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

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

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Player Reviews

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

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

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

Image (right) - Timothy Surujbally

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

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

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

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

Image (left) - Japen Patel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Views expressed in this article are those of the author. If you have differing views or opinions, we respect those views and urge you to provide your feedback - both positive and negative - in the comments section.]

USA Cricket: Canada beats USA by 36 runs in first T20; USA gets revenge in second T20 with 46-run win

openingbat — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 06:14:00 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)

Match One Scorecard I Match Two Scorecard

Openers Hiral Patel and Rizwan Cheema each produced a half-century to push Canada to a 36-run win over USA in the early game before Timil Patel’s 67 not out at the top of the order propelled USA to a 46-run win over Canada in the second of two Twenty20 matches played on Saturday at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. Canada’s 148 for 9 in the morning match was more than enough to defend against a struggling USA batting unit, but USA finally clicked in game two to post an easily defendable 162 for 5.

The day’s play was delayed by 90 minutes due to a wet outfield from overnight rain. When the field was finally deemed fit for action, USA won the toss in game one and sent Canada in to bat. USA made five changes from the team that lost to Canada by four wickets in the 50-over match on Friday. Andy Mohammed, Ryan Corns, Adil Bhatti, Japen Patel and Adrian Gordon came in for Barrington Bartley, Karan Ganesh, the injured William Perkins, Hammad Shahid and the injured Steven Taylor. Canada made just one change bringing in Manny Aulakh for Henry Osinde.

Gordon opened the bowling for USA and wound up being rocked by Cheema. After a single by Hiral Patel on the first ball of the match, Cheema slammed three fours and connected with two big sixes straight back over Gordon’s head as part of a 26-run opening over for Canada. Cheema scored 24 runs in his first five deliveries faced and took another 21 balls to score his next 26 runs to bring up a half-century. Cheema got slightly carried away after reaching his 50 and tried to reverse sweep Timil Patel a few overs later but wound up bowled in between his legs for 54 to make it 86 for 1 in the 11th.

While Cheema and Hiral Patel capitalized on any width offered by USA’s bowlers, Japen Patel bowled a tight stump to stump line and was rewarded with his best bowling return in a USA uniform, 4 for 26 off four overs. He started off by claiming number three batsman Ruvindu Gunasekera for 3 thanks to a good catch by Mohammed running back from midwicket in the circle to make it 103 for 2 in the 14th. Raza-ur-Rehman fell for 7 to give Japen Patel his second after the batsman failed to clear Neil McGarrell with a lofted drive to long off. Damodar Daesrath entered and missed a flick to midwicket off his first delivery and was promptly judged LBW to put Patel on a hat trick to end the 17th.

USA took three wickets in three balls as a team when Corns opened the 18th by taking the wicket of Hiral Patel for 54 after he had been dropped on 8 in the third over. Patel drove a delivery to Timothy Surujbally on the cover boundary to make it 126 for 5 as momentum shifted completely toward USA.

Usman Limbada was the next to go for 1 three balls into the 19th, slogging across the line to be bowled by Japen Patel for his fourth wicket. Hamza Tariq was caught slashing a thick edge to Gordon at short third man off the bowling of left-arm spinner Neil McGarrell for 3 to make it 139 for 7 with four balls remaining in the innings. Junaid Siddiqui was run out for 1 trying to complete a tight second for Jimmy Hansra with one ball to go in the innings. Jeremy Gordon was run out without facing a ball after he tried to take a second run on the final ball of Canada’s innings and Canada finished 148 for 9 off their 20 with Hansra not out on 17. McGarrell was USA’s most economical bowler, finishing with 1 for 14 in three overs.

For the second day in a row, USA had their opening partnership disrupted by an injury to a batsman attempting to complete a sharp single. On Friday it was Taylor who walked off injured and in the first T20 on Saturday, his club teammate Surujbally succumbed to a pulled hamstring. Surujbally got off to a rollicking start opening the chase with Mohammed. Seemingly inspired by what Cheema did in the first innings against Adrian Gordon, Surujbally rocked Canadian opening pace bowler Jeremy Gordon for 23 runs in the first over, including four boundaries and a six with four of the shots finishing up at the ropes between midwicket and fine leg.

However, Surujbally pulled up lame on the first ball of the third over bowled by Cheema and after staying out for two more deliveries could no longer continue, retiring hurt on 27 off just 10 balls with the score on 31 in 2.3 overs. Mohammed fell on the first ball of the fifth trying to hit a six over midwicket and instead sent a leading edge in the air to Daesrath in the covers for 11. Timil Patel lasted just two balls before he was caught on the long on boundary to give Junaid Siddiqui a wicket to make it 45 for 2. Two overs later Corns fell for 5, caught driving in the air to the cover sweeper off the left-arm spin of Rehman to make it 53 for 3 in 7.2 overs.

A day after getting out for a duck, Nicholas Standford got his eye in and appeared to be on his way to a sizable score, but he was dismissed for 23 playing back to a good length ball from Aulakh and was pinned LBW to make it 72 for 4 in the 11th as USA’s run rate began to plummet with the procession of wickets. Bhatti was stumped for 7 after he was beaten in flight by a quicker delivery from Daesrath. McGarrell slogged against the turn of Rehman and was caught at mid on for 3. Japen Patel skied an attempted slog off Daesrath that wound up in the hands of Rehman at mid off for 9 as USA fell to 95 for 7 in 16.

After being punished by Surujbally to start the innings, Jeremy Gordon was finally brought back in the 19th over and responded with a double-wicket maiden to end the match. He dismissed Saami Siddiqui for 7, caught at point by Rehman, before Mital Patel was bowled off an inside edge for a duck. With Surujbally unable to resume his innings, USA finished all out for 112. Rehman had Canada’s best figures, finishing with 2 for 21 in four.

In match number two, USA won the toss again but this time chose to bat first. While Timil Patel captained the team in match number one, Ryan Corns was tasked with leading the side for match number two and wound up shepherding USA to their only victory of the week. USA made six changes from the team that lost the first match of the day. Perkins, Bartley, Ganesh, Shahid, Danial Ahmed and Naseer Jamali entered the XI in place of McGarrell, Mohammed, Japen Patel, Mital Patel, Saami Siddiqui and the injured Surujbally. Canada made one change, swapping Aulakh out for Osinde.

Timil Patel opened the batting with Perkins and the two manufactured a 61-run stand for the first wicket in just 5.4 overs to put USA in a dominant position which they never relinquished. Perkins met his downfall when he made an ambitious attempt to clear Cheema at long off, one of the two fielders outside the circle in the power play overs, and was caught for 32 off the bowling of the leg-spinner Siddiqui. Standford got a start for the second match in a row, but fell in disappointing fashion when he spooned a full toss from Daesrath to Hansra at midwicket in the circle for 18 to make it 93 for 2 in the 12th.

Bartley entered at four and just as he did in the 50-over match on Friday, rarely wasted a delivery. He struck two sixes in his 26 off 14 balls, but just as importantly continued to turn over the strike at every opportunity to keep the scoreboard ticking. He was given LBW after being hit on the back leg to a full length delivery from the pace of Jeremy Gordon to make it 135 for 3 in 16. Corns entered at five and lasted until midway through the 19th before he played across to Cheema and was given LBW for 5 to make it 150 for 3. Bhatti entered and was caught on the midwicket boundary first ball to put Cheema on a hat trick.

While wickets were falling at the other end, Timil Patel played the anchor role for USA in the innings, knocking the ball around for singles and taking advantage of loose deliveries when possible to strike seven fours and a six. He brought up his 50 off 40 balls and by the time the innings was done, he finished with 67 not out off 55 balls, the second highest score by a USA batsman in T20 cricket behind Aditya Thyagarajan’s 72 not out against Ireland in Abu Dhabi at the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.

Canada made a good start to the chase, taking 32 runs off the first 4.5 overs with Gunasekera and Hiral Patel at the crease. But Canada’s chances of winning were essentially wiped away when the openers were dismissed on consecutive deliveries. Gunasekera was the first to go, hit on the back leg by a skiddy off-spinner from Ganesh to depart for 17. Patel went on the first ball of the sixth over for 10 when he skied a return catch to left-arm spinner Ahmed after an attempted slog to midwicket against the turn went awry. It was part of a wicket maiden by Ahmed who recovered superbly to give up only one run in his last two overs after giving up 12 runs in the opening over of the chase.

Tariq was the next to go for 12 after he slapped a wide delivery from Corns to Ahmed, who made a leaping catch in the covers. Hansra was the next to go for 19, runout after bolting for a single from the non-striker’s end while Daesrath rightly stayed put after hitting a delivery from Corns straight to Ganesh at midwicket. Daesrath departed three balls later for 15 at the start of the 13th as Ahmed made the catch of the week with a brilliant effort running from short cover to the edge of the circle to complete an over the shoulder catch, giving Timil Patel his only wicket of the match and Canada was at 79 for 5 to start the 14th.

Limbada was run out by Ganesh on the very next ball for a diamond duck when he hesitated coming back for a second run. Rehman was on strike and edged a delivery from Patel past the keeper Perkins. Ganesh ran from short fine leg across to short third man to field and it was his hustle that created the confusion. He threw the ball to Perkins with Limbada and Rehman halfway down the pitch, unsure whether to go for the second or return to their respective creases. Both wound up doing neither and Limbada paid for it in the end.

Cheema was dismissed by Bartley for 1 to make it 86 for 7 and two overs later Bartley got his second when he bowled Siddiqui for 3. Bartley claimed wicket number three in the 19th, bowling Osinde for 2 after he missed a slog backing away from the stumps. Adrian Gordon took the final wicket for USA, trapping Jeremy Gordon for 1 to end the match with Canada all out for 116 in 19.4 overs. Bartley had USA’s best figures in the innings with 3 for 14 in three overs. Rehman finished not out on 28 off 23 balls.

According to a press release prior to the Auty Cup, USA’s next scheduled action will be in March at the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament. Exact dates and location for the event are yet to be finalized. Meanwhile Canada’s next scheduled action will either be the same ICC Americas tournament or the next round of the Intercontinental Cup in Kenya. However, Kenya’s most recent match in the Intercontinental Cup was moved to Namibia after security concerns denied Kenya the opportunity to host the match and the same fate could occur for their fixture against Canada.

USA Cricket: More spin troubles for USA as Rehman takes 5 for 27 in 4-wicket win for Canada

openingbat — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 02:20:00 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)

Scorecard powered by the New Inning Foundation

An excellent start was wasted by USA after being sent in to bat as Raza-ur-Rehman wrecked the hosts lineup with an incisive spell of left-arm spin to take 5 for 27, propelling Canada to a victory by four wickets in a 50-over match on Friday at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. USA appeared set to post a minimum of 250 after a platform laid by William Perkins and Timothy Surujbally, but the home side went from 94 for 0 to 194 all out before Canada chased the target with 19 balls to spare.

USA made six changes from the lineup that played the two-day Auty Cup match on Wednesday and Thursday. Danial Ahmed, Adil Bhatti, Ryan Corns, Naseer Jamali, Andy Mohammed and Japen Patel made way for Barrington Bartley, Neil McGarrell, Mital Patel, Hammad Shahid, Saami Siddiqui and Nicholas Standford. Canada made a pair of changes as Manny Aulakh and Srimantha Wijeyratne sat out in favor of Henry Osinde and Jeremy Gordon.

Perkins and USA captain Steven Taylor opened the batting for USA and took the home side to 34 without loss when Taylor pulled up lame after completing a sharp single midway through the seventh over and had to retire hurt on 14. Surujbally came in and picked up where Taylor left off as he and Perkins cruised along against Canada’s opening pace combo of Osinde and Gordon.

However, the introduction of leg-spinner Junaid Siddiqui halted USA’s momentum, with Surujbally in particular struggling to turn over the strike. As Surujbally struggled for runs at the other end, Perkins took it upon himself to be the aggressor and paid for it with his wicket when he drove uppishly at a full and wide delivery from Rehman and sent a catch to Jimmy Hansra in the covers. Perkins walked off for 46 at 94 for 1 in the 23rd and before long it was clear that USA’s middle order couldn’t handle the pressure that began to be exerted by Siddiqui and Rehman.

Standford lasted eight balls before driving Siddiqui in the air to Rehman at point to register a duck on debut. Karan Ganesh failed to get his feet moving and was struck in front of the stumps by Rehman to be out leg before for 1. Surujbally finally perished for 28 in 54 balls when he played around a full toss from his main tormentor Siddiqui as USA spiraled downward to 100 for 4 in the 25th over.

McGarrell and Timil Patel briefly restored sanity to USA’s innings with a 44-run stand for the fifth wicket. It ended when Canada captain Rizwan Cheema dismissed Patel for 22, the only wicket taken by pace on the day for Canada. Bartley and McGarrell added 35 more for the sixth wicket before McGarrell was bowled by Rehman for 26 to make it 179 for 6 in the 43rd.

Two overs later, Bartley was bowled for 23 to give Rehman his fourth as USA slipped to 186 for 7. Shahid was caught at long on trying to slog Rehman over the ropes but fell for 1 to give Rehman his five-wicket haul. The innings wrapped up three balls into the 50th when Saami Siddiqui and Mital Patel got into a mixup that left Siddiqui run out for 6. With Steven Taylor unable to resume his innings, USA was all out for 194. Rehman’s 5 for 27 included four maidens in his 10 overs while Junaid Siddiqui’s spell was just as debilitating to USA as he finished with 2 for 29 in 10 with two maidens.

Canada had a brief hiccup at the start of their chase when Cheema was caught for 1 thanks to a brilliant tumbling catch by substitute fielder Adil Bhatti running to his right at mid off to give Shahid his maiden wicket at the senior level for USA. Hiral Patel and Ruvindu Gunasekera took the score to 70 in the 16th over before Patel was dismissed. Shahid had dropped him in the previous over off the bowling of McGarrell, but Patel failed to make the most of the reprieve, only lasting three more balls before Ganesh took a spectacular return catch diving to his right in front of Gunasekera at the non-striker’s end to remove Patel for 23.

Rehman’s stellar form with the bat from the two-day match failed to carry over into Friday after he was pinned lbw first-ball to put Ganesh on a hat-trick. Gunasekera fell for a run a ball 40 to Timil Patel thanks to a diving catch running in from long on by sub fielder Adrian Gordon to make it 82 for 4 in the 19th.

Just when it seemed like the tide was turning USA’s way, Usman Limbada thwarted any ambitions of victory by the hosts with an assured innings. Rather than get wrapped up in pressure by spin bowling as USA’s batsmen had, Limbada calmly eased the ball around in tandem with Damodar Daesrath as the two produced a 92-run stand for the fifth wicket. While former West Indies Test spinner McGarrell presented the biggest challenge, neither batsman succumbed to McGarrell during his miserly spell of 0 for 28 in 10 overs.

The stand finally came to an end when Daesrath was run out by Ganesh for 39 with Canada 21 runs away from victory with more than eight overs remaining. Limbada fell in the next over for 64 to Timil Patel as he failed to clear Standford at backward point with an attempted cut to make it 183 for 6.

Canada crawled through the next several overs and entered the 47th still needing eight runs to win. Hamza Tariq then hit the first ball for six and then Hansra hit the fifth ball of the over for another maximum over midwicket to seal the match, spoiling Timil Patel’s figures in the process as he finished with 2 for 49 in 8.5 overs. Ganesh took 2 for 24 in eight overs with his off-spin while medium pacer Shahid finished with 1 for 32 in eight overs with a maiden opening the bowling.

Canada’s tour of the USA concludes on Saturday when the two sides are scheduled to play a pair of Twenty20 matches at the Central Broward Regional Park. A live video stream provided by Cricket Canada in partnership with CBC Sports will be available from 9 a.m. The stream can be viewed at www.cbcsports.ca.

USA Cricket: Spinners dominate day two as Canada retains Auty Cup with draw

openingbat — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 01:06:00 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)

First Innings Scorecard I Second Innings Scorecard

Spin bowlers Danial Ahmed and Timil Patel did their best to claw USA back into the match after a batting collapse on day two saw USA bowled out for 114, but Canada battled hard after being reduced to 60 for 6 in their second innings to hold on for a draw in a two-day match to retain the Auty Cup on Thursday at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida.

USA resumed play in the morning on 38 for 3 as Timothy Surujbally and Karan Ganesh continued in confident fashion with what turned out to be USA’s best partnership of the match. Things were somewhat heated in the morning session as Canada grew increasingly agitated after numerous LBW appeals were denied by the umpires. At one point, Surujbally was hit in the back of the leg with an attempted throw at the stumps by the bowler fielding in his follow through after which the umpires summoned Canada captain Rizwan Cheema to try to restore calm in the field.

Surujbally and Ganesh wound up adding 40 runs for the fourth wicket before Surujbally drove loosely against leg-spinner Junaid Siddiqui to offer a simple return catch to end his innings on 24 with USA 63 for 4. Timil Patel entered and fell in similar fashion for 11 to give Siddiqui his second wicket of the morning and the score was 77 for 5 after 28 overs. Japen Patel then padded up to a Siddiqui googly and was given LBW for a nine-ball duck to make it 83 for 6 in the 32nd.

Ganesh was run out two overs later by Raza-ur-Rehman after failing to pinch a tight single to the off side. Ganesh made USA’s highest score of the match with 29 off 70 balls but both he and Surujbally failed to carry on after being the only two USA batsmen to get good starts as USA was in danger of being asked to follow-on at 84 for 7. In a two-day match a team can be asked to follow on if the first innings lead is at least 100 runs by the side batting first.

However, Ryan Corns took that possibility out of the equation by scoring 20 runs at number nine, USA’s third highest score of the innings. He was given LBW after playing back to an off-spin delivery from Damodar Daesrath that kept slightly low and USA entered the lunch break at 111 for 8 in 43.2 overs.

Adil Bhatti was the ninth man to go shortly after play resumed, caught for 7 trying to slog Daesrath over Rehman on the long on boundary. Naseer Jamali was the last man out for 2, LBW to Jimmy Hansra’s off-spin and USA was all out for 114 in 46.5 overs, giving Canada an 82-run first innings lead. Siddiqui finished with 3 for 34 in 13 overs after his dominant spell in the morning session wrecked USA's batting.

Image (right) - Canada's Junaid Siddiqui ruined USA's chances of gaining a first innings lead with his spell of 3 for 34 to help bowl out USA for 114. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Hiral Patel and Srimantha Wijeyratne rocked USA’s opening pace attack of Jamali and Japen Patel for 25 runs off the first three overs in the second innings. USA captain Steven Taylor then elected to use spin bowling from the start of the fourth over through the rest of the day. It paid early dividends as Ahmed claimed Hiral Patel at the start of the seventh over, bowled through the gate for 15 to make it 28 for 1. Wijeyratne was bowled on the last ball of the 11th for 14 to an Ahmed delivery that kept slightly low making it 37 for 2.

Two more wickets fell on 37 to boost USA’s chances further of chasing a small target. Usman Limbada played inside the line of a Timil Patel leg-break to be dismissed for 5 before Cheema was struck dead in front of the stumps by Ahmed to be given LBW without scoring to end the 13th. Patel struck twin blows in the 20th and 22nd over to keep pace with Ahmed, first getting Daesrath caught slogging at mid on by Ganesh for 22 before Ruvindu Gunasekera was stumped for a 20-ball duck after being beaten badly in flight.

Despite the fact that they were 60 for 6, Canada still had plenty of batting depth with former captain Hansra fresh at the crease to join Rehman, who top-scored in the first innings with 88. USA’s inexperience showed as they failed to capitalize on their strong position. The pair added 41 runs for the seventh wicket, but more importantly ate up time as they batted together for 15.2 overs. Hansra was finally caught on the off side boundary by Jamali off Timil Patel for 28 off 43 balls to make it 101 for 7.

Ahmed took his fourth wicket after bowling Hamza Tariq for 9 to make it 117 for 8 in the 42nd, but Rehman and Siddiqui continued to keep USA’s bowlers at bay with Rehman notching his second half-century of the match. He finished on 54 not out off 117 balls with Siddiqui 9 off 12 before both sides agreed to call off play early with Canada at 159 for 8 after 51 overs. Left-arm spinner Ahmed bowled marvelously again on Thursday and finished with 4 for 34 off 18 overs with 7 maidens while leg-spinner Timil Patel was slightly more expensive with 4 for 50 off 15 overs with four maidens.

USA and Canada will square off again on Friday at the Central Broward Regional Park in a 50-over match. Play is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. in Florida with a live video stream being provided by Cricket Canada in partnership with CBC Sports. The stream can be viewed at www.cbcsports.ca.

USA Cricket: Canada claws back after early trouble to finish on top after day one of 2012 Auty Cup

openingbat — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 23:57:00 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)

A solid opening burst by Canada’s Manny Aulakh neutralized any advantage USA might have had after bowling out Canada for 196 as USA finished play on 38 for 3 when bad light ended play early on day one of the two-day 2012 Auty Cup match at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill, Florida. Raza-ur-Rehman finished as the day’s batting star, grafting out a top score of 88 off 197 balls on a bowler friendly wicket.

Canada won the toss and elected to bat first with play starting an hour late due to morning rain and a wet outfield. Naseer Jamali bowled a very impressive opening spell of left arm medium pace, nabbing the first three wickets on the day. After having Ruvindu Gunasekera caught off a no ball in the third over, Jamali got him to flash outside off to a legal delivery in the fifth and had him caught behind by USA captain and wicketkeeper Steven Taylor for a duck to make it 12 for 1.

Image (right) - Naseer Jamali file photo from 2010 ICC U-19 World Cup against India U-19. Jamali had USA's best figures on day one of the 2012 Auty Cup, finishing with 3 for 27. [Courtesy: USACA/Daniela Zaharia]

Fellow opener Hiral Patel was the next to go for 24, prodding defensively at a wide delivery to give Taylor a second catch making it 30 for 2 in the seventh. Jamali struck again on the first ball of the 11th as Ryan Corns caught Srimantha Wijeyratne at backward point for 7 to make it 39 for 3. Jamali finished his opening spell with figures of 3 for 21 off seven overs and ended the day with 3 for 27 in 10.

Adil Bhatti claimed the fourth wicket for USA when Usman Limbada offered a limp drive and feathered a third catch behind the stumps to Taylor for 3 to make it 57 for 4 in the 17th. Left-arm spinner Danial Ahmed kept things very tight at one end, bowling a seven-over spell before lunch for just nine runs, but Jimmy Hansra and Rehman went after leg-spinner Timil Patel and Canada managed to stabilize through their partnership to be 92 for 4 in 29 overs at lunch with Hansra on 16 and Rehman on 39.

Patel appeared to be a different bowler after the lunch break and was the man who broke the partnership between Hansra and Rehman. Hansra tried to flick him to midwicket and missed before being given LBW for 21 to make it 97 for 5 in the 31st. The wicket seemed to lift Patel’s confidence as he bowled marvelously from then on, producing a string of solid LBW shouts as well as beating the outside edge on a regular basis.

Corns replaced Ahmed for more left-arm spin and struck in the 38th over when he had Dasrath Damodar given LBW for 13 after missing a sweep shot to make it 122 for 6. Rizwan Cheema entered and tried to hack Canada out of trouble but he couldn’t clear Timothy Surujbally trying to go straight down the ground for a boundary and was caught for 10 off the bowling of Patel to make it 139 for 7. Patel claimed his second LBW decision two overs later, trapping Hamza Tariq for a duck to make it 139 for 8.

USA could not finish off Canada easily though and it was Rehman and Junaid Siddiqui who produced Canada’s best partnership of the day with 52 runs for the ninth wicket in the span of 20 overs. The pair grinded out runs off of Patel and Ahmed and took Canada to tea at 182 for 8 in 66 overs.

After play resumed, Ahmed was finally rewarded for his hard toil throughout the day with his first wicket in a USA uniform. While he didn’t bowl as many wicket-taking balls as Patel, Ahmed rarely bowled anything loose and continued to exert pressure until it finally paid off, pinning Siddiqui LBW for 22 to make it 191 for 9 in the 69th over. The innings wrapped up four balls into the 71st when Rehman drove Ahmed flat and hard to Karan Ganesh at mid off.

Ahmed finished with 2 for 39 off 19.4 overs including six maidens while Patel rebounded after a rocky first few overs to finish with 3 for 57 in 19 overs with three maidens. Corns finished with 1 for 9 in six overs with two maidens while Bhatti had 1 for 20 in five. Ganesh, Japen Patel and Andy Mohammed all went wicketless in brief spells with the ball.

USA opened their reply with Taylor and William Perkins. Neither man lasted very long though as Canada’s opening bowlers kept tight lines to prevent scoring and claim wickets. Cheema claimed Perkins in the sixth over for 15 after the batsman edged an attempted drive off a full delivery to Hansra at head height at second slip. Taylor went two runs later for 4 to make it 19 for 2 in the seventh, caught at backward point by Limbada off the bowling of Aulakh. Andy Mohammed was caught off the last ball of the ninth, driving very loosely at Aulakh to be caught at third slip by Damodar for a duck as USA fell to 23 for 3.

Surujbally and Ganesh lasted 5.1 overs together before bad light ended play with USA 38 for 3 in 14.1 overs in reply. Surujbally finished play on 15 with Ganesh on 3. Aulakh walked off with figures of 2 for 15 from six overs including two maidens while Cheema had 1 for 13 off five overs including one maiden.

Play is expected to resume at 9:30 a.m. EST from the Central Broward Regional Park with a live video stream of the match made possible by Cricket Canada in partnership with CBC Sports in Canada. The stream can be viewed off www.cbcsports.ca.

USA Cricket: New players eager for opportunity to represent men's national team

openingbat — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 13:30:00 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 less than a week, USA will field seven first-time representatives at the senior level for during Canada’s tour to Florida as part of The Auty Cup. Danial Ahmed, Naseer Jamali, Timil Patel, Hammad Shahid, Saami Siddiqui, Nicholas Standford and Timothy Surujbally will all be traveling to Fort Lauderdale to put press their claims for a permanent spot in the USA lineup and give the selectors something extra to think about when they select teams in the spring for the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament and ICC World Cricket League Division Three.

“It was always a dream of mine to play for the country,” Standford said after being selected for the matches against Canada. Standford first came to New York from Barbados in 2004 and received his citizenship in 2011. He wants to leave an impression on US cricket in these matches in order to prevent it from being just a one and done assignment. “I’m picked now. I want to carry on. I’m 25. I’ve still got a lot of time to play some cricket. Hopefully this is the first of many tours.”

Siddiqui is another player holding the same sentiment. “I know I’ll be happy once I go there and do well,” Siddiqui said. “For me, just getting picked isn’t the end of the story. Real happiness is gonna come if I go and do well.”

Siddiqui previously represented the USA at the junior level as a wicketkeeper at the 2010 ICC U-19 World Cup in New Zealand. During USA’s qualifying phases in Canada, Siddiqui earned a Man of the Match award in a win over the Netherlands when he completed a catch, three stumpings, teamed up for a runout with Saqib Saleem and scored 18 with the bat in a 33-run win. The bond with his USA U-19 teammates is still strong as Siddiqui initially found out he’d been picked for the matches against Canada after receiving a text message from Ryan Corns, who will also be in the USA side against Canada in Florida.

Off the field, Siddiqui graduated last December from the University of California, Berkeley, after completing a double-major in Computer Science and Political Economics. He’s now working for a startup company in Silicon Valley. Balancing cricket with work is a lot easier than it was as a student for Siddiqui and he’s hoping that will allow him a chance to seriously push for a spot in the men’s side.

Image (right) - Naseer Jamali bowling against India with Saami Siddiqui keeping wicket during a 2010 ICC U-19 World Cup warm-up match in New Zealand. Two two have been picked to represent the USA men's side for the first time against Canada next week. [Courtesy: Daniela Zaharia]

“I don’t have to miss practices because of group projects or mid-terms and don’t have to miss games either,” Siddiqui said. “My schedule is more stable. It’s more manageable than it was. Also my club was about 45 minutes away from Berkeley so my time was limited.”

Of all the new players, the one who brings the most experience to the table is Los Angeles resident Patel. The 28-year-old played 38 first-class matches, scoring a century and taking two five-wicket hauls for Gujurat in India’s Ranji Trophy competition. In this year’s SCCA Division One regular season, he scored 500 runs at 62.50 with five half-centuries. Only USA batsman Aditya Thyagarajan and former Nepal U-19 captain Kanishka Chaugai finished higher on the runs list. Patel’s leg-spin accounted for 47 wickets at 9.77 in 16 matches for Vijayta CC as well. The next best bowler claimed 33 scalps.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Patel said about being picked. “My performances have paid off. It feels really good to be in the squad.”

Ahmed, 27, makes his way into the USA squad after being the leading wicket-taker in the Washington Cricket League in 2012. A left-arm spinner, Ahmed took 38 wickets at 5.89 in only 13 matches. The two players who finished behind him, former Atlantic Region U-19 player Haris Ilyas and former USA national team member Naseer Islam, took 31 wickets in 19 and 16 matches respectively. Ahmed feels that fitness will be a key aspect of the performances with USA playing four matches in four days.

“I’m very excited, ready to go, working hard in the gym, practicing hard every day,” Ahmed said.

After just missing the final 14 and being named a reserve player for USA’s last two tours, Surujbally finally cracked the 14-man squad for this event. The Trinidad native came to Florida in 2007 and has been captaining International CC in the SFCA, spending much of his time batting alongside club, league and regional teammate Steven Taylor. After dismantling bowling attacks together at the lower levels, Surujbally is hoping he’ll get the chance to work in tandem with Taylor in a USA uniform.

“I love playing with Steven Taylor,” Surujbally said. “We destroy a lot of people here. I always saying to him, one day me and him, I want to open with him on the USA team. We open bat for our club, we open bat for south Florida, we open bat on so many occasions. I think both of us, we have a good chemistry together.”

With USA’s fast bowling depth going thin since the departure of both Imran Awan and Kevin Darlington from the national team, Shahid and Jamali have been given an opportunity to develop their games and test themselves against a very good Canadian batting unit. Shahid has two campaigns under his belt with the USA U-19 team and plays in the very competitive SCCA Division One. After going to New Zealand in 2010 with the USA U-19 team, Jamali was on the fringes of selection for the USA squad that went to the UAE to the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier. He spent the past summer playing league cricket in Middlesex, England for Uxbridge CC where he took 25 wickets, second most at the club in 2012 while bowling the most overs for Uxbridge.

Most of USA’s first choice players are missing for The Auty Cup due to work obligations. USA will play Canada in a two-day match for The Auty Cup beginning on November 14 followed by a 50-over match on November 16 and two T20s on November 17.

USA Cricket: USACA announces East vs. West 2012 National Championship, 2012 Auty Cup squad

openingbat — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 16:29:00 GMT

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

USACA Press Release

USACA 2012 National Championships November 11, 2012
USACA is pleased to announce that its 2012 National Championship match between the Eastern Conference and Western Conference has been scheduled for November 11 in Florida at Brian Piccolo Park located in Cooper City, Florida. As warm up for the Championship match both teams will square off in a T20 match on November 10 at the same venue.

Eastern Conference Team
Adil Bhatti
Adrian Gordon
Azurdeen Mohammed
Cameron Mirza
Danial Ahmed
Japen Patel
Junaid Rasheed
Shahid Nazir (Malik)
Steve Massiah
Steven Taylor
Timothy Surujbally
Waleed Karimullah

Western Conference Team
Abhimanyu Rajp
Aditya Mishra
Elmore Hutchinson
Hammad Shahid
Khawaja Usman Shuja
Naseer Jamali
Ravi Timbawala
Saami Muneeb Siddiqui
Saqib Saleem
Sushil Nadkarni
Timil Patel
Aditya Thyagarajan

2012 Auty Cup Match Series 2012 November 14 to 17, 2012
USA Cricket Association (USACA) is also pleased to announce that the 2012 version of sports oldest international cricket match – USA v Canada for the Auty Cup - is all set for November 14 and 15 in Florida.

The Auty Cup was first played between USA and Canada in 1844 and sporadically between the two countries ever since. After a gap of about 16 years the series was revived in 2011 as both USA and Canada committed to continue the tradition. Canada hosted in 2011 coming out victorious. In 2012 USA will be hosting the Canadians in Florida and looking to avenge the defeat.

The Auty Cup is a 2-day traditional 2-innings cricket match. However to make the series more interesting and contemporary, additional limited overs matches have been added to the fixtures. A 50 Overs match will be played on November 16 followed by 2 T20 matches on November 17.

Team USA for the Auty Cup Match Series
Steven Taylor
Ryan Corns
Nicholas Stanford
Barrington Bartley
Adrian Gordon
Saami Muneeb Siddiqui
Timothy Surujbally
Azurdeen Mohammed
Japen Patel
Danial Ahmed
Adil Bhatti
Hammad Shahid
Naseer Jamali
Timil Patel

USA plans on using these series of matches to prepare for its next two international assignments, ICC Americas Division 1 T20 (March 2013) and ICC Pepsi WCL Division 3 (April 2013). In addition to current National players many other players hoping to break into the national team will also be participating and will be eager to attract the selectors’ eyes.

USA Cricket: Auty Cup reportedly scheduled for November 14-17 in Florida

openingbat — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 10:53:00 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)

The K.A. Auty Cup, a trophy contested for the cricket rivalry between the USA and Canada, is scheduled to be held this year as part of a series of matches from November 14-17 in Florida according to information posted on the Cricket Canada web site. Although USACA has not issued a press release regarding the matches, sources have confirmed that player availability is currently being sought to form a squad for a two-day match, one 50-over match and two T20s to be played at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill.

The Auty Cup multi-day match was resumed in 2011 after a 16-year hiatus. Canada defeated an understrength USA squad by 34 runs in the two-day match in Toronto last summer as part of the Etihad Summer Cricket Festival. USA and Canada played the first ever international cricket match in New York in 1844 and the two countries share a lengthy history together.

While Canada is currently one of the six Associate and Affiliate ODI nations, the USA has still managed to have some measure of success against them in recent years. USA defeated Canada by 81 runs to win the 2008 ICC Americas Tournament in Florida and defeated them in the final of the inaugural ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 Tournament by five wickets in Bermuda in 2010.

Canada defeated the USA by nine wickets as part of an undefeated run to win the 2010 ICC Americas Division One 50-over competition in Bermuda in 2010 and also beat the USA by 10 runs to win the most recent ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 in Florida last year.

USA Cricket: Lots for junior squad to improve on in year ahead of 2013 ICC Americas U-19 tournament

openingbat — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 10:20:00 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)

With roughly 12 months to go before USA’s next engagement for a junior level squad with the 2013 ICC Americas U-19 Division One Tournament, there were a few things to be encouraged about for USA’s future. However, for all the positives there are even more warning signs that may cause fans and administrators to worry about the state of junior cricket in the country. The following is a synopsis of USA’s performance at the 2012 ICC Americas U-18 event earlier this month in Florida analyzing the good, the bad and the ugly for USA.

Batting

Positives – USA turned in the highest team score and highest individual score of any squad during the week of matches in Florida, both coming in the same game against Canada. USA’s total of 218 for 7 was even more impressive in that it came in just 45 overs after five overs were shaved off due to time constraints.

Image (right) - Steven Taylor file photo. Taylor was the leading scorer in Florida this month at the 2012 ICC Americas U-18 Match Play Camp, but lacked support from other players. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Steven Taylor turned in the highest score of the week for any player when he notched 102 off 117 balls in that match. Taylor was also the leading scorer in the event with 159 runs. With Taylor at the crease, America will always stand a chance of victory no matter the opposition in an Associate level tournament.

Negatives – The next best score for USA in the four live contests against Bermuda and Canada was 28 from Amarnauth Persaud in the first match against Canada. USA also had eight innings of scores between 15 and 25, indicating that players don’t know how to push on after getting a decent start. Each of those scores between 15 and 25 came from someone batting in the top seven.

Of particular concern are USA’s struggles at the start of the innings. The bonus point structure for the event awarded one point to the batting side if they could make it to the 15 over mark with less than three wickets down. If the fielding side had taken three wickets by the 15 over mark, they would take the bonus point for that stage of the match.

USA failed to claim that bonus point in four opportunities while batting. It was inexcusable to miss out on the bonus point in their second match against Bermuda when they only had to make 61 to win but managed to lose four wickets inside of 15 overs before scratching across the target in 19.3 overs. By contrast, Canada claimed the bonus point at the 15-over mark three out of four times while batting, a sign that they always had a good foundation to build on in their innings, something that helped them finish in first place at the end of the week with two wins and a no result.

The failure to string together decent partnerships was also a major problem. USA only had one partnership of 50 or better in their four live matches. By contrast, Bermuda had three half-century stands and one century stand despite only getting three opportunities to bat.

USA’s field awareness was also absent at the crease. USA’s batsmen had an uncanny knack of drilling the ball as hard as they could straight at a fielder in the circle at times when there were only four men inside the ring. It didn’t appear they knew how to rotate the strike by placing the ball into gaps, particularly when the field is spread after the first 15 overs are finished. This was a major problem for the USA U-19 squad that finished seventh at the 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Ireland and doesn’t seem to have improved with this crop of juniors either. One over in particular stuck out when a USA batsman allowed a maiden to occur by hitting all six deliveries in the over back to Canadian leg-spin bowler Trevor Manoosingh when there were only four fielders in the circle. That should never ever happen.

Scores in the teens and 20s will cut it at club level, but not at international level. USA must be able to find junior level players who can occupy the crease, rotate the strike and build partnerships if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the 2014 ICC U-19 World Cup.

Bowling

Positives – As has been the case traditionally with USA’s age group teams, USA’s strength was their spin bowling, which accounted for 18 out of the 33 wickets taken by USA in the field. Ryan Persaud and Zahib Tariq provided a good contrast, one a wicket-taking leg-spinner with flight and the other an economical off-spinner darting the ball in flat to choke the runs and build pressure. These two will be vital to the USA U-19 squad’s efforts to win the ICC Americas tournament in 2013.

Negatives – Pace bowlers struggled to take wickets, mainly because they had no pace to offer. The ball might be bouncy in club cricket when playing on artificial or matting strips, but bowling on turf is a different challenge altogether, one they did not seem well-equipped to handle. If the seam bowlers who were in Florida want to stay in the squad for next year’s U-19 Americas event, they need to commit themselves to a serious strength and conditioning program to get up to pace of international standard.

Fielding

Positives – USA completed the most run outs in the field of any team, racking up seven in four games. Their ground fielding was adequate in this regard.

Negatives – USA dropped nine catches on the week and had a missed stumping. Arguably seven of the nine drops were straightforward chances, with most of the drops coming from spilled chances at mid on or mid off whether they were fielding on the circle or on the boundary. When players are contributing in other ways, some coaches might overlook a fielding weakness. However, this squad had players who were deficient in all three facets of the game which makes the fielding gaffes much harder to accept.

Several players who were part of the USA U-18 squad in Florida this month just won’t cut it at the U-19 international level. Coaches and captains can’t afford to have passengers in a traveling squad who serve as ballast instead of batsmen and bowlers. It’s up to USACA to organize an U-19 national tournament next spring ahead of the 2013 ICC Americas U-19 Division One Tournament so that deserving players who missed out this time around can be identified on merit and given an opportunity to contribute to the national team.

2012 ICC Americas U-18 Match Play Camp All-Tournament XI

openingbat — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 09:37:00 GMT

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

By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

1. Steven Taylor, USA (vice-captain, wicketkeeper, pictured right) – The physically imposing left-hander turned in the highest score of the week with 102 off 117 balls against Canada on the final day of the event. He would be disappointed to come away with only one century after setting a goal to get four, but he still managed to lead all batsmen with 159 runs in live matches at an average of 39.75. Behind the stumps he completed six dismissals, including five stumpings. It’s also worth noting he took two wickets and had an economy rate of 2.14 in 14 overs bowling seam in two games.

2. Christian Burgess, Bermuda – Burgess only got two opportunities to bat, but wound up being the only opener besides Taylor to reach 50 in an innings as he laid a solid platform for his side on the first day against Canada which they were unable to capitalize on.

3. Nikhil Dutta, Canada (pictured left) – There were no trophies handed out at the end of the week, but if there were then Dutta would have been the Tournament MVP hands down. His only failure was on the first day against Bermuda when Delray Rawlins pulled off the catch of the tournament at point to dismiss him for 5. After that, Dutta turned in scores of 35 not out, 43 not out and 71 to finish with 154 runs, just five fewer than Taylor, but at a tournament best average of 77.00. He was also the leading wicket-taker on the week. His tidy off-spin was responsible for eight wickets at an average of 11.00 and a 3.54 economy.

4. Tre Manders, Bermuda – The wiry Manders might have caught some people off guard with his strength as he had no issues attempting to clear the ropes in his knock of 88 against the USA, which was the second highest score of the week. His 92 runs overall were third behind Dutta and Taylor at an event where the batting depth was thin.

5. Gurkaran Dhillon, Canada – His 63 not out in a two-wicket win over Bermuda on the first day was the difference between Canada finishing in first place instead of third. His 79 runs were good for fourth overall on the week and they came at an average of 39.50.

6. Sudeepta Aurka , Canada (captain) – Canada’s captain was third on his team and fifth overall in the event with 75 runs in four games. Just as importantly, he was an economical bowling option. Despite only taking one wicket, he had a 2.96 economy rate in 24 overs of off-spin.

7. Joshua Gilbert, Bermuda (pictured right) – Gilbert has already represented the Bermuda senior side and that experience paid dividends in a few situations. He came into the first match against Canada with his side in trouble at 72 for 3 in 14 overs and stuck his head down to bat through to the end with 47 not out. On the bowling side, he had a match-winning performance of 4 for 17 in nine overs against the USA. Gilbert’s 2.84 runs per over was tops for Bermuda.

8. Delray Rawlins, Bermuda – The 14-year-old is the youngest member on the All-Tournament Team. His left-arm spin provides an added dimension to the unit. He took four wickets on the week at an average of 17.25. Rawlins also pulled off the catch of the tournament on the first day to dismiss Canada’s Nikhil Dutta with a leaping salmon one-handed effort at point.

9. Zahib Tariq, USA – The New Yorker might have disappointed with the bat but certainly not with the ball. Tariq was the most economical spin bowler in Florida, conceding just 2.70 runs per over in a tournament high 30 overs while taking five wickets, tied for fourth, at an average of 16.20.

10. Kwaisi James, Bermuda – At first glance, James bowled innocuous slow medium seamers. Yet, he was one of the most difficult bowlers to score off of and finished tied for second overall with six wickets, most of any seamer. James bowled the most maidens on the week with six and had Bermuda’s best average, taking a wicket for every 13 runs he conceded. His economy rate of 3.02 was the third best of any seamer behind Steven Taylor and Vibhav Altekar of the USA.

11. Ryan Persaud, USA – Persaud was perhaps the most eye-catching bowler on display during the week. Persaud had the magic touch at the U-15 level and has managed to carry it with him as he progresses through age-level cricket. For a leg-spinner, he rarely bowled a bad ball and while many other spinners just darted deliveries in flat, Persaud never shied away from giving the ball some flight while getting prodigious turn. He finished the week tied for second with six wickets at 15.33 with a 3.41 economy rate. Aside from Steven Taylor, he is USA’s best junior cricket prospect heading into next year’s U-19 World Cup Qualifier for the Americas Region.

[Views expressed in the article are those of the author, who was present at every match during the tournament. All images courtesy of Peter Della Penna.]

USA Cricket: Taylor century takes USA to 75-run win over Canada at 2012 ICC Americas U-18

openingbat — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 02:38:00 GMT

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

Scorecard powered by the New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

USA U-18 captain Steven Taylor became the first and only player of the week to raise triple figures when he scored 102 off 117 balls to lead his side to a 75-run win over Canada U-18 on the final day of the 2012 ICC Americas U-18 Match Play Camp on Saturday in Lauderhill, Florida. Taylor brought up the century with his eighth boundary and also struck two sixes during his innings just a day after scoring 81 off 35 balls in a T20 friendly match against Bermuda U-18. Despite the loss, Canada finished in first place at the event with two wins and a no result as well as enough bonus points to put them well clear of both the USA and Bermuda.

“The overall performance of our batting just goes to show… Canada and Bermuda have played together for some time and our guys didn’t,” said USA coach Mumtaz Yusuf after the win. “From day one, the main thing from a development point of view is that we improved, though there are a lot of things we need to work out but still it was a gratifying win to show that the first two days when we got outplayed, the team needed to gel first.”

USA won the toss and elected to bat first in a game with a start time moved up to 9 a.m., an hour earlier than the scheduled starting time of the previous five matches during the week, and reduced from 50 to 45 overs to accommodate for a semi-pro football league game that was scheduled to take place on Saturday evening on the same stadium field at the Central Broward Regional Park.

Karteek Kankanala opened the batting with Taylor and lasted until the end of the seventh over when he was caught at mid off for 7 by Canada U-18 captain Sudeepta Aurka off the bowling of Abrash Khan to make it 26 for 1.

Taylor and Shakeel Ahmad then produced USA’s best partnership in live matches during the week, 88 runs for the second wicket. Taylor survived a few lucky chances at deep midwicket on 21 and 37 when fielders on the west boundary lost sight of the ball staring into the sun, which was higher in the eastern sky due to an earlier start than previous matches. The partnership finally ended with the score on 114 when Ahmad failed to clear mid on and was caught for 23 to give Khan his second wicket.

Taylor and Arsh Buch combined for 38 runs to take USA past 150 before Buch was stumped for 10 off the bowling of Nikhil Dutta. Taylor had earlier reached 50 in 74 balls with a four swept to fine leg and proceeded to raise his century off 116 balls with Krish Goel at the other end when Taylor pulled a short ball over fine leg to end the 37th over.

Goel had struggled to find runs in his stay at the crease coming in at number five and eventually ran himself out for 1 off 15 balls in the 38th. Taylor then fell on the next delivery, slogging left arm spinner Farhan Malik to Bakshpreet Gill at long on to make it 168 for 5.

Dutta’s off-spin was responsible for two more wickets before the end of the innings, Amarnauth Persaud driving to cover for 16 and Vibhav Altekar slogging to long on for 25 in the final over of the innings. USA eventually ended on 218 for 7. Dutta had Canada’s best figures with 3 for 38 in nine overs while Khan had 2 for 43 in eight.

With Canada’s tournament points lead not in jeopardy, they demonstrated little desire to attempt to chase the target of 219. After five overs they were 14 for 0 and after 10 they were 23 for 1 after the fall of Shan Anantharajah to Taylor’s medium pace for 5 off 24 balls, caught mistiming a pull to square leg.

Aurka fell at the end of the 12th to give Taylor his second wicket, caught at point by Krish Goel for 15 to make it 28 for 1. Canada’s best partnership of the day was put on by Dutta and a combination of Armaan Kapoor and Gurkaran Dhillon for the third wicket. They had taken the score to 63 for 2 in the 23rd when Dutta slammed a full delivery from Ahmad right into Kapoor’s body and the batsman was forced to retire hurt. Dhillon came in and contributed three runs before the third wicket fell on 70 at the end of the 25th.

Dutta had just been dropped the previous ball on 24 when he skied Ahmad’s off-spin to Kankanala at long on, who dropped a straightforward chance. Dhillon then was late trying to cut Ahmad and feathered an edge to Taylor behind the stumps, who had taken over from Kankanala with the gloves after finishing his bowling spell.

Siddharth Shekar was out without scoring when he dragged a drive off Zahib Tariq onto his stumps in the next over. Dutta and Arjun Parikh added 32 runs before Parikh was runout for 5 to end the 32nd. Kapoor returned to the crease to start the 33rd but was out before the end of the over, caught at deep midwicket by Amarnauth Persaud off Ahmad for 10 to make it 107 for 6. Khan was then stumped for 2 after he was beaten in flight coming down the track to Ahmad.

Dutta added 30 for the eighth wicket with Malik before he was finally dismissed for Canada’s best individual score on the week, 71 off 99 balls. It was Tariq who claimed him, caught by Randall Wilson at deep midwicket. Malik was out three balls later for 10 and the match wrapped up another four balls after that when Prushoth Wijayaraj was stumped by Taylor off Goel to end Canada’s innings in 41.2 overs for 143. Tariq had USA’s best return of 3 for 30 in nine overs while Ahmad finished with 3 for 43 in nine. Taylor had a tight spell at the start of the innings, taking 2 for 13 in eight overs with three maidens which helped stifle Canada and put them behind the 8-ball throughout the second innings.

All three teams now leave the tournament with areas to analyze and improve upon before next year’s ICC Americas U-19 Division One Tournament where the winner will claim a spot in the 2014 ICC U-19 World Cup. Yusuf has eyed a few things he wants to see happen for the players, with help from the USACA administration, ahead of the 2013 ICC Americas U-19 Division One tournament.

“There’s a lot of work to be done. We need to have the team together for a longer period of team if you want to really succeed,” Yusuf said. “The pace bowling, we can’t have a wicketkeeper standing up [to the stumps] from the first over to the 50th over. That gives a bad signal to the other team the pace that we have. We have to do a lot of work on our fielding, especially their techniques. The catches that we dropped, their arms are locked and that’s the reason why those catches popped off. Those are not catches that should have been dropped.”

USA Cricket: More USA batting woes lead to six wicket loss to Canada at 2012 ICC Americas U-18

openingbat — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:23:00 GMT

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

Scorecard powered by the New Inning Foundation I Match Commentary

USA’s batting struggled for the second match in a row as they posted just 112 before losing by six wickets to Canada on Wednesday in a rain-reduced 30-over match at the 2012 ICC Americas U-18 Match Play Camp in Lauderhill, Florida. USA’s failure to find singles inside the circle during the middle overs when Canada had five men on the boundary cost them dearly as 101 of the 180 deliveries in their innings, 56%, wound up being dot balls.

The match was delayed by five hours and 15 minutes due to rain in the area that started early Wednesday morning and didn’t let up until 2 p.m. When the field was finally ready for play to begin, USA won the toss and elected to bat first. Vice-captain Dave Parikh was left out of the XI in favor of Omari Williams after Parikh sustained a leg injury while the team was warming up on the field less than an hour before the start of the match.

For the second day in a row, Steven Taylor lasted until just the fourth over before getting out caught. One ball after hitting a six over the boundary at extra cover, Taylor drove straight to Armaan Kapoor at short cover to depart for 12 with the score on 24. Two overs later, Abrash Khan got his second wicket when Shakeel Ahmad took a wild swing and missed to be clean bowled for 8 which reduced USA to 34 for 2 in the sixth over.

USA’s biggest partnership of the day produced 32 runs between Amarnauth Persaud and Randall Wilson with Persaud being the aggressor in the stand. He finished with 28 off 40 balls before he dragged a return catch straight back to leg-spinner Trevor Manoosingh in the 16th over. Wilson needed treatment on his right wrist at one point and eventually retired hurt on 8 off 34 balls after 18 overs with the score on 68 for 3. Eight balls later, Williams was bowled for 2 trying to slog Manoosingh over midwicket to make it 71 for 4.

Despite having plenty of wickets in hand midway through the innings, USA’s batsman could not find ways to up the scoring rate. In a seven over stretch from overs 15 through 21, USA scored just 13 runs as they mostly pushed the ball back to the bowler or drove straight to one of the four fielders inside the circle. Once pressure started to mount, they couldn’t respond in an efficient manner and wickets started falling more regularly.

Krish Goel was caught on the boundary at long off to give Canada U-18 captain Sudeepta Aurka a wicket to make the score 82 for 5 in the 23rd. Zahib Tariq was dismissed without scoring for the second match in a row when he was stumped off his fourth ball to give Nikhil Dutta the first of two wickets. Roshan Varadarajan came in at number nine and lasted 10 balls before going to slog medium pacer Amanpal Gillar and skied a return catch to go for 4 to start the 27th over. Wilson returned at the fall of Varadarajan’s wicket with the score 96 for 7 and managed to add five more runs to his score before he was bowled by Gillar to make it 108 for 8 with nine balls to go in the innings.

The tournament structure states that a bonus point is up for grabs at the end of the first innings for either side. It goes to the batting side if they bat out their overs without losing 10 wickets but if they are bowled out then the fielding side claims the point. USA seemed to be unaware of this in the final over which resulted in the final two wickets going down.

Arsh Buch was runout after hesitating to go for a run with Vibhav Altekar, who had been in since the 16th over. Ryan Persaud entered with three balls to play in the innings and on the fifth ball of the over tried to slog Dutta but was caught at cover and USA was bowled out for 112 in 29.5 overs giving a bonus point to Canada in the process. Altekar finished not out on 22 off 37 balls. Manoosingh had Canada’s best figures with 2 for 17 in six overs.

Canada went about the chase in methodical fashion with Aurka being the only batsman showing any aggression in going after the target, scoring 40 of Canada’s first 61 runs. Steven Taylor wound up opening the bowling with Arsh Buch and was USA’s most threatening pace bowler of the first two days. He bowled out his six overs, taking 0 for 17. Stephan Joseph was run out off Taylor’s bowling, trying to steal a single to point where Goel made a solid diving stop and threw to Ahmad with the gloves on who whipped off the bails to dismiss Joseph for 13 with the score at 48 in the 12th. After 12 overs were completed, Taylor took over wicketkeeping duties from Ahmad for the rest of the innings.

Two deliveries after being dropped by Williams at long on, Aurka drove Ryan Persaud’s leg-spin to Ahmad at long off to make it 61 for 2 in the 18th. Ahmad then had Kapoor LBW for 3 to make it 69 for 3 in the 21st as the run rate started to inch up. However, Dutta did just enough to keep the scoring rate creeping along towards the target. He did offer a chance on 13 in the 24th over when Taylor missed a stumping off Goel, but went on to take the team across the line with 35 not out in 61 balls.

Gurkaran Dhillon was run out for 11 in the 27th as Goel and Ahmad teamed up again in the field, but the match ended in the 29th after a wide by Ahmad gave Canada the winning run with seven balls to spare. Canada moves to 2-0 with the win while USA remains winless. Ryan Persaud had USA’s best figures with 1 for 17 in five.

USA has an off day on Thursday while Canada and Bermuda square off for the second time in the U-18 event. Live coverage on DreamCricket.com, made possible in part by the New Inning Foundation, begins at 9:45 a.m. EST.

USA Cricket: Taylor sets goal of scoring four 100s in four games at 2012 ICC Americas U-18 event

openingbat — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna (on Twitter)

USA U-18 captain Steven Taylor is finding new ways to motivate himself in age group competition at this week’s ICC America’s U-18 Match Play Camp in Florida. Taylor, who made his USA senior team debut in 2010 at the age of 16 says he wants to score a century in every one of USA’s four round-robin matches against Bermuda and Canada at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill.

“It’s big but I know I can do it, to make four hundreds, one in each game,” Taylor said in an interview last week when asked about any goals he had for the upcoming event. “I know it’s a big thing to do but I think I’m capable of doing it, and I want for us to win everything.”

Taylor previously captained the USA U-15 squad in New York in 2009 when they finished runner-up to Canada in the ICC Americas Northern Division U-15 Tournament. More recently, he had a leadership role last summer in Ireland as the USA U-19 team’s vice-captain at the 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier.

Image (right) - Steven Taylor file photo from his century against Papua New Guinea at the 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier in Ireland. Can he score four in four matches this week? [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Taylor doesn’t say much on the field and prefers to let his bat do the talking. However, he says he won’t be afraid to speak up if he sees problems pop up in one area specifically: team chemistry. In the past there have been rumors about divisions in USA’s junior teams based on regional factions. Taylor admits there have been problems and plans on doing what he can to prevent it from happening again, both with this squad and the one that is picked next year to play for the USA U-19 team at the ICC Americas U-19 Division One Tournament.

“I knew it was going to be a challenge for us to play as a team in Ireland because we were having our differences,” Taylor said. “In the past it was all just who was from where. We’re from here and they’re from there. There was always different groups, always a west coast and an east coast thing. The main thing now will be just playing as a team. It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from, New York, South West or Central. Just play as one team, United States Under-19.”

USA’s first match at the 2012 ICC Americas U-18 Match Play Camp begins Tuesday morning against Bermuda. Canada defeated Bermuda by two wickets with three balls to spare on Monday in the event’s first match. Bermuda posted 198 for 9 in a rain-reduced 47-over match after being sent in to bat. Canada were 77 for 6 in the 30th over before clawing back to pull out a win. DreamCricket.com will have live coverage of every match beginning at 9:30 a.m. EST.

USA Cricket: Mumtaz Yusuf to coach USA U-18 team in Florida

openingbat — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 17:58:00 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)

Former Sri Lanka and Malaysia national team coach Mumtaz Yusuf will coach the USA U-18 team next week in Florida at the ICC Americas U-18 Match Play Camp against Canada and Bermuda. Yusuf has been living in the USA since 1999 and is a Level Three qualified coach who currently works with players in Southern California. USACA General Manager Manaf Mohamed confirmed the news and also said that Wesley King will serve as the Team Manager.

Yusuf says that he wants to put a greater emphasis on fielding and fitness with this group to help get them ready for next year’s ICC Americas U-19 Division One tournament when USA will look to qualify for the 2014 ICC U-19 World Cup in the UAE. Yusuf believes USA should have finished in the top six in Ireland at last year’s ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier and doesn’t want to let this current group of players fail to qualify for the next global event in two years’ time.

“In my coaching where I have succeeded in Sri Lanka and Malaysia, the side has to be fit and has to be a very good fielding side,” Yusuf said. “I would always give the edge to a fielder slightly over his batting and bowling. Especially in Florida with humid conditions, if you are not fit and you are not a good fielder, that’s going to be a minus point for us.”

Yusuf coached Sri Lanka and was a national selector from 1989-1992. He then coached Malaysia beginning at the 1994 ICC Trophy in Kenya continuing through the 1997 ICC Trophy in Malaysia and finally concluded his five-year stint with them in 1999 before moving to America.

Image (left) - Mumtaz Yusuf [Credit: USYCA]

He has been actively involved in coaching players in Southern California for the last decade and most recently coached the South West Region U-15 squad in Connecticut last year at the USACA U-15 National Tournament. Yusuf said that one player from that event who caught his eye and who he is looking forward to coach is Randall Wilson from the New York Region. Yusuf is also eager to work with USA U-18 captain Steven Taylor, who has already represented the senior side at multiple tournaments.

“I witnessed the U-15 final against Northern California last year and I was very impressed with Randall Wilson,” Yusuf said. “Not only Randall Wilson, I think we have a very talented bunch of players. I have been very impressed with Steven Taylor. I think working with that young kid will be a great pleasure to me because it will be the first time I will be working with Steven Taylor though I know his capabilities and his caliber and mental approach.”

Building up towards preparing a team for next year’s ICC Americas U-19 Division One qualifier, Yusuf is recommending that USACA should also select a shadow squad of players to keep the competition level amongst the current squad high so that players stay hungry and work hard to stay in the team.

“Once this tournament is over, I would recommend that apart from these 14 core players, we need to pick another team of 14 players who have missed out on selection,” Yusuf said. “We cannot allow players to be complacent and let them think they have been picked for this so [next time they have] 100% chance of being selected because when that happens you don’t want to try hard. You need to have someone breathing down your neck. Only then you’ll want to keep yourself sharp. After this tournament is over, pick another 14 players and play some games to keep players on their toes.”

USA’s squad arrives in Florida on Friday and will have three days of training before their first match on Tuesday at the Central Broward Regional Park. USA will play a total of four round-robin 50-over matches against Canada U-18 and Bermuda U-18 next week.