rd. Ghous struck again in his next over, darting in a fuller and flatter delivery to beat Northcote’s attempted paddle sweep and the opener walked off for 41 to make it 98 for 4.

“I think basically Ghous’ spell was the turning point for us in the game because he got the two key wickets,” Nadkarni said. “Ghous getting rid of both of them, it really opened the flood gates for us to come back into the game and win this game.”

Crowley and Sandri fought hard to keep Italy in the match with a 54-run stand, but as the run rate started to climb, Italy’s last recognized pair of batsmen started taking more risks which eventually led to their downfall. McGarrell returned for a second spell in the 38th and struck with his third ball, getting Crowley stumped for 37 after a premeditated charge down the track. Hutchinson removed Hayden Patrizi for 3, trapped in front by a perfectly placed yorker.

Dinidu Marage was the second batsman stumped for McGarrell for a third-ball duck in the 42nd over to make it 172 for 7 as Sandri rapidly began to run out of partners. Pennazza was run out five balls later without scoring when Marshall made an athletic diving stop at cover before throwing to Taylor over the stumps to finish the dismissal. Sandri was McGarrell’s third stumping victim for 41 at the start of the 46th over and the match wrapped up two balls later when Dilan Fernando drove McGarrell to Hutchinson at midwicket as Italy was bowled out for 180. McGarrell finished with USA’s best figures on the day taking 4 for 44 while Hutchinson claimed 3 for 44. Ghous’ pressure building spell resulted in 2 for 24.

In Monday’s other matches, Bermuda bounced back from a first-day defeat to beat Oman by 34 runs at St. David’s CC. Bermuda slumped to 117 for 7 but some very valuable lower order partnerships took them to 194 before they were bowled out in 44.1 overs. Treadwell Gibbons propped up Bermuda with 33 at number eight before being last man out. Oman experienced a similar slide falling to 106 for 8 before Hemal Mehta and Amir Ali added 42 for the ninth wicket to keep Omani hopes alive. Bermuda eventually dismissed them for 160 in 41.5 overs with Malachi Jones taking 3 for 29. Number eight Amir Ali finished unbeaten on 58 after taking 3 for 34 in the first innings.

Nepal’s shocking start to the tournament continued with a six-wicket defeat at the hands of Uganda, who sit at the top of the standings with USA at 2-0. On the same Somerset CC ground where they played USA, Nepal won the toss and batted first but wound up being bowled out for 116 in 44.2 overs. Roger Mukasa led Uganda’s swift chase with 49 not out as they reached the target in 27 overs.

After a day off on Tuesday, USA returns to action on Wednesday against Oman at Somerset CC. DreamCricket.com’s live coverage, sponsored by New Inning Foundation, begins at 10 a.m. local time, 9 a.m. on the east coast in the USA.

USA Cricket: Taylor's 162 paves way for 94-run win over Nepal at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three

openingbat — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:35:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna 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

Teenage wicketkeeper-batsman Steven Taylor’s sterling knock of 162 in 102 balls opening the innings set the tone for the rest of the match as USA’s total of 366 for 6 was more than enough to defend on the way to a 92-run win over Nepal at Somerset Cricket Club on Sunday at the 2013 ICC WCL Division Three tournament in Bermuda. Taylor was named Man of the Match and made Nepal pay dearly for sending USA in to bat after winning the toss on a pristine batting surface.

“When Steve [Massiah] came back and told us we were batting first I assumed we had won the toss,” USA vice-captain Sushil Nadkarni said after the game. “But he told us that Nepal had put us in and I was a little surprised to hear that. We were looking to bat first anyways. The only reason I can think of is maybe the ground as we know is a little small and you never know what total might be enough here.”

“Because the size of the ground, it’s a 50 yard ground, you just didn’t know what total was good enough on this ground,” Nepal captain Paras Khadka said. “So looking at the size of the ground, that made us field first because 50 yard boundaries you really didn’t know what would be a good score so that’s the reason why we fielded first.”

Before play began, the USA squad met with the US Consul General to Bermuda, Robert Settje, and his wife who were attending their very first cricket match. The two teams then held a minute of silence before taking the field at the request of the USA national team for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15. USA also wore black pins on their shirt sleeves in remembrance of the victims.

Orlando Baker opened the batting with Taylor and the pair established a new record stand for any wicket for USA against Nepal with a 125-run partnership across 17.2 overs. The previous best was an 89-run fourth wicket stand between Sushil Nadkarni and Steve Massiah last September at ICC WCL Division Four in Malaysia. Baker did an excellent job of blunting the new ball, hitting only three scoring shots in the first 24 deliveries he faced as he and Taylor coasted to 28 after seven overs. It was in the eighth over that USA exploded for 18 runs and from then on rarely took their foot off the gas pedal. Taylor started off the frame against Sanjam Regmi with a six over extra cover followed by a three that included a pair of overthrows. Baker then struck back-to-back fours as USA’s bench came alive sensing they were gaining momentum.

Image (above) - Steven Taylor completes a square drive during his knock of 162 against Nepal at Somerset CC in Bermuda. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Taylor brought up his 50 in just 32 balls with his fourth six, struck straight down the ground off Sanjam Regmi, who went for 53 in his first five overs. The pair brought up USA’s 100 in the 16th over when Taylor cut Basant Regmi through point and then immediately followed the milestone with a six over cover. Baker got out eight balls after the first drinks break when he tried to flick Basant across the line and was bowled for 37.

Massiah joined Taylor and the USA captain was at the crease when Taylor brought up triple figures in the 23rd over off just 61 balls with his seventh four through the covers to go along with eight sixes at that stage. The pair added 31 for the second wicket before Massiah was run out for 11. The USA captain cut a ball to Amrit Bhattarai at point off Basant Regmi that was misfielded and Taylor attempted a run. Bhattarai recovered and threw to Basant, who initially dislodged the bails at the non-striker’s end without the ball in his hand. With both batsmen at the striker’s end, Massiah chose to sacrifice himself ahead of Basant pulling a stump out of the ground with the ball pressed against it to complete the run out.

Nadkarni and Taylor got things moving quickly again and after 30 overs, the score was 211 for 2 as USA sensed a chance to potentially break their all-time best score in limited overs cricket set against East & Central Africa at the 1990 ICC Trophy with a score of 404 for 9. Nadkarni’s USA record of 197 was also in danger of going down as Taylor brought up his 150 with his 10th boundary to end the 32nd. He was finally dismissed two balls into the 35th over by Sanjam Regmi, caught at point by Basant to make it 234 for 3.

Image (right) - Steven Taylor raises his bat after reached his century off 61 balls. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

USA went through an extended sputter for the next six overs as three more wickets fell to give Nepal some hope that they might restrict USA to under 300. Rashard Marshall fell for 5, caught behind off Basant to make it 243 for 4. Barrington Bartley was bowled slogging across the line for 13 to make it 270 for 5 in the 40th. Nadkarni fell three balls later at the start of the 41st, given LBW for 28 to a ball that kept low from Bhattarai to make it 273 for 6.

Nepal couldn’t sustain the pressure though as Timroy Allen and Neil McGarrell produced a 93-run unbroken seventh wicket stand to erase all doubts about whether or not Nepal would have a chance in the second innings. Allen was particularly brutal to the Nepal attack, finishing with 67 not out off 34 balls. The pair scored 19 in the 45th over and then Allen capped off the innings by taking 21 off Bhattarai in the 50th including pairs of fours and sixes.

Basant Regmi was the only bowler to come away from the innings with his reputation still intact, taking 2 for 46 in 10. Shakti Gauchan took the brunt of USA’s batting assault as the usually economical left-arm spinner went for nine per over, finishing with 1 for 81 in nine.

“We still thought that anything like 300 to 320 or 330 was chaseable,” Khadka said. “Maybe we gave 40-50 runs extra. We believed that if it was 320-330, we believed that we would have chased that down. Unfortunately, even in the end we didn’t bowl well in the last five overs so that took the game away and Taylor played exceptionally well. When a guy gets 162 in a 50-over game you can’t do many things.”

In the field, it was Elmore Hutchinson who took the new ball and put pressure immediately onto Nepal’s batsmen, beginning with a wicket maiden in the second over that claimed Anil Mandal for a duck. In the eighth over, he bounced out Khakurel for 23 as a top edged hook came down into Taylor’s hands to make it 29 for 2.

Nepal’s best chance at coming close to chasing down the target was a lengthy partnership between Gyanendra Malla and Khadka. However, Malla was run out for 9 to start the 13th over when Khadka failed to respond to a call for a run to short fine leg. Hutchinson fielded and threw to Baker over the non-striker’s stumps before Malla could get back as Nepal slipped to 56 for 3.

Khadka did his best to make amends by top scoring with 73 off 64 balls but the first innings hole was too big to dig his side out of. Binod Bhandari was the next man out for 4, bowled by McGarrell trying to play a Dilscoop. Pradeep Airee was dropped two balls later on zero by Taylor behind the stumps, but McGarrell was still able to claim him for 14, trapped LBW to make it 106 for 5 in the 24th.

Bartley’s five-over spell was an expensive one, claiming 47 runs, but he notched the prize wicket of Khadka, caught behind trying to cut a ball that had a little extra bounce to make it 175 for 6 in the 32nd. Muhammad Ghous was finally rewarded with his first wicket in the 37th. Ghous dismissed Basant Regmi, caught at midwicket by Massiah for 7, before he removed Vesawkar for 72 to make it 228 for 8.

A small consolation for Nepal was a 44-run ninth wicket stand between Gauchan and Sanjam Regmi which may become important later in the week should Nepal finish tied with any other team for one of the top two spots as net run rate will be the tiebreaker. The stand was finally broken when Sanjam was runout four balls into the final over for 14. Gauchan fell one ball later for 39 thanks to a diving catch by Baker off McGarrell as Nepal was bowled out for 272.

Ghous bowled a superb spell, conceding 19 runs in his final eight overs to finish with 2 for 36 in 10. Hutchinson eventually finished with 2 for 25 after his first five-over spell went for just 10 runs while McGarrell had USA’s best haul on the day with 3 for 42 in 9.5 overs.

In the day’s other matches, Oman bowled out Italy for 110 in 38.2 overs before chasing the total with 20.5 overs to spare for the loss of three wickets at St. David’s CC. Left-arm orthodox spinner Aamir Kaleem was named Man of the Match after taking 4 for 15 in his eight-over spell to wipe out Italy’s middle order. Uganda beat the host side Bermuda by 114 runs at the National Stadium in Hamilton. Opener Arthur Kyobe was named Man of the Match for Uganda after top scoring with 53 in Uganda’s total of 222 for 7. Teenage left-arm spinner Henry Ssenyondo claimed 4 for 24 to lead the Uganda bowling unit as Bermuda collapsed from 72 for 3 in 26 overs to be all out for 108 in 43.3 overs.

On Monday, USA plays Italy 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. DreamCricket.com will have live updates sponsored by New Inning Foundation beginning at 10 a.m. local time.

USA Cricket: Episode 5 - Guest Thiru Kumaran on the US Cricket Podcast

openingbat — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 14:54:00 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 head coach Thiru Kumaran is the latest guest on the US Cricket Podcast. Kumaran, 37, played eight ODIs for India in 1999 and 2000 before a back injury curtailed his career. After making a comeback in the Indian Cricket League in 2008, Kumaran moved with his wife to the USA where they now live in Dallas, Texas.

In this episode, Kumaran tells the story of how he became known as “Kenny”, his Indian domestic and international career including making his debut under Sachin Tendulkar’s captaincy as well as his short time in the ICL rebel Twenty20 competition. He then discusses his experiences in United States cricket and what obstacles face the team at 2013 ICC WCL Division Three in Bermuda, which begins on Sunday.

The full episode can be accessed by clicking here and can also be downloaded for free on iTunes. The following are a few selected quotes from the interview.

Peter Della Penna: One of the big news items that came out of the squad selection was that two senior members of the team, Aditya Thyagarajan and Usman Shuja, were left out of this squad and they have a tremendous amount of experience that they’ve built up over the last several years for the US national team. In their place are a couple of younger players. Do you feel it was a big risk to leave them out and miss out on that experience in place of having some younger players in the team?

Thiru Kumaran: The thing is we are heading in a certain direction, US Cricket. I am talking about the whole cricket getting more professional and we are setting some standards. So if a few standards are not met then we need to take a decision. Hopefully the players understand that and then they just get their standards to the level that has been expected. That’s as simple as that. So going forward if you set the policy and you go ahead with it, it doesn’t matter whoever it is. We have to take a decision, you have to take a decision as simple as that.

PDP: What standards would you say certain players are falling short in?

TK: A few things I am allowed to talk, a few things I cannot talk. This is what it is. You set a standard. We are trying to be more professional, we trying to be a more fitter team, we are setting ourselves a few standards which have been given to us. So once those things are not happening, then we need to take a decision and go ahead with people who are willing to do it.

PDP: What is your outlook in terms of the opponents you are going to face? As far as I can tell, the schedule that USA has in front of them, it’s almost the worst possible scenario in terms of basically the two toughest matches are going to be the first two matches that the team plays. Instead of being able to ease into the tournament against some easier opponents, you have Nepal and Italy back to back on the first two days of the tournament.

TK: I think it’s a blessing that we are playing Nepal first because we will be really fresh and we know from our experience the last time we know what we need to work on. We have definitely worked on those things and we have asked the players to work on whatever they have to work on. Nepal is one side we feel is a strong side. So playing them first, I don’t believe in easing into the tournament. I believe we are playing the strongest side first. We’ll be well prepared and we’ll be fresh, one main thing. So if we win this first game, it’s gonna set us up for the whole tournament. That’s how the whole team is looking at the fixture. So I feel definitely it’s a blessing that we are playing Nepal first.

PDP: You said if you win this game it’ll help set you up for the rest of the tournament, but if you lose the game do you feel it’ll be too difficult to overcome? Basically you’ll need to win four straight games to finish in the top two.

TK: It’s not about losing…. It’s a plus. When you win against a strong side, you are very confident. When you lose against a strong side, you lose to a strong side so you carry on with the game. So it’s definitely a plus, not a minus.

PDP: You lost twice to Nepal in Malaysia. What needs to change in order to get that result in the opposite direction for the USA?

TK: The first game, I know you were there, but we dropped some catches.

PDP: You dropped a lot of catches.

TK: Yeah, so we dropped a few catches which made them put up a strong total. Even though we were on line chasing it, we struggled in the last 10 overs. So we definitely have worked on those issues which was hindering us. Mainly they attack with spin so we asked the players to play a lot of spin. From Bermuda we have practiced until now so we asked them to play a lot of spin, get used to it. So there are a lot of things and we did a lot of fielding practice and we asked them to take a lot of catches every day. So these are the things we are trying to, whatever is our weakness we are trying to fill it up. So I think we are definitely better prepared this time.

USA Cricket: Episode 3 - Guest Darren Beazley Part 1 of the US Cricket Podcast

openingbat — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:40:00 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)

In part one of a two-part interview, USACA CEO Darren Beazley discusses his background coming from Western Australia where he was an administrator in several different sports including cricket, sailing and Australian Rules Football prior to taking on the position as the USA Cricket Association’s chief executive in February. Among other topics, Beazley also talks about how he hopes to rectify the lack of domestic women’s cricket tournaments since the team came back from the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh as well as how he hopes to recruit the 32 disenfranchised leagues from the 2012 USACA election back into the USACA fold.

The full episode can be accessed by clicking here and is also available for free download on iTunes. The following is a brief selection of quotes from part one of the interview.

Image (right) - USACA CEO Darren Beazley speaking at the tournament banquet following the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 in Florida. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Peter Della Penna: One of the interesting things I found out about you is that way back when, you used to coach or teach lacrosse in Australia. Kind of similar in some ways to what you’re doing here, I can’t imagine lacrosse is a very popular sport in Australia. What was that experience like and what are some of the things you think you can take from that and some of the other jobs you’ve had - you’ve worked with development in the Australian Football League in South Africa, those kind of things. What are some of the things you learned from kind of developing a sport and teaching and spreading a sport where it’s not very popular in those territories that you think you can apply here?

Darren Beazley: My view when I was teaching – I used to be a phys ed teacher many moons ago and that’s where I taught the lacrosse – was that we have a responsibility to expose young people to all types of games. Now lacrosse was a game in Australia that not many of my students had ever played and the thing I liked about it, it was a really good leveling sport because all of a sudden they weren’t playing through the planes like a vertical plane with a cricket shot or a horizontal plane with a baseball shot because all of a sudden you’re catching and throwing from above the waist and there’s not many sports where you do that, particularly with an implement. So it was a great leveler to find out which were the good hand-eye, but also it’s a very fast running game so which were the good athletes who had the big tanks. I guess I took a lot of that knowledge into developing a niche sport in South Africa and I’m going to apply that knowledge here. What are the fundamentals? The fundamentals are that you need to make sure that the experience that you have is an excellent one because there’s too many reasons for young people who come and taste the sport to not play it. Football is very big here, baseball is very big here. So if they come down to cricket and they have a bad experience, the coach doesn’t make it fun or is too hard on the young person coming down, they’re not going to hang around. They’ll go whereas if you’re in an established sport like cricket is in Perth or in Australia, if the coach is a bit hard on you you’re more likely to keep coming back because it is the sport. I think that’s really important and our coaches need to understand no matter where they are in America, they’ve got a responsibility to give our kids a good experience the first time. The second thing in terms of high performance like my very brief involvement with the men’s national team, same thing. We’ve got to make sure that when they come into the national team that everything is done very professionally and very well so that they think they’re part of something very special because if you do it half-hearted, then they’ll go, ‘This sport’s not serious. This sport’s never going to make an impact on the landscape’ and therefore they’re going to go and choose something else. If I can take one lesson that I’ve learned from Major League Soccer, I think the work that they’ve done and I know it’s been a long time that they’ve been doing it, but from what I can see from the outside, they seem to have done a very very professionally run league and I think they’ve shown what can be done. I think cricket can learn a lot from Major League Soccer.

PDP: What do you see the state of cricket in this country at the moment? A lot of people like making the comparison to soccer and they say cricket is right now is where soccer was 30 years ago or 40 years ago and look where soccer is now. What do you see as the state of cricket and how far off cricket can be from becoming that status that soccer is enjoying now in this country?

DB: It’s the biggest challenge I think I face Peter because I’d like to first of all say to your listeners that the volunteers that have got US Cricket to the point that they have should be really proud of themselves. You think about 49 leagues, 1100 teams across the country, about 35,000 people playing the game, that’s a fantastic effort. But it’s all been done on the back of volunteers by and large. My sense is looking at this I don’t know how much further US Cricket could continue to grow on the basis of volunteerism and the reason for that is that our jobs are more and more demanding. Our appreciation of family time is becoming more apparent so people are less and less likely to give up huge amounts of times to go and try and keep things going… This is the big challenge I think for US Cricket to make that move from amateurism to professionalism. What that means is that there’s going to have to be a real delicate balance from my team at USACA to make sure that we completely respect the work that the volunteers have done to this point and to celebrate the great work that they’ve done and in the same time for the volunteers to understand that things have changed. They do need to let go and they do need to take a bit of advice from people who are doing this in a professional capacity. My sense is from the people I’ve met – and I haven’t been over to the west coast yet – but I’ve been in my seven or eight weeks I’ve been in the job, I’ve been around to a lot of places and I’ve met some really good people. I’m pretty confident that we can make a dent. Now further to your point, can we get as far as soccer has in that time? I’m not sure yet Peter. I haven’t seen enough of it to comment on that but I think we’ve got a good foundation.

PDP: A lot of womens players around the country are very frustrated at the lack of opportunities. USA qualified for the 2011 Women’s World Cup Qualifier. It was a big moment for development in US Cricket, in particular women’s development, and things have stalled since then. There was a great opportunity to sustain momentum and keep momentum going in the right direction but since the women have come back from Bangladesh, there has not been a single domestic tournament organized for them. There were some promises made in 2012 for a women’s tournament. Never happened. How do you get that momentum and that faith restored in the women’s program?

DB: I’ve spoken to two ladies, two women’s coordinators, one from New York and one from here in the South East Region. She’s based in Georgia. My first step is to actually get the women’s representatives from each of the eight regions. At the last USACA board meeting, all regional representatives were asked to put up the name of that person. We’ll speak in the next two weeks and I want to get a national view of this of what they’d like to see happen from that. We’ll then develop part of our overall strategy will be, a core pillar will be aimed at women’s cricket. We will devise some sort of a system for this year. I think it’s important. I don’t know how it looks Peter but I think it’s important. What you’re saying is right that our ladies get a chance to play together and have some sort of an opportunity this year because as I said if we’re going to undertake international duties in 2014, we need to start doing that now. I can’t say after eight weeks in the job exactly what that looks like, but I am firmly committed to making sure that there is some opportunity for the ladies to get together and play some sort of competitive cricket.

PDP: One of the things that has bothered a lot of stakeholders around the country is how that elections played out over the course of 2011 and 2012. Reintegration has been a buzzword in international cricket over the last year. Kevin Pietersen’s reintegration process, Ross Taylor’s reintegration process with New Zealand. What is the reintegration process for the 32 leagues that were disenfranchised and not allowed to vote in the last USACA election?

DB: I’m not really 100% sure about all the facts in that. Obviously I’ve spoken to a lot of stakeholders and they’ve certainly told me their view of it good and bad. What I’m here for, I’ve made a big commitment to come here. This is personally I guess for me terrific because my family is from the US but this is a really challenging job but I’m doing it for one reason because I was lucky enough to play cricket in Australia but also overseas and cricket’s been good to me. It’s my turn to put something back. So that’s my motivation. In terms of some of the things that have happened, what I’m hoping to do is I’ve now spoken to seven of the eight regions. Some people are pro-USACA and some are very vocally not pro-USACA but I’ve offered the olive branch. I’ve said I’m happy to talk to everybody. I’ve mapped out some of my ideas and some of my views and it’s resonated. We have got now some member leagues that have paid their dues, already become financial in the last few weeks that are saying, ‘You know what. I’m not happy with what necessarily happened last year but I’m prepared to be a big enough person to put it behind me and I’m gonna give this guy a go’ and I really appreciate that support. Peter, not everyone has done that and I respect that too. That’s fine. But you know what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna keep doing what I’m doing. I think that further to what I said previously that most people are not silly that are involved in cricket. They can see good administration when they see it. They recognize it. So my job over the next six to 12 months is to put in place a serious sustainable long-term cricket structure that will have people wanting to come back on board. To those that haven’t signed up again, I would ask you to reconsider. I would ask you please to give us a go, pay your USACA membership. There is a governance committee which is headed up by Shelton Glasgow. Once you’ve paid your USACA membership, they will come in contact with you and they will walk you through what needs to be done in order to address some of the issues. For those that say, ‘No. I don’t want to do that. I’m going to sit back for a year,’ I’ll respect that too. But you know what? I’ll work with anybody to do my very best for US Cricket. It’s not one that I’m going to be able to wave a magic wand Peter, as much as I’d like to, and pretend that some of the things in the past haven’t happened and I don’t want to make comment one way or the other. It’s not for me to do that. I can only look forward. I’m not trying to pretend that what happened in the past didn’t happen, but I can’t really change it and I don’t know enough about it so my sense is the best thing I can do is continue to try and make those offers and those that want to come with us will. Those that don’t? Well, they can make their own decision.

USA Cricket: Former USA vice-captain Aditya Mishra retires from international cricket at age 31

openingbat — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:54:00 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)

Batsman Aditya Mishra, who served as USA’s vice-captain at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, has decided to retire from international cricket despite being just 31.

“Want to thank everyone who has helped me in my cricket journey,” Mishra told DreamCricket.com on Sunday night. “Have played cricket with passion and on my terms, wanted to leave with the same spirit. When I realized that I am not needed, I figured there are other things that need my immediate attention.”

Image (right) - Aditya Mishra drives down the ground during his match-winning 62 against Scotland at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in Dubai. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

In an email obtained by DreamCricket.com, Mishra informed USA coaches Robin Singh and Thiru Kumaran as well as chairman of selectors Selwyn Caesar and USACA CEO Darren Beazley on Sunday afternoon that other commitments now held a higher priority for him.

“It appears that I am not part of USACA plans for the future. I respect you both as cricketers and coaches. Your high expectations from me is probably a result of my first class cricket experience in India and some good past performances for USA in last year’s World Cup qualifiers in Dubai. Due to work related commitments, it would be impossible for me to meet those expectations without proper motivation.”

His email to USACA also highlighted frustrations with the process involved in selecting teams. Mishra makes note of the fact that he was USA’s vice-captain in the UAE last year at a major ICC tournament and served as stand-in captain on a day when Sushil Nadkarni sat out against Scotland. Mishra scored 62 in that match to top score for USA in their seven-wicket win over Scotland, making USA one of only two teams to beat an ODI nation during the group stage of the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. That innings earned Mishra recognition from DreamCricket.com at the end of the year as the 2012 New Inning Foundation Individual Performance of the Year. However, he was surprisingly left out of USA’s Twenty20 squad for the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament last month in Florida.

“I tried to motivate myself after being dropped from the probables list for Americas T20 even though I was the USA vice captain in Dubai and had some very good performances and partnerships,” Mishra wrote. “No one reached out to tell me what led to such a sudden change in mind and what specifically I need to improve.”

“I took it as a challenge and focused on performances. Like to thank Robin to advise and guide me when it was a low point for me. My stats in the NCCA league tell a story of a player who wants to come back and play freely. I am still young and confident of performing at the highest level. However, due to lack of Domestic tournaments and sometimes transparency it is tough to keep up the motivation and work hard when you have limited time to spend between cricket, family, and other social commitments.”

Mishra made his USA debut in 2010 opening the batting with Carl Wright against Jamaica in a Twenty20 match at The Pearls Cup in Florida. He then came back into the USA team at the 2011 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament following a solid showing at the 2011 USACA Twenty20 National Tournament in New Jersey where he was the second highest scorer in the tournament including a best of 87 in 49 balls against a vaunted New York Region team while playing for the Atlantic Region.

Image (left) - Aditya Mishra tees off for one of his four sixes against New York at the 2011 USACA Twenty20 National tournament as wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson looks on behind him. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

At the 2011 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in Florida, Mishra finished third on the team with 98 runs in four innings at an average of 32.66 as USA finished second behind Canada. He was then named vice-captain for the team that went to the UAE for the World Twenty20 Qualifier the following March and stated in an interview before the tournament that he wanted to cultivate a more welcoming culture with newer and younger players after his bumpy initiation into the team in 2010.

Mishra was the only player besides Sushil Nadkarni to score a half-century for USA in the event. In addition to his match-winning knock against Scotland, Mishra scored 53 off 34 balls in a hard fought 17-run defeat to Namibia, who went undefeated in the group stage and finished third overall in the tournament behind Ireland and Afghanistan. He finished third on the team in runs at the event with 169, behind only Nadkarni and Steven Taylor.

He struggled at 2012 ICC WCL Division Four in Malaysia, scoring 74 runs in five games but was surprisingly dropped from USA’s Twenty20 squad seemingly as a result of his 50-over performances. It is unknown whether Mishra will continue to play locally in the Northern California Cricket Association. Away from cricket, he is a consultant working as Manager of Advisory Services at Ernst & Young.

USA Cricket: No rhyme or reason behind decision to drop Thyagarajan and Shuja

openingbat — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:21:00 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)

Farce, sham, disgrace. They are the first three words that spring to mind but if one opens up a thesaurus there are plenty of others that could be found to encapsulate this situation. There is no sugarcoating how abominable the process has been regarding the evaluation and selection of the 14-man USA squad announced on Sunday by USACA that will compete later this month at the 2013 ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Bermuda. A slice of Swiss cheese has fewer holes in it than this selection process.

The problem is not the team or the players. The problem is the process. There are good players in this 14-man squad. However, do not fall under any illusions that USACA is sending its best 14 to represent the country in Bermuda. This is not USA’s best 14 and falling short of that represents a failure by the selectors and the administration that oversees them.

There is no possible way that this could be USACA’s best 14-man squad with Aditya Thyagarajan and Usman Shuja missing from the list. They are two titans, pillars in the modern era of the US national team. Thyagarajan is USA’s third highest scorer of all-time in limited overs cricket with 897 runs in live competition at an average of 39.00. Among USA’s top ten scorers, only Steve Massiah (40.44) and Sushil Nadkarni (55.77) have a higher average and more runs overall than Thyagarajan. Shuja is USA’s second highest wicket-taker in the format, with 45 wickets at an average of 15.40. The next best average for any bowler in the top 10 wicket-takers list for USA is Kevin Darlington, who took 32 at an average of 17.19. How could anyone conceivably leave them out of the team going to Bermuda?

The stage was set for this folly in February when the USACA administration, specifically the five-man USACA selection panel headed by Selwyn Caesar, began soliciting availability for the core group of national team players for the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament followed by a three-match 50-over series against Bermuda which would be used for preparation ahead of ICC WCL Division Three in Bermuda. Because the two tours were scrunched so close together, it presented an issue whereby many players could not get enough vacation time from work to be able to play in both tournaments. Some of USA’s key players could get one week off to go to Florida, but not two, ahead of the time off they would also require for the tour to Bermuda.

If the first-choice players had their way, they would have much preferred playing in the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament, not the three-match 50-over series against Bermuda, ahead of the tour to Bermuda for the simple reason that the ICC Americas tournament and ICC WCL Division Three are part of the pathway for ICC World Twenty20 and World Cup qualification and had much more at stake whereas the three 50-over matches against Bermuda were classed as unofficial practice matches by USACA and counted for nothing. However, players were all made aware that in order to be considered for ICC WCL Division Three in Bermuda, they must participate in the three-match 50-over practice series so that they could be evaluated for selection going into the tour to Bermuda.

USACA announced a 14-man squad for the Twenty20 tournament and originally announced a 17-man squad for the 50-over series to follow. In an email on February 26, a USACA spokesperson stated that the 17-man 50-over squad was not formally announced in a press release because the three-match 50-over series against Bermuda was a “practice series” and because “we want the flexibility to bring in players from the Twenty20 tournament who may impress.”

Image (right) - Aditya Thyagarajan running between the wickets in the first 50-over practice match against Bermuda. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Just one player, Akeem Dodson, stayed on for week two after originally being scheduled to fly home at the conclusion of the Twenty20 tournament while three other players – Orlando Baker, Nicholas Standford and Saqib Saleem – flew home after the Twenty20s as planned. Adil Bhatti, who replaced the injured Karan Ganesh midway through the tournament, also stayed on for the second week. Observers may have been puzzled to discover though that Neil McGarrell, Hemant Punoo and Josh Dascombe appeared in Florida for the 50-over series when they did not impress anyone in the Twenty20 tournament… because they didn’t play in it. It resulted in USA having 21 players competing for 14 spots while only 11 could play at any given time during the 50-over matches.

Now competition is a good thing and certainly the more the merrier within reason. Flying in a 19-year-old US citizen from Queensland after a novel recruiting process initiated by new USACA CEO Darren Beazley was not a bad idea. Yet for an organization that could not afford to hold any proper tournaments in 2012, the remotest hint of a return to the ways of profligate spending last seen when more than $60,000 went to fund a USA women’s team camp to Barbados in 2011 certainly raised a few eyebrows among USA fans following online. More to the point, if a cash-strapped organization is going to pay to fly someone halfway around the world to be evaluated, they better get the most out of that plane ticket.

For some bizarre reason, Dascombe did not suit up for USA in the first 50-over match. Instead, he bowled in a net session, something he could have done for free back in Australia. In the second match, he bowled but didn’t bat while in the third game he bowled and batted. So USACA paid for Dascombe to fly halfway around the world to watch him bat once and bowl a total of 13 overs, not to mention the fact that he was trying out for a tournament he was not even eligible to participate in according to ICC eligibility criteria because he hasn’t fulfilled any developmental benchmarks on US soil.

As for the 20 players present who were eligible, the message was apparently sent out that everyone had to compete for their spot. For a team that was recently promoted from ICC WCL Division Four in Malaysia, does it make any sense to tear up the team sheet and start from scratch with just three matches to evaluate everyone on? A reasonable assumption is that eight to 10 players who participated in the tour to Malaysia were clearly going to make up the core group of the squad heading to Bermuda. After finishing as the Division Four tournament’s leading scorer, what did Sushil Nadkarni have to prove by going out to bat in Florida?

Nadkarni sat out the first 50-over match, then opened USA’s chase in the second game. He raced to his 50 off 38 balls in the ninth over with the score 58 for 0. Several people who were at the ground assumed he would retire at that point, especially since USA only needed to chase 186 to win and certainly other players warranted a closer examination for selection. Instead, Nadkarni was instructed to bat on. The situation only managed to get more ridiculous when he started to cramp up at the end of the 23rd over and needed some treatment on the field for his legs. By this point he was on 89 and USA needed 53 to win. Why risk losing your best batsman to a muscle tear or other injury in a practice match?

However, Nadkarni was allowed to continue and he duly raised his century at the end of the 32nd over with the score on 166. At this point, USA needed 20 runs to win and they might as well have let him continue batting until the end. What did any of the remaining batsmen have to gain by going in with 20 runs left to win? In another head-scratcher, Thyagarajan was sent in and scored 6 not out. Seeing as he wasn’t selected for the tour, that 6 not out clearly did not help his cause.

The only possible thing Thyagarajan or anyone else could have achieved by going out to bat in that situation was hurting one’s own chances of selection by getting out. If anyone should have gone in there, it should have been Dascombe for two reasons. He wasn’t going to hurt his chances of selection for Bermuda since he wasn’t even eligible, but more importantly no one in the USA setup had ever seen him bat before and this would have provided the selectors a brief glimpse to see what he could do.

Instead, Thyagarajan went in. The message was clear that the selectors were looking for reasons to cut him loose, hoping he would have gotten out. Nadkarni could sense it because when he was asked if this USA team could be declared favorites for Division Three with the way they were playing, he stated that USA had many players who have experience playing in Bermuda but hedged his answer by saying, “We’ll just have to wait and see how it turns out.”

The list of curious decisions only grew on Friday at the start of the third match. Nadkarni was left out again as was Rashard Marshall. In essence, it meant that two players who could not get enough time off work to play in the Twenty20 tournament the previous week were flown to Florida and forced to take an entire week off work to make themselves eligible for selection to Bermuda and subsequently played or batted in just one match. It’s disrespectful to Nadkarni and Marshall, two senior players who are definitely in USA’s best 14, to make them burn up five days of vacation time from work just to play or bat once in an unofficial game. Nadkarni was named vice-captain once again in the Division Three squad announcement on Sunday, underscoring his value. So therefore was it even necessary to bring him to Florida in the first place for the 50-over practice matches? The answer is no.

The second thing that should have jumped out to anyone who saw the USA team sheet for Friday’s 50-over match was that both Danial Ahmed and Ryan Corns were left out for the third match in a row. Going back to the point about USACA not holding any tournaments in 2012, stakeholders are led to believe that USACA is pinching pennies yet a week’s worth of stipends and hotel room costs were covered for two players who never took the field for the 50-over practice games. It’s understood though that Corns sustained a minor back injury after being hit by a ball during a net session that occurred on Tuesday for players who weren’t taking part in the first 50-over match and that’s what prevented him from playing in the following two games.

One would assume that neither Corns nor Ahmed would have any shot at being included in the squad for Bermuda if they were not evaluated by USACA selectors Selwyn Caesar and Barney Jones in a 50-over match, especially since the pair of selectors were only present for the 50-over matches and not for the Twenty20 tournament.

Meanwhile, it was the third match in a row for Massiah, Shuja and Thyagarajan. The indication was that all three players still needed to justify their spots in the team. Massiah went out and scored 12, dismissed by a 15-year-old spinner for the second time in three matches to wrap up his week with 58 runs at an average of 29.

Thyagarajan did what he does best: build partnerships to stabilize after a flurry of wickets or an early collapse. In the first 50-over match, USA went from 83 for 0 to 96 for 3 in the space of 4.2 overs. Thyagarajan followed it by building a 71-run stand with Marshall before getting out for 33. On Friday, the dismissal of Massiah put USA back at 45 for 3.

Batting with a rookie, Thyagarajan calmly guided USA out of early trouble by constructing a 50-run stand with Dascombe. Thyagarajan and Dascombe set the platform that allowed Barrington Bartley to go off on a boundary spree later in the innings. Thyagarajan eventually got out for 47 to give him 86 runs on the week at an average of 43. While neither Massiah nor Thyagarajan should be judged solely on last week’s matches, if that was the criteria then Massiah did not merit a spot as a batsman on the team ahead of Thyagarajan, let alone as captain. Apparently the context of Thyagarajan’s runs by way of the partnerships he built was also lost on the selectors.

Past members of USACA selection panels have been seen sleeping at national tournaments and other times on the verge of passing out while nursing a bottle of alcohol in a brown paper bag under a tree outside the boundary. So those at home might have been forgiven for wondering if two of the current selectors present in Florida were actually even watching the matches. The answer would be sometimes, but not all the time. After posting 284 for 6 in the first innings on Friday, Barney Jones was surprised to learn that USA had lost because he left during the second innings to go take someone to the airport. This would be the same innings during which Shuja was supposed to be judged in the field as to whether or not he deserved to keep his spot in the team. USA's players are essentially volunteers, not professionals, yet so much is expected of the players in terms of preparation and performance to meet high standards demanded on the field by the coaching staff and selectors. Unfortunately, the bar has been set pretty low for what is expected of USA's volunteer selectors regarding the approach they take to carrying out the task assigned to them.

Even when they were present at the grounds, the selectors generally could be observed to only be half paying attention to the matches in front of them. It was only when USACA CEO Darren Beazley was present sitting in the same space with them that both men sat up straight with eyes fixed straight ahead.

The 14-man squad for ICC WCL Division Three was released on Sunday by USACA and in the announcement on the USACA web site, Selwyn Caesar was quoted, “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 give 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.” DreamCricket.com attempted to contact Caesar to ask a few questions about how the squad was picked but a voicemail message left for him went unreturned. Several aspects of this squad raise serious doubts as to the process in which players were evaluated prior to being selected.

Twenty20 captain Baker was not among the 21 players evaluated during the three-match 50-over series but miraculously found his way into the 14-man squad to Bermuda. Make no mistake that Baker should be in the squad to Bermuda because he is among USA’s best 14 players, but according to the process that was laid out, how was it possible for him to be selected? Why was he given a pass and not forced to take part in the 50-over trial matches like everyone else yet still handed a spot in the team?

Ahmed and Corns also played the same amount of 50-over matches that Baker did last week: zero. Yet Ahmed was named in the 14-man squad while Corns was given a proverbial kick in the nuts by being left out after being USA’s leading wicket-taker in the Twenty20 tournament as well as one of only three players on the team to notch a half-century during USA’s first week in Florida.

Image (left) - Ryan Corns, bowling here in the second Twenty20 match against Bermuda, was USA's leading wicket-taker in the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament but found himself out of the team for the tour to Bermuda. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

USACA has touted its newly signed partnership with the CricHQ statistical registry and is actively encouraging all USACA leagues to take advantage of it. One of CricHQ’s mechanisms for measuring a player’s worth is their MVP points system. According to the CricHQ MVP points system for the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament, Corns was fourth in MVP points behind Tournament MVP Janeiro Tucker of Bermuda, fellow USA teammate Steven Taylor and Sauid Drepaul of Suriname. Other USA players in the top 20 were Bartley at eight, Dodson at 9, Ahmed at 11 and Baker at 18. All six of USA’s players who were ranked in the top 20 for the Twenty20 tournament belonged in USA’s best 14 to go on tour to Bermuda. Corns was ranked ahead of four of them yet he has inexplicably been left out. Why has USACA signed up to use CricHQ’s software and data mechanisms if the selectors show no interest in utilizing the valuable analysis it provides?

The pivotal moment in the loss to Bermuda on Friday occurred when Timothy Surujbally grassed a straightforward chance at deep midwicket off the bowling of Shuja, a chance that selector Jones was not present to see. As a result, Lionel Cann went on to hit two sixes in the subsequent overs to propel Bermuda toward their eventual win. Considering that USA missed no less than 19 catching or run out chances during the Twenty20 tournament, this journalist commented to CEO Beazley, “I wonder how much of an emphasis the selectors are going to put on fielding in regards to squad selection.” The CEO responded that the selectors had a lengthy conversation the previous night on that very topic and that fielding was a definite point of emphasis.

By dropping Thyagarajan and Shuja, USA has lost their two most reliable catching fielders on the boundary. One only had to see the difficult catch that Thyagarajan took on Friday coming in from the long on boundary compared to the alarmingly simple drop by Surujbally at deep midwicket to realize the former’s value in that department. USA’s fielding was woeful in Malaysia, racking up 23 missed chances in six games. Shuja had four chances missed off his bowling in the round-robin loss to Nepal. However, Thyagarajan was one of the few players turned away at the door from entering The All Thumbs Club because he safely pouched the three chances that came his way on tour.

Corns is no slouch in the field either and took a spectacular catch to get rid of Tucker in the first win over Bermuda during the Twenty20 tournament. If USA’s bowlers weren’t already in the habit of crossing their fingers when the ball is in the air, it’s safe to say they’ll be doing it now with three of USA’s best catching fielders absent on tour.

The biggest error of all though is that the selectors have ignored the long established pedigree of Thyagarajan and Shuja with bat and ball respectively. The first consideration when picking this squad should have been form against the opponents USA would be facing. Shuja’s record against Nepal, Italy and Oman in 50-over cricket is sterling. In eight matches against Nepal, Shuja has 15 wickets in 63 overs at an average of 16.07 and an economy rate of 3.83. Against Italy, he has four wickets in three games at an average of 18.75 and an economy rate of 3.13. Shuja has claimed two Man of the Match awards against Oman. He returned figures of 2 for 22 in nine overs paired with a career high 43 not out in a two-wicket win at Division Three in Hong Kong while he suffocated their batsmen at the last ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier with a four-over spell of 1 for 9 in his other encounter against them.

The second consideration when picking this squad should have been form in the conditions USA will encounter on tour. At the 2010 ICC Americas Division One 50-over tournament in Bermuda three years ago, Thyagarajan was USA’s leading scorer with 250 runs including a career high 159 in a match against Argentina.

The third consideration should have been recent form. Thyagarajan did okay, not great in Florida. He looked shaky in Malaysia, especially in regards to his fitness as he looked to protect his right knee in his first tournament back after missing almost two years with the knee dislocation he suffered at Division Three in Hong Kong. But anyone who saw him in Malaysia and compared that performance to what was on display in Florida would know that Thyagarajan was in much better condition last week. In November, he scored 109 not out at the USACA 50-over national championship. The only other player to cross 50 from either team was Orlando Baker and Thyagarajan didn’t fail in any of last week’s matches either.

Thyagarajan may never have a six-pack stomach, but his weight is not an issue. In Shuja’s case, being too thin was a problem. He lost 10 pounds from his playing weight while dealing with pneumonia from over the winter and had yet to put it back on. He didn’t look to be bowling at full pace in the three 50-over games last week and was sapped for energy, but it was nothing that couldn’t have been put right over the course of the next four weeks. Shuja has always been USA’s fittest player on tour.

Image (right) - Usman Shuja, in action at the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, is USA's second highest wicket-taker in 50-over cricket. [Courtesy: ICC/Barry Chambers]

If two players with the resumes of Thyagarajan and Shuja are being pushed out of the team, it better be by players who have left no doubt by scoring a century or taking five wickets. Barrington Bartley earned his spot in USA’s 14-man squad ahead of Thyagarajan, but the same can’t be said for some of the other batsmen who squeezed ahead of Thyagarajan and the same goes for Shuja’s place as well.

Above all else, the selectors should have asked themselves what every opponent USA is playing against would be pondering ahead of the tournament: would I feel more comfortable facing a USA team with Thyagarajan and Shuja in it or one without them? Bermuda, Italy, Nepal, Oman and Uganda are all high-fiving each other with the knowledge that they won’t have to face up to either player in Bermuda.

Shuja’s aggression leading the fast bowling unit will be missed greatly, but Thyagarajan’s absence will sting exponentially more. Former USA coach Clayton Lambert referred to Thyagarajan as “USA’s Insurance Policy” after the number of times he rescued his teammates following disastrous top order collapses. Against Ireland at the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier, USA was 11 for 5 after the first 20 balls chasing Ireland's first innings 202 and well on their way to total humiliation. USA still lost the game, but Thyagarajan scored 72 not out and along with Baker preserved a small slice of dignity for their team by establishing a world record partnership for the seventh wicket of 99*, a world record in Twenty20 cricket that still stands today.

USA was four down after 11 balls against Argentina at ICC WCL Division Four in 2010 and in the fifth over it became 17 for 5 when Thyagarajan entered. He stayed at the crease for the final 45.3 overs in sweltering 85 degree heat with 90% humidity at the Ovale di Rastignano outside Bologna, Italy. Three hours of batting in sticky Mediterranean conditions with a wine vineyard in the backdrop meant his USA jersey had been sweat soaked into a darker shade of blue. When Rashard Marshall walked off with him after both made unbeaten centuries, half the team swarmed Marshall while the other half booked it to be first in line at the lunch buffet. Thyagarajan walked across the boundary to no applause, no pats on the back. Everyone took for granted another cool knock from “The Ice Man”.

As good as some other players around the country are, USA only has four genuine match-winners: Steven Taylor, Sushil Nadkarni, Timroy Allen and Aditya Thyagarajan. What sets Thyagarajan apart from the others though is that he provided the backbone for the team in times of crisis. USACA has now created a spectacular one by leaving out the best person suited to save the team in such a scenario. One can only hope it doesn’t come to that during USA’s six matches in Bermuda.

Not having Thyagarajan and Shuja in the squad doesn’t make this a bad USA team. USA still has some very solid players. However, heading into USA’s most important qualification tournament since the 2004 ICC Six Nations Challenge without Thyagarajan and Shuja in the squad robs USA of putting their best possible 14-man squad on the plane to Bermuda. That makes it an atrocious selection process.

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

USA Cricket: Bermuda 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: Nadkarni ton takes USA to 8-wicket rout of Bermuda

openingbat — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 23:37:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna 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 opener Sushil Nadkarni blitzed the Bermuda bowling attack, striking 12 boundaries and two sixes on his way to a century for USA to lead his side to an 8-wicket win in the second 50-over trial match of a three-match series on Thursday at Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. Nadkarni scored his first 50 in 38 balls before cruising to three figures and retiring out as USA chased down Bermuda’s 185 with 12.5 overs to spare.

“It felt really good. I was looking forward to this tournament because we don’t have many opportunities before Bermuda and getting some international game time was something I was looking forward to,” Nadkarni said after the win. “I was working hard so that I could come here and put up a good show. Just coming into the game today when we were fielding, I kind of sensed that the new ball plays really well on this wicket and the old ball is a little more difficult to score off so I was trying to be a little positive initially in my innings and it worked out well because I think I got 50 in no time.”

Bermuda won the toss and elected to bat first as USA made three changes to their lineup from the first 50-over match on Tuesday. Former Queensland U-19 player Josh Dascombe dressed for his first game in a USA uniform while Nadkarni and Elmore Hutchinson entered in place of Hemant Punoo, Naseer Jamali and Timothy Surujbally.

The visitors got off to an excellent start, adding 52 runs in 11 overs before Dion Stovell was pinned on the crease by Muhammad Ghous on the first ball of the 12th and given out LBW for 31. Tre Manders lasted just four balls, caught at cover by Usman Shuja later in the over for a duck to make it 52 for 2.

Jason Anderson and David Hemp constructed Bermuda’s biggest partnership of the match for the third wicket, 71 runs across 17.5 overs. Bermuda was 117 for 2 after 29 and it appeared they would finish with somewhere between 230 and 260 runs on a good batting pitch. But the wicket of Hemp in the 30th, bowled by Ghous for 40, sparked another dramatic slide for Bermuda as they lost their last eight wickets for 62 runs.

Janeiro Tucker was the next to fall, trapped in front by Dascombe’s left-arm spin for 5 to make it 134 for 4 in the 33rd. Dascombe struck again to remove Anderson for 66 as part of a wicket maiden over in the 37th. Bermuda’s sixth wicket fell with one ball to go in the batting power play as Neil McGarrell induced a top edged slog sweep from Rodney Trott that was claimed by Timroy Allen running in from deep midwicket for 3 to make it 153 for 6. Bermuda only managed to score 11 runs for the loss of two wickets during their five-over batting power play from the 36th through the 40th over.

Malachi Jones fell for 13, caught off a full toss by Nadkarni at cover off Hutchinson to make it 177 for 7. Samuel Robinson fell for 4 in similar fashion off the bowling of Shuja in the following over to make it 184 for 8. Lionel Cann was the ninth man out for 13, bowled by a Hutchinson yorker on the first ball of the 46th. Bermuda managed to lose their last three wickets in the space of six balls when Hutchinson had Dennico Hollis caught pulling a full toss to Shuja at fine leg as Bermuda failed to bat out the final 27 balls in their innings, all out for 185 in 45.3. Hutchinson rode his good fortune to take 3 for 30 in 7.3 overs but once again it was Ghous who shined most with the ball for USA, taking 3 for 28 in 10.

Nadkarni and Akeem Dodson opened the chase for USA and after a relatively modest start, 32 for 0 in seven overs with a maiden bowled by each opening paceman – Jones and Greg Maybury – Nadkarni produced an extraordinary outburst of boundary hitting through to the end of the opening 10-over power play. It wouldn’t have happened had Trott converted a run out chance with Nadkarni on 28 on the first ball of the eighth. Beginning with the last ball of the seventh, Nadkarni struck seven fours and a six off his next 16 deliveries, bringing up his half-century in the process as USA ended the 10th over at 71 for 0.

Image (right) - Bermuda offspinner Samuel Robinson scratches his head in search of answers for how to get Sushil Nadkarni out. The USA opener raised his bat after reaching 100 and spared Bermuda's bowlers by retiring upon reaching the milestone. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

“Over the last three months I’ve been here a lot to play in the stadium. There were some domestic T20 tournaments and I got an opportunity to bat here, scored some runs. The wicket’s become really nice actually,” Nadkarni said when asked about the improvement in the quality of the pitches at the stadium over the last year. “I think it’s much more harder and the bounce is much more even so it does allow you to play some shots through the line. Also if the ball is short, you can pull it off to the boundary. I think it’s become a little better for shot making. When the ball becomes old though, it does stop on you so later on in the innings it becomes a little more difficult to score runs.”

At the first drinks break after 17 overs, USA was 110 for 0 with Nadkarni on 83 and Dodson on 20. USA’s wicketkeeper finally fell in the 20th over, bowled by Trott for 27 to make it 120 for 0. Steve Massiah joined Nadkarni and the pair added another 46 runs. The partnership ended when Nadkarni brought up his 100 in 105 balls with a single to the leg side on the last ball of the 33rd over and immediately retired out.

Aditya Thyagarajan joined Massiah and the pair knocked off the last 20 runs required in 4.1 overs. Massiah finished 44 not out and Thyagarajan 6 not out. Trott was the only bowler with respectable figures, finishing with 1 for 21 in 8.1 overs.

USA and Bermuda play the final game of their three-match 50-over series on Friday at the Central Broward Regional Park. DreamCricket.com will have live coverage sponsored by New Inning Foundation beginning at 9:30 a.m. EST with play scheduled to get underway at 10 a.m. EST.