USA Cricketer : USA cricketers

Five ways to make cricket attractive to Americans - Ben Miron

dccssuper — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:00:00 GMT

by Ben Miron

The sport of cricket has now been part of my life for just under three years, and like many cricket fans, I am completely obsessed with the game. I play cricket year round in the Houston Cricket League and watch as much international cricket as possible. I know there is a large foreign born population who are as equally obsessed with cricket as I am. However, I am now just finding out that there are other white, American born cricketers like myself. To me this is very refreshing, not only to justify that I am not crazy for spending every weekend at the cricket field, but it also shows that there is hope in expanding the game among other Americans.

I enjoyed reading Peter Della Penna’s article and believe that I can add to his insight with my own five ways to make cricket attractive to Americans.

1. Show cricket highlights on television

As a football, basketball and baseball-loving boy from the American South, I watched ESPN SportsCenter religiously. Of course I tuned in hoping to see highlights from my beloved Texas Longhorns or Atlanta Braves, but I always love seeing outstanding plays from other teams and sports. I believe that injecting some cricket highlights into shows such as SportsCenter would do wonders for introducing the American sports loving public to the sport of cricket.

Showing both international highlights as well as US cricket highlights would be very effective in making cricket attractive to Americans. International highlights showing an amazing catch from Paul Collingwood, a tenacious bouncer from Mitchell Johnson, or a huge six from Yuvraj Singh would spark interest in cricket by Americans. Additionally, if the occasional highlights from domestic leagues and tournaments were shown, it would help Americans realize there are other sports being played on their home soil, besides the standard football, basketball, and baseball.

2. Give Americans an opportunity to play cricket

After seeing cricket on TV while vacationing in London, I came back to the US and realized there was a large South Asian population at the University of Texas who played taped tennis ball cricket. After playing a couple of pick-up taped tennis ball games, I was hooked. I eventually began playing in a seasoned ball league in Austin and then in Houston where I moved a year later. Had I not had an opportunity to play cricket, I believe that my interest would have fizzled, and cricket would have just been that sport I saw on TV.

Through my experience, I realize that getting the opportunity to play cricket is a must in making cricket attractive to Americans. I think the workshop that Peter Della Penna discussed in his article is a great idea and needs to be expanded. By introducing cricket to children at schools, kids will see that it is a fun game and may be something they would like to continue to play and watch. Ultimately, with enough interest, cricket could be established as an interscholastic sport, similar to the PSAL cricket program in New York.

In addition to introducing cricket to kids through the schools, American adults should be given an opportunity to play cricket. Clubs and leagues have to do a better job in recruiting Americans, not just restricting the game to ethnic players who have played cricket all of their lives. Local cricket leagues could have an open house type event at the beginning of each season, which would allow Americans to try bowling or batting and possibly become interested in playing for one of the league’s clubs. Encouraging Caucasian-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, African-Americans, and Asian-Americans to play cricket would help Americans realize that cricket can be mixed into the US sports landscape.

3. Make cricket equipment more readily available

Playing cricket in the US is difficult for an American born cricketer. Not only have I been faced with the challenge of not having years of proper training on batting and bowling technique, but it is also very difficult for me to obtain cricket equipment. Essentially, all cricket shopping must be done online, which might discourage a casual cricketer. It is also usually more expensive because most of the cricket equipment must be imported from overseas and those costs are passed on to the consumer. If economical bats, balls, and pads could be purchased at local sporting goods stores, Americans would be much more likely to play cricket, both in their backyard with friends and recreationally and competitively in a local cricket league.

4. Show cricket on television

If cricket was currently shown on US television stations it would get a smattering of viewers; however the majority would be expatriates or immigrants from cricket playing nations. But after seeing highlights on TV and playing cricket in gym class or a local cricket league open house, Americans would be much more likely to begin watching cricket on television. I saw bits and pieces of various cricket matches during my trip to London, but it wasn’t until I had actually played cricket that I was willing to sit through a full cricket match.

Although it will be difficult for Test and ODI cricket matches to be successful on US television, Twenty20s certainly could be instantly popular. The shorter version of the game is tailor-made as a televised sport, and this would translate to Americans as well. Even though I had only been playing cricket for about four months, throughout the month of September 2007 I was glued to the computer at all hours of the night to watch the World Twenty20. I could only wish that these exciting matches were being shown on TV, rather than watching it on pay-per-view internet streaming sites. Today, I also enjoy watching ODIs and Tests, but still streaming on the internet. Twenty20s are a great way to get initial interest in cricket, and eventually once the American sports watching public has gotten used to watching cricket matches, there can be a market for longer forms of the game as well.

5. $$$

Of course, here in America, the almighty dollar drives everything. For people to want to play cricket it must be economical. Gym coaches are not going to spend their yearly budget on cricket bats and balls when they can buy much cheaper basketballs and dodge balls. Schools are not going to start cricket teams that drain the athletic departments’ budgets. The cricket loving public in the US must be willing to spend time and money in helping introduce their sport to fellow Americans. USACA has to receive more funding and designate it for youth programs. The ICC needs to help jump start cricket in America.

As evident in county cricket and international cricket, as well as tournaments such as the IPL, cricket can provide some very lucrative television contracts and other sponsorship opportunities. American cricket will not see these financial windfalls right away, but eventually it could be a reality. Cricket in America should be seen as an investment. Cricket is never going to replace football or baseball, or even soccer in this country, but there is an opportunity for cricket to make huge strides. It is going to take lots of time, effort, and money, but eventually there can be a market for cricket in America.

These are my five ways to make cricket attractive to Americans. I am sure there are 25 other ways to popularize cricket in America, but from my experience, these five ways would be very effective. My biggest regret in my short cricketing career is that I did not discover the sport until my senior year in college. I dream that cricket one day will become part of US sports culture and Americans can have a chance to see why cricket is one of the world’s most popular sports.

DreamCricket.com invites you to share your views with us on how cricket can be made more attractive to Americans. Please leave your comments by clicking on the Reader's Comments link. If you would like to write an Op-Ed column on this subject, please write to us at content@dreamcricket.com.

Five ways to make cricket attractive to Americans - Peter Della Penna

dccssuper — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 05:30:00 GMT

by Peter Della Penna

It’s been a little over four years since cricket hijacked my life. The stick and ball sport holds my thoughts hostage 24/7. A large part of these thoughts revolve around the fact that there are not a vast amount of white American-born people like myself who take pleasure in cricket the way they freely do in other sports like college football. Millions of people across the country were glued to their televisions on the night of Saturday, Dec. 12, to see who would win the Heisman Trophy. Unfortunately, the number giving their attention to the Test match between New Zealand and Pakistan was a fraction of that.

Cricket has the capacity to produce a prolific amount of dedication and fervor in Americans. We are a sports playing and watching society. Bobsledding and speed skating have a much fainter blip on the American sports radar than cricket, but two months from now in Vancouver, those will be two sports that everyone in this country will have a very keen knowledge of when the Winter Olympics are in full swing. If those sports can grab people’s attention, so can cricket.

What needs to happen is to make the sport more desirable. Cricket doesn’t need to be “Americanized” to get Americans to like it. However, there are five things that aficionados and administrators can do to help Americans get more involved by appealing to the things they already like about other sports.

1. Stop referring to it as “A Gentleman’s Game”

… unless you’re being facetious. At a recent workshop in Atlanta conducted by Cricket Academy of USA aimed at getting gym teachers to learn about cricket, footage of Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in an over off Stuart Broad from the 2007 World Twenty20 was shown on an overhead projector to an audience of about 40 physical education instructors.

After the third six, one teacher bolted out of his chair to the back of the room where I was standing so he could ask me a question. “Can you hit him?” he wanted to know. This man was curious why Broad was getting smoked out of the park without trying to take Singh’s head off with a bouncer in retaliation. “Well…” I thought about it, considering it was a loaded question in which a proper answer would have to include explanations on Bodyline, one bouncer per over in one-dayers, no full tosses above waist height, etc. Yawn. He’ll get confused and lose interest. So I decided to keep it simple. “Yes, as long as you bounce it into the ground first, aiming for his body is well within the rules.” The teacher excitedly went back to his seat and relayed the word to colleagues on his left and right.

A similar conversation took place between myself and two guys I knew from college who I managed to run into a few weeks ago. They had never watched a cricket match before in their lives, but while watching the first day of the third Test between New Zealand and Pakistan alongside me, they got very excited seeing Umar Gul bowl. Tim McIntosh had just hooked him for four and Gul decided to follow up with two more bouncers. All of a sudden, they had their complete attention on the match. McIntosh was ducking out of the way in an attempt at self-preservation and these two guys loved every minute of it.

The stark brutality of cricket is not something that should cause cricket fans to hang their heads in shame. It should be celebrated. Cricket has long been stereotyped in America as “not really a sport because it’s played by men wearing sweaters.” An efficient way to combat this is by celebrating the likes of Mitchell Johnson. Not only is he an exciting talent for his wicket-taking ability, but also for the amount of times in the past 12 months he has sent someone off the field retired hurt. People don’t watch NASCAR for the left turns all day long. They want to see who crashes and who escapes the wrecks. Just as exciting as seeing the stumps rattled in cricket is seeing the ball whizz by a batsman’s head… or into it.

Which Mitchell Johnson spell against South Africa was more entertaining: Perth’s 8 for 61 or Durban’s 3 for 37? At first glance, most cricket folk would take the statistically impressive 8 for 61. However, for my American spirit, I’ll take Durban any day of the week because it included KO’ing Graeme Smith for the second time in three Tests with a broken hand and forcing Jacques Kallis off the field to get stitches after striking him in the helmet with a bouncer. Sit Americans down in front of that and their whole opinion towards cricket changes.

2. Merchandising

This point is two-fold. Americans love buying clothes if they just plain look cool. Last year during a segment on ESPNews, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson was being interviewed by one of the studio anchors. At one point, the anchor made mention of a New Jersey Devils hat that Jackson was wearing and asked if he was a big fan of Martin Brodeur. Jackson chuckled and said, “Nah, I don’t watch hockey. I’m just wearing it because I like the way it looks.”

The IPL has introduced a fantastic opportunity for people to buy nifty designed hats and jerseys to get them interested in cricket. While speaking with Amar Shah, author of the award winning ESPN.com 2005 E-Ticket feature “A Wicket Wedding”, Shah recounted a story of a party he was at in Los Angeles in which he wore a Kolkata Knight Riders jersey. The people he was mingling with had no clue who KKR was or that they were the laughing stock of the IPL. They just saw the black shirt with gold trim and a shiny NOKIA logo in the middle and wanted to know where they could get one.

American fans also love buying trendy clothes that represent success in some way. While soccer’s current popularity in America can be mainly attributed to having Pele and other stars come in during the NASL years as well as getting the USA to host the World Cup in 1994, another significant event has also contributed greatly to the appeal and awareness of the game.

In February of 2001, Manchester United and the New York Yankees, two of the most successful sports franchises in the world, teamed up for a joint marketing venture. According to a news article from the BBC, the partnership’s aims were for the clubs to “share market information, develop sponsorship and joint promotional programs and sell each other's licensed goods.” At the time, Man U had a certain midfielder whose reputation was on the rise. For the men in this country, and even more for the women, David Beckham was someone who helped people follow United and got them even more interested in soccer and the English Premier League. Before the end of the decade, he became a full-fledged international icon, got a fat contract to come play in the MLS and his former club Man U is now one of 20 English Premier League teams regularly featured on ESPN networks as part of a new television contract.

On a recent visit to a Sports Authority, I could find Brazil soccer team merchandise as well as items with New Zealand All Blacks rugby logos. If those things can make it in there, it shouldn’t be long before vibrant colored cricket team apparel makes it onto the racks.

3. It’s a stick and ball game

That’s all anyone needs to know. Don’t bother trying to explain the LBW law, or any other law about cricket, within the first five minutes of introducing them to the game. All that is required is sticking a bat in their hand and telling them to hit a ball. The rest of it they can learn at the rate their curiosity allows.

While visiting the Philadelphia Cricket Club in October, I was awestruck at the fact that they had white American-born playing members at their club, most of whom had only picked up the game in their 40s and 50s. When I asked one member how long it took him to learn how to play with proper technique, he replied, “six weeks.” His method was simple. To him, it was just another see the ball, hit the ball game. He’d spent most of his life playing sports and this one was not too far different from the others he’d played. The only difference for him was the fact that he needed to form a defense to pair it with attacking shots in cricket. In most other stick and ball sports, attack is all that’s required. Once he got his defense down, he thought cricket was completely normal.

He was clear that he didn’t understand the rules immediately and that it took him some time to learn. However, he was also clear on one other thing. To him, playing cricket required seeing a ball and hitting it. That’s it. Hitting the ball gave him pleasure. It’s what got him coming back on the weekends with the rest of his American friends.

4. Duration is a plus, not a minus

Newsflash: Americans love long sporting events, contrary to popular belief. In fact, the longer they go, the better and more memorable they become.

For Mets fans, two of the most legendary games in the team’s history were two of the longest. In 1999, the Mets beat the Braves in Game 5 of the NLCS on Robin Ventura’s “Grand Slam Single” in a 15-inning classic that went five hours and 46 minutes, which at the time was the longest game in MLB Postseason history. It was eclipsed in 2005 when the Astros beat the Braves in Game 4 of the NLDS in an 18-inning epic that went four minutes longer. An even more famous victory for the Mets came in the 1986 NLCS, on their way to the World Series, when they defeated the Astros 7-6 in 16 innings in what is considered one of the greatest playoff games of all time. I don’t know anyone who talks about these three games and complains that they were too long.

In college basketball, last year’s Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden saw Syracuse and UConn play in one of the most tense and dramatic games of all time, one that went a whopping six overtime periods. The game started at 9:37 p.m. and didn’t get over until 1:22 a.m., not that anyone was complaining. The game was the longest in Big East history and second longest in Division I basketball history.

The same is true for sudden death overtime in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Eleven of the 20 longest games in NHL history have taken place since 1990. Yet, there hasn’t been any hue or cry to eliminate sudden death in the playoffs. The same things that are appealing about sudden death in hockey are what make batting in cricket so alluring. As players head into a second, third, fourth, even fifth 20-minute overtime period, everyone is glued to the television waiting and wondering who will make the heroic breakthrough, or the fatal error. In cricket, a batsman can be at the crease for three, four, five hours, but one lapse in judgment and the bowler has his man.

The endurance element is not limited to just these traditionally American sports. The 2008 Men’s Wimbledon Final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal started at 2:35 p.m., but because of an incredible number of long rallies, weather delays and a stunning fifth set without a tiebreak, the match ended at 9:16 p.m. local time. It was nearly pitch black outside, but the flashbulbs were bursting on the court to capture the end to the greatest, and longest, championship match in Wimbledon history. ESPN Classic made it a habit to run the match on a loop and whenever there is a rain delay during a major tournament on ESPN, they don’t hesitate to unleash the footage from that eventful day.

Then there is golf. 2008 US Open Playoff. Four days was not enough. Unlike just about every other golf tournament, the US Open does not use a one-hole or four-hole sudden death playoff. So Rocco Mediate and Tiger Woods played another 18 holes on Monday, except that they were still tied. They went one more playoff hole before Woods prevailed.

Reflecting on the way things unfolded, John Maginnes of PGATour.com wrote, “This Monday finish may go down as the most exciting day of golf all year. Considering the way things played out -- with only five of the 18 holes in the playoff being tied -- it was a tournament that deserved a fitting conclusion. Had there been a sudden death playoff or even a four-hole playoff, we would have been cheated out of the most compelling theater golf has to offer.”

Five days to decide a winner. Compelling theater. It sounds an awful lot like Test cricket to me. The length of a cricket match should be embraced, not defaced.

5. Betting

The Super Bowl consistently remains one of the highest rated American television programs of the year despite the fact that fans from 30 of the 32 NFL teams will not be seeing their team playing in the game. What then is the most exciting part of the game: the on-field action, the commercials, or the halftime show? None of the above.

The correct answer is the coin toss. Billions of dollars will change hands depending on which side it will land. The average man tunes in ten minutes before kickoff to scream, “TAILS! TAILS! TAILS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!” so that he can turn $50 into $100. After the coin toss, it’s exciting to see whether or not the player who scores the first touchdown has an odd or even numbered jersey, how many coaches challenges there will be, if the ball is ever spotted on exactly the 50 yard line and other incredibly banal elements of the game that all of a sudden become heart-pounding when you know you’ve got some money riding on it.

This is not exclusively an American phenomenon. Betting has long been a part of cricket. Unfortunately, it is usually seen in a negative light with match-fixing scandals in the game’s past. However, a positive step has been taken by Cricket Australia to make betting a welcome part of the game. They now routinely show the latest Betfair odds over the course of the match during coverage on Channel Nine.

When I went to my first Test match four years ago, I wanted to see Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne bowl as well as Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist bat. When those things weren’t happening, the things that kept me interested were what was going to be the method of dismissal for the first wicket of the match (caught fieldsman, bowled, LBW, runout, stumped, or the very long odds for hit wicket), whether or not darkhorse Shane Watson would take the most first innings wickets, which team would wind up with a first innings lead and would Michael Clarke get out between 50 and 74 runs. A single Test match offers just as many wild and crazy options as the betting lines on Super Bowl Sunday, and man are they fun.

As Masaood Yunus of the Minnesota Cricket Association said in a radio interview promoting the USACA Western Conference Tournament this year, “We get bored sometimes too.” An excellent way to make sure a person stays interested in any new sport is if they have a healthy wager on proceedings. It makes them eager to learn the rules and the structure, who the stars are, what history shows and what the latest trends are. Cricket is no different. The most important city in America for getting people to follow cricket isn’t Fort Lauderdale. It won’t be Indianapolis, New York or Los Angeles either. It’s Las Vegas. Once cricket carves out a niche in the casino sportsbooks, interest will skyrocket.

So there it is, five ways to make cricket appealing and desirable to Americans. Sure the old clichés like grassroots development and domestic cable television exposure will help. But these five simple yet effective concepts will play their part too.

If you would like to contact this writer, he can be contacted via Twitter @DPMilGaya or via peter@dreamcricket.com

USA Cricketers can become world-beaters - Imran Khan interview

openingbat — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 19:00:00 GMT

Since immigrating to USA two years ago, Imran Khan has immersed himself in coaching and administration. He was the Head Youth Coach and Trainer of the California Cricket Academy between 2006 and 2008. As the Senior Selector and Team Manager of the successful North West Region, he took them to the national finals. Imran Khan was the Manager of the USA side that swept the Pepsi ICC Americas Championship defeating both the ODI teams in the tournament - Bermuda and Canada, and destroying two WCL Division 3 teams Cayman Islands and Argentina.

Imran Khan

A No. 3 batsman and a medium-fast bowler, Imran has represented Sussex County from Under 13 through Under 19 levels and played and was part of the Sussex second XI in 1996. He also played Surrey Under 19 and represented South of England in 1994. Between 1997 and 1999, he represented Brunel University. He played for the British Universities team between 1997 and 1998 and was part of the International Students team following that for one year. He could not pursue cricket as a profession after that due to a career threatening stress fracture in the lower back at the age of 19. But he was drawn back to the game he loved soon after. He coached AJK (Pakistan) senior team in 2002.

Venu Palaparthi of DreamCricket.com met with Imran Khan to talk about the vast promise and the tremendous challenges for cricket in USA.

DreamCricket: Welcome to New York. Let me start with the most obvious question. Tell me where did you pick up that strong English accent?

Imran Khan: My ancestral background is actually from present day Azad J&K. But I was born and brought up in the UK. That should explain my rather strong British accent. I was also fortunate in that I played a great deal of cricket in UK.

DC: What attracted you to cricket in USA? I mean you have only been in USA for two years. For you to jump right into cricket organization in USA - that is somewhat unusual for someone that is so new to the country. And you are only 31! What made you want to get hands-on with cricket so early?

Imran Khan: Cricket I think is an addiction that seems to have no cure. I really had no aspirations to become involved in the cricketing infrastructure as much as I have, so I must thank The Almighty for his source of strength and the respect he has given me through this sport. Being new to the US I knew cricket would help me meet new people and make new friends. However, that was the only real objective at inception and what has transpired since then is phenomenal.

It's been an exciting journey that I am very grateful for. I think the US cricketing community has really supported my initiatives and their trust in me has really been a major factor in my involvement.

So in reality I guess I love cricket and I possess an unconditional amount of love and effort for this sport that I cannot really explain or account for. As I meet more people and I am introduced to other regions of the US I can clearly see that I am not the only one with this passion. So it's definitely a love for the sport that allows us to make some unbelievable sacrifices of time, money and effort.

DC: Congratulations on the victorious campaign in Florida in November. You were the Manager of the side and you were close to the action. DreamCricket was rooting for the boys and I am sure that the entire country is happy for Team USA.

Imran Khan: I agree whole-heartedly with your observations. No matter what the opinions or divides before the action begins once the team is on the pitch I know that any given nation will be backing its teams and we are no different with regards to that fact. I know that many of the people associated with USACA in an administrative and coaching capacity actually made the effort to travel to Florida and supported the side in any way that they could. People such as Linden Fraser and Paul DaSilva come to mind as they were at all the matches and supported the boys from the side.

It really was a great example of how a collective cricketing community came together to produce the great results we experienced. What people don't realize is that the USACA administration made a number of bold maneuvers and maintained their commitments. Special mention must be given to Manaf Mohamed the Vice President of USACA, whose dedication and hard work was without question first class.

They hired an unknown factor in myself and backed my ability to put the squad together and shape its eventual championship form.

They also allowed the coach, the manager and the captain to act as sole selectors, which was I think the real reason for the squad to function as it did. The management staff was allowed to select their players and then strategize as they viewed it.

We were also aided by the fact that team USA has secured the services of a great coach in Clayton Lambert.

The trust that was bestowed upon us in a management capacity really motivated us as individuals to make sure that all facets of our game were honed to perfection and timed appropriately to peak at the crucial stages.

DC: Should we assume that we are here to stay having reclaimed our place in the cricketing world.

Imran Khan: Yes the US has arrived on the global stage once more and I certainly hope that we build on this and not relinquish the hard won yards that we gained in Florida.

DC: It is our great fortune to have former international players like Clayton Lambert in our midst - people like Syed Abid Ali, Rajinder Ghai, and Sew Shivnaraine come to mind - it is heartening to see how these gentlemen have shaped the cricketing landscape and continue to give so much of their time to developing the game.

Imran Khan: Clayton's knowledge of the game and experience at the highest levels definitely rubbed off on the boys and engulfed all of our attention to detail. I think for a nation such as the US we are extremely fortunate to have had some of the very best former cricketers around in the system. Their contributions are a great reflection on how cricket has grown in the country. Its very easy to toe a negative line on all the things we have yet to accomplish. But when one focuses on what has been achieved in comparison to the competition for time and effort from other sports and lifestyles here in the US, I think cricket has achieved a phenomenal amount. I hope we can continue to attract more current and former first class players to these shores for training and coaching purposes.

DC: The team itself came together splendidly in Florida.

Imran Khan: As I stated at the AGM, the groundwork for developing players has already been laid out by coaches and staff from all across the US. We at the business end receive the culmination of their efforts in the form of a finished product 'the players'. It is our duty then to organize the players into an effective, cohesive and united unit that functions as a well-drilled machine both on and off the field. The success of the side really shows the depth of talent we possess and the fantastic cricket programs that we already have in the US. Thus when we receive the players at the national level, all we are looking to do is hone their mental game and approach. The core of this team, which includes several players who are still in their teens and twenties, will evolve I hope to spearhead USA into the next decade. This core is very solid and with practice and application over the next several years - these players can be developed into a top-draw outfit. I have said this many times already, the US boys have the ability to fit into any first class side in the world today. We just need to keep them engaged and give them more opportunities to keep their skill sharp. Players like Aditya Thyagarajan, Orlando Baker, Steve Massiah, Carl Wright and Sushil Nadkarni just to mention a few are simply class acts and we need to appreciate their abilities. You add someone who is slightly older and much more experienced like Sudesh Dhaniram into the mix, and the pedigree of the squad begins to resemble a world-class outfit. This compiled with our youngsters such as Marshall, Dodson, Timroy etcâ€¦ we have a dynamic squad. The team was physically fit, mentally focused and spiritually at ease with itself. A perfect combination for a championship squad!

DC: As the USA team makes a habit of winning, I am sure more quality players will follow. What was the atmosphere like in the dressing room? Was it charged up or pensive?

Imran Khan: The atmosphere in the changing room was nothing short of electric. When you create a team or squad of potential champions and then set out with the sole objective of victory, the environment begins to mould itself in accordance to your mental attitude. Once the players have accepted their destiny and desired outcome then it becomes a very strange affair. You create this invisible bubble around your camp and no distractions or illusions are allowed to penetrate. You begin to almost smell victory. Comparing our camps to the Canadians and Bermudans for example you could easily parlay the fact that their camps were more concerned with what we were doing then we were with them. There was an air of confidence and dare I say arrogance that began to engulf us day by day and even in our darkest moments we never questioned our ability or outcome.

DC: There was a completely avoidable controversy about a bonus payment after the tournament. I saw that you responded to that controversy and helped put that to rest. Was the management aligned with the team? It appears as if there was some disconnect there.

Imran Khan: These are matters for the USACA administration to sort out. You are quite right in that I responded to an article about these matters and helped end the controversy. My role has been to ensure on field success and I hope I have gone some way towards achieving that. The financial matters are for USACA to deal with and I cannot really comment further on that point other than what I have already said.

DC: There is a widely held view and USA cricketers feel strongly about it too - that elected administrators should not be part of the team or its support staff - do you believe that there must be that essential segregation between administration and the team.

Imran Khan: I think we all know what you are referring to. My view on this issue is very simple. If you are good enough then you are in! That's the bottom line.

I am 31 years old, the team manager and senior selector. If I thought I was good enough to play in the side then I would be in the side! I have played a high level of cricket and I think with some work I could still play at a decent level. However, for me personally the playing side of the game is more recreational and thus the effort put in to that has been reduced significantly, so I am not a contender for the national team. Because I am not good enough!

If an administrator is putting in the hours, has the fitness, form and ability then I will never hesitate to select him or her regardless of age or ethnicity etc. This is a meritocracy!

However, I agree with the point that if we have designated selectors and coaches then the administrators should not interfere with their decisions. That's a valid concern and one that I agree with completely.

Just to clarify a few issues for the wider cricketing community who may be interested in what happened at the ICC Americas - the issue centers on Nasir Charlie Javed - who is also the Executive USACA Director from Florida. He was chosen as a last minute replacement for a number of players who were either injured or could not partake in the competition. His performances and commitment to the side was above and beyond what I expected and at no point were we forced into selecting him. Case closed! I really want to focus on the future.

DC: I totally agree that we should have a meritocracy and thanks for clarifying the point once again about Charlie Javed and about the selection. But the problem also was that there was no national tournament, and some people feel they never got a fair shot. What can we say about the boys who did not get a chance because there was no national tournament where they could showcase their talent?

Imran Khan: I cannot comment on why there was no national tournament because, once again, I am not privy to that information nor did I have a role to play in that decision. I assisted the USA team purely in management capacity.

But I can say this without hesitation - we are blessed to have a wonderful pool of players in USA. Even those guys who were asked to attend the senior trials in Florida but were unsuccessful in their selection for either tours are as important to our plans as those who eventually toured Guyana and played in Florida in the ICC championship. I can only ask everyone to have faith in the system. This is a 'work in progress' and we must recognise that fact and keep building upwards.

DC: As a national and a NWR selector, what is your prediction for the near-term to medium-term, will USA make it to the U19 World Cup?

Imran Khan: I am sure there are a myriad of players in the U19 age bracket that, if their talent is properly harnessed, can easily be turned into world beaters. The challenge is to identify the players for the future, enhance their skills and exposure to a higher level of cricket and then develop the prerequisite training programs required to evolve their games. I have sent a number of high-level proposals to USACA, which focuses on this very aspect.

We need to identify our young talent both in the senior and junior squads. Then we need to arrange for them to attend academies and play in the UK, South Africa, Pakistan, India and Australia. These are all possibilities that are within our reach if we want them. Speaking to Haroon Logart and Mr. I. S. Bindra in New York last weekend, I discussed the possibilities for such programs and they gave us their blessings and full support. However, the onus is on us to take the initiative and conduct these programs as soon as can be.

DC: But what about the next generation of cricketers? I am just thinking 15 years ahead, we need to get cracking with that too.

Imran Khan: I think what's happening in New York (with the PSAL) is very exciting. I would like to state for the record their success in getting cricket into the schools system is an even bigger accomplishment than the US winning the ICC Americas Cup. That is a real momentum of success that we need to replicate all across the country. People must be targeted and tasked with the sole responsibility of working with each region to develop a similar program. The platform and infrastructure required to grow and sustain the game starts at the very lowest rungs and the schools system is pertinent for Cricket to succeed. So the future is defiantly looking up as long as we build upon what NY has achieved. Looking at California we have the California Cricket Academy that plays a similar role and must also be engaged with. There are more academies are developed throughout the US and the level of youth playing cricket can only increase - I have heard of academies in LA, Florida, Atlanta, Kansas, Michigan, Chicago, of course New Jersey and New York.

DC: You are probably familiar with some of the emerging players - can you name them?

Imran Khan: Its very difficult for me to start naming some players whom I have only heard of but have yet to see in action! I will however, state that from the most recent senior team - the younger players such as Timroy Allen, Akeem Dodson and Rashard Marshall - all have great futures in front of them. They have to keep working hard at their games and keep their feet on the ground. The ego has to be squashed and discipline must become a key ingredient if they want to succeed. That is the key thing to remember at that level.

I do believe that these boys can make it if they desire it and are hungry enough! However, there are a number of other youngsters that are on the verge of breaking into the USA side â€“ and they are all very good. Kumar Nandalal who was in Guyana but was injured is a promising left arm spinner and one for the future. We also have boys like Hammad Shaid, Manaf Patel, Ravi Timberwalla, Saquib Saleem, Cameron Mirza, Dennis Evans and Zaheer Saffie who coaches and pundits are really excited about. I have not even mentioned the three youngsters we took to Guyana in Greg Sewdial, Abhijit Joshi and Steven Taylor. So there is a wealth of talent out there and we just have to identify each and every single person and make sure that they get the attention they deserve in their developmental process both for their regions and the US.

DC: It has been 9 months since the ICC suspension was lifted on USACA, do you think that we now have a plan of action to put us back in orbit?

Imran Khan: I would love to really sit down and go through a whole plethora of information, tactics and proposals but in reality I have just got involved with the on-field activities. I have multifarious number of ideas and proposals that I would like to initiate for the generation of funding which is in reality the backbone of any organizational structure. I would also like to see USACA develop itself into a professional outfit with clearly identifiable departments and areas of work. Thus I feel in reality we have a long way to go from where we are now but we are in America the home of 'Corporate business' so for us to follow a standard business model should not be that difficult. We also need to really start thinking about the possibility of each region developing itself into a franchised model, which would then compete in a professional national league structure. I think we can attract the investors and players from all across the world as the US appeals to the global community. Cricket has to become a branded item that sells. Thus USACA needs to brand cricket and sell the brand. The US cricket market is in reality a big unknown, un-chartered territory if you will that many of the global players would love to exploit. We as an organizational umbrella (USACA) must ensure that we are the conduit through which this occurs. Right now I feel that we are not as conducive to the growth of the game as we could be but things are changing and I think there is a silver lining on the horizon.

DC: Let us talk about your own aspirations within USA cricket system? Are you a candidate for the USACA CEO job?

Imran Khan: I just hope that whoever is appointed CEO of USACA is provided and afforded the fullest cooperation and support by the entire organisation. The CEO is in reality the leader of the pack and we must ensure that we comprehend his vision and adopt his objectives. If we can find a suitable candidate who possess business acumen and a sound comprehension of the game here in the US then we could be onto a real winner and their effect will no doubt be felt sooner than later.

A lot of people have thus far asked me if I am in the running for the CEO position and I will state for the record that I am in the picture. However, I support whatever decision the CEO committee takes in their appointment and I will be amongst the first to welcome the new CEO and be willing to share my experience and knowledge with them to the best of my ability.

DC: Canada and Bermuda, two countries that were behind USA on talent, are now ahead in terms of ICC funding. You have seen the teams at ICC Americas. Bermuda now has their players on an annual contract! Leaving aside the fact that USA defeated the two teams, based on your interactions with the two teams and their management, do you think USA can catch up on infrastructure?

Imran Khan: I think that as a squad, playing management and in strategic objectives we were superior in our approach to any one of those sides. Tactically we outmaneuvered the opposition, we intimidated the other sides in how we conducted our business and in general we overwhelmed them.

Now the point to consider here is this. We receive little or no funding at the moment; we have a fairly disjointed national structure with no coherence between the various leagues and regions. However, despite all the disadvantages our players and staff superceded our more glamorized and well looked after cousins. Simply put we have the talent, the dedicated people required and the desire to not only succeed but to dominate this region and make headway into the global first class game.

USA cricketers reflect after beating Canada. At the Broward County stadium.

DC: In your view, what is it going to take to do that? What is the roadmap to get there?

Imran Khan: Where we have failed is that our organizational structure has not matured with time and it is fair to say that it suffered due to the ICC ban. The Dainty led administration is addressing these issues by taking positive steps. As we have heard in the AGM, the regions too are making progress.

Now what is required under a new CEO is a change of direction and pace. Professionals who have the intuitive knowledge about a modern day global corporation must be allowed to run the USACA organisation under the aegis of a business model and not like an old boys network. The appointees must be allowed to function at the head of USACA and take decisions utilizing their best judgment. These experts cannot be second-guessed by existing members or people whose caliber does not match.

We cannot entrust and empower people only then to refute or question their judgments. Therefore, a central body (USACA) must be refurbished to reflect a modern day Multinational Corporation. This must be organized into departments and suitable candidates must be found to staff these departments under an appointed head. Initially people will not be paid salaries or provided an income if the funding from ICC is not there.

However, sales staff focused on generating funding could be on a commissioned scheme. Relationships with every Tier 1 national board must be established. Possible senior team tours to test playing nations must be organized.

The only way to get ahead is if we think ahead. We need to get our team visible. Without an active fixture list no one in their right mind will ever sponsor US cricket. Thus the US team must be actively engaged in fixtures all across the world. This is not as hard or difficult to achieve as it's sometimes presented. Mr. Haroon Lorgat and Mr. Bindra have voiced their support for such an initiative but we must take the first step for this to occur! A professional cricket structure with an active league operating at a national stage must be created as soon as is possible.

This will provide us with the credibility and the platform to engage sponsors and investors alike. We must take the US cricket game to the world. I think for too long people have been waiting for someone to come and get it from us! This is not going to happen. Especially as the economic cycle enters a downward spiral we have to proactively generate the opportunities to grow.

Strong leadership is required. A vision must be created which the entire US cricketing family adopts and adheres to. Leadership is key to the growth of cricket in this nation and I think the present day set up should be recognized and appreciated for its efforts. However, this is a new day and a new dawn should bring new life to what is potentially an extremely fertile plain.

DC: Good luck Imran. USA cricket needs more people like you who can make change happen.

Imran Khan: It's very kind of you Venu, I appreciate DreamCricket's support and efforts in developing cricket in USA, especially at the grass roots level. Your involvement both in developmental cricket and the media coverage you provide is second to none and I want to personally commend you on your efforts. I think we are a family that needs to come together at this juncture and operate in a unified manner with every pertinent player in complete harmony with their given role and responsibility.

You are a private operator but your contribution and effect on cricket in the US is a testament to your ability.

This also places you a in a position of extraordinary responsibility whereby what you say and do through your media channel has a direct bearing on how the world views US cricket.

For too long we have had a clearly demarcated line between those who ran cricket and those who wanted to support cricket here in the US. However, I do sense that wall has slowly been eroded with time. Now that the senior US team has achieved such marvelous results everyone can see the potential benefits if we can just work together under a unified umbrella.

DC: At DreamCricket, cricket is our American dream and we will strive to be a responsible media outlet for the benefit of the 200,000 cricketers out there. It is on their behalf that I thank you for your service.