USA Cricketer : us youth cricket

US Youth Cricket Association named Best Junior Participation Initiative by ICC Americas

openingbat — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:42:00 GMT

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An outstanding 167 nominations were received in the Americas Region for the eight award categories of the Pepsi ICC Development Programme Annual Awards 2010. Not only were the number of nominations notable this year, the quality of the nominations were quite impressive, and a lot of tough competition came from around the region in every category for the selection panel to choose between.

In the end, Bermuda lead the way this year receiving two awards while Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Suriname and the USA each captured one.

"The “Best Junior Participation Initiative” was awarded to USACA for its partnership with the United States of America Youth Cricket Association Schools Program. This program donates cricket sets and provides instructional sessions for students and Physical Education Instructors to schools and school districts across the country. This program has lead to thousands of children that are now being introduced to and learning to play cricket at school in the USA."

"All ICC Americas Development Programme Award winners will now be nominated for the Global Award in their respective category. The ICC judging panel will then select a global winner from the 5 regions in each of the categories. The Global winners will be announced on February 28, 2011."

Pic (Right): Kits awaiting distribution to Prince George's County Schools in Maryland. In all, 75 cricket kits were donated by DreamCricket.com during 2010 in support of the USYCA program.

USYCA President Jamie Harrison passed along the gratitude of the youth association, along with a commitment. "The USYCA is obviously thrilled and delighted to have its Schools Program be so richly honored in its first year," said Harrison. "We wish to pass along our sincere thanks to ICC Americas and our partners at USACA, with whom we anticipate a close working relationship in the coming years. Knowing that the ICC applauds our mission and our results, this recognition will cause us to redouble our efforts to bring cricket to American children everywhere."

Separately, USYCA announced that Michael Young, fielding coach for the Australian national cricket team, and one of the few Americans to be employed at the top levels of international cricket, has announced his enthusiastic support for USYCA. The announcement was made on 14 January in Melbourne, where the Aussies were preparing to take on England in a Twenty20 contest.

Young, a former baseball player and minor league coach in the United States, came to Australia in 1981, leading Queensland to their first-ever Claxton Shield Title, and became the State Director of Coaching for baseball. His success with coaching Australia’s baseball team in the Olympics led him to be named International Baseball Coach of the Year on multiple occasions before he accepted a position with Cricket Australia in 2000.

Hailed by skipper Adam Gilchrist as the “secret weapon” in Australia’s 2003 World Cup win, Young has consistently demonstrated the relationship between fundamental skills in the two sports, which is key if Americans are to be easily drawn toward the playing of cricket. “Baseball is similar to cricket in many ways,” Young said. “What works in one you implement in the other.” In expressing his support for USYCA, Young noted the critical importance of introducing American children to cricket at an early age.

“Children playing any sport are always a fantastic endeavor and the USYCA is doing a terrific job at expanding on that philosophy,” Young said. “The beauty of cricket also is that it can be played by all ages and both genders. It's an international sport which undoubtedly will one day be an Olympic Sport to go along with it's already star status of being one of the most prolific professional sports in the world.”

In the past three months, USYCA has initiated cricket programs in 75 American schools, representing over 15,000 children. Young believes that the USYCA approach has a high probability of success, and wants to see it expanded and adopted throughout the States.

“The long-term viability with all sports, no matter where they're played, is the involvement of the youth,” Young said. “Without a good fundamental base and highly planned and organised junior development, then any sport has a dim future.”

Young also believes that, because of the tremendous potential of the American cricket market, international players, coaches and cricket bodies should rally to the mission of USYCA, as he has.

“It's the USA,” Young said. “Why wouldn't world cricket based sporting bodies want the USA to be strong? It's a no brainer. People can say whatever they want, but truth be known, if you have the USA involved in any sport, that sport’s standing will improve on numerous levels.”

Jamie Harrison, President of USYCA, is grateful to have the endorsement of such a prominent figure in international cricket.

“I’m pleased and honored to have Mike Young stand with USYCA as it brings cricket to American children,” Harrison said. “As the lone American in international cricket, and as someone with a background in baseball, Mike has a unique perspective on the possibilities for our great sport in the United States. The fact that he believes so strongly in what we’re doing is a great encouragement to us, and we look forward to working with him.”

Source - USYCA and ICC Americas / Pictures - DreamCricket.com

USA Cricket National U-15 Championship - Top performers and Tournament XI

openingbat — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:39:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

The USA Cricket Association U-15 National Tournament in Newark, N.J., gave an opportunity for some of America’s best young cricketers to showcase their talents. After witnessing all four days of the tournament and poring through the statistics, I've decided to name the All-Tournament XI based on the performances and achievements during the tournament.

When compiling the list, several factors were taken into consideration. First, I took into account the statistical achievements of the players involved since they are the most tangible proof of a player’s contributions to their team.

As such, there will be players left off the team who may be viewed by their coaches as more talented than players who made the team, but just did not perform that well over the four days or did not get as many chances to play.

Second, when choices between players with similar stats became close, more weight was given to performances against better opponents. For example, a player who scored runs or took wickets in a match against New York or North West, who finished at the top of their respective groups, was deemed to have turned in a more impressive performance compared to runs or wickets against the last place team in their group.

Third, these two factors are combined with what I saw with my own eyes. This was not just the runs or wickets they took, but how they did it. It includes match situations and technique exhibited, as well as the talent they had surrounding them which could have affected how they performed.

Finally, I tried to select a balanced XI. If the five highest wicket takers in the tournament turned out to be spinners, not all five would stand a chance of making the team as there needs to be pace bowlers to support them. Likewise, if the four highest scorers in the tournament were opening batsmen, only two of them can be slotted into a role on an All-Tournament team as an opener.

1. Arsh Buch, right-hand batsman, North West – Buch won the Best Batsman award as well as the Tournament MVP by scoring 259 runs at 86.33 with one half-century (87 vs. South East) and one century (110 not out vs. North East). He played a key role at the top of the order in leading North West to the tournament title.

Pic (Right): Arsh Buch was named Tournament MVP

Buch also opened the bowling for his team, taking three wickets with left-arm slow-medium pace, including the first two wickets in the final against New York.

2. Zahib Tariq, right-hand batsman/right-arm off-spin, New York – Scored 186 runs at 93.00 with one half-century (57 not out vs. Central East) and one century (112 not out vs. South West).

Pic (Left): Tariq scored one century and one half-century in the tournament

Tariq demonstrated outstanding temperament at the crease and was perhaps the most complete cricketer in the tournament, a major reason why New York nearly won the title before falling short in the final against North West where he was cruelly run out. He took 7 for 72 in the tournament at an average of 10.29 and also played at times as a wicketkeeper. Tariq plays in the NY PSAL for Franklin D. Roosevelt HS.

3. Shakeel Ahmad, right-hand batsman, South West – Scored 182 runs at 60.67 with two half-centuries (72 vs. Directors’ XI; 60 not out vs. South East). Ahmad was the fourth highest run-scorer in the tournament on the fifth-place team, where he sometimes lacked support around him.

Pic (Right): Ahmad scored two half-centuries and took four wickets for South West

Ahmad top-scored for South West in all of their matches and would have scored even more in a team with better batting depth. Also took four wickets alternating between leg-spin and off-spin.

4. Randall Wilson, right-hand batsman/right-arm medium, New York – Had the most runs for all batsmen after the group stage and finished second overall with 239 runs at 119.50 with one half-century (61 not out vs. Central East) and one century (163 not out vs. Directors’ XI).

Pic (Left): Randall Wilson scored 239 runs, which made him the second-ranked batsman

A well-built player who also opened the bowling for New York, Wilson took four wickets and was arguably the fastest bowler in the tournament. He also plays in the NY PSAL for John Adams HS.

5. Trevis Ross (vice-captain), left-hand batsman/right-arm off-spin, New York – One of the best performing players for USA at the ICC Americas U-15 Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y., last August, Ross didn’t have to bat much in group play as his teammates Tariq and Wilson racked up the runs.

Pic (Right): NY Captain Trevis Ross scored 70 under pressure and took 6 for 71

But New York’s captain contributed when it mattered, scoring 70 under pressure in the championship match against North West. He averaged 36.33 at the crease with 109 total runs and took 6 for 71 bowling tidy off-spin in the tournament.

6. Rohit Mogalayapalli, right-hand batsman, Central East – Scored 148 runs at 37.00 including one half-century (68 vs. Directors’ XI) to help lead CER to a third place finish.

Pic (Left): Mogalayapalli was Central East's leading scorer

The 13-year-old is the youngest player in the All-Tournament XI. He is a very technically sound batsman with one of the best cut shots on display in the tournament. Mogalayapalli also took two wickets.

7. Dave Parikh, left-hand batsman/left-arm slow-medium, North West – Quietly played a pivotal role for the tournament champions. Parikh scored 139 runs at 46.33 with two half-centuries (51 vs. North East; 74 not out vs. New York).

Pic (Right): Parikh played a pivotal role in the final

Parikh also did more than his share with the ball by taking 6 for 41 in the tournament.

8. Roshan Varadarajan (captain), right-arm off-spin/right-hand batsman, North West – USA’s vice-captain at the ICC Americas U-15 Tournament last year, Varadarajan was superb in captaining North West to the their third straight U-15 title. He scored 101 runs at 33.67 with one half-century (54 not out vs. North East).

Pic (Left): Varadarajan scored 101 at 33.67 and took 9 for 59

Varadarajan could have scored more runs, but playing for North West’s stacked lineup in the middle order, he often came in with not much time to bat. With the ball, he contained and attacked at once. Varadarajan took 9 for 59, with three maidens in 18 overs to land at number three in the wickets column for the tournament. He had a 3.28 economy rate and 6.56 average.

9. Gordon Makin, wicketkeeper/right-hand batsman, Central East – Makin stood above the rest at the wicketkeeper position. He kept adequately behind the stumps to a bowling attack that almost exclusively used spin, completing three stumpings and teaming up for two runouts.

Pic (Right): Makin kept wicket adequately and scored the most runs for any keeper

The 14-year-old Mill Creek (Mich.) Middle School student finished with far and away the most runs for any keeper in the event with 106 runs at 26.50 and scored one half-century (57 vs. South West).

10. Ryan Persaud, right-arm leg-spin/right-hand batsman, Atlantic – A lethal leg-spinner, Persaud’s perfect flight and sharp turn caused problems for every team he faced. His performances with the ball were consistent as he took at least three wickets in all four games.

Pic (Left): Persaud took 13 wickets and was named the tournament's Best Bowler in addition to scoring 139 runs

Persaud claimed 13 scalps for 48 runs at an average of 3.69 with an economy rate of 1.99 in 24.1 overs to be named the tournament’s Best Bowler. His top performance with the ball was 4 for 15 in 6.2 overs against eventual tournament champion North West, the best figures any bowler turned in against the title winners. With the bat, he scored 139 runs at an average of 34.75 including one half-century (75 vs. South East).

11. Harish Saikara, right-arm medium, Directors’ XI – Overlooked for the Atlantic Region squad, Saikara finished as the leading wicket-taker for all pace bowlers in the tournament with 10 for 162, the second most wickets overall behind only Persaud. His slingshot action caused problems for many batsmen.

Pic (Right): Harish took 5 for 56 against New York - four were clean bowled

Saikara’s best performance was 5 for 56 against New York, with four of the five clean bowled. His runs conceded are skewed because Directors’ XI played three of their four games on a Branch Brook Park pitch with a very short (35-40 yards) boundary on the west side of the ground.

Honorable Mentions

There are also five players who performed well to deserve honorable mention but did not make the list above, in some cases due to a close call. They are named in no particular order.

Rishi Patel, right-hand batsman/right-arm leg-spin, Atlantic – Patel finished tied for fourth in the wickets column with 8 for 51 and scored 55 runs for the fourth place team in the tournament.

Pic (Left): Patel, one half of the Atlantic leg-spinner duo, tied for fourth in the wickets column

In the crucial match against the eventual champion North West, Patel accounted for three of the seven wickets to fall to leg-spin. While Patel finished with 3 for 15 in four overs, Persaud took 4 for 15 in 6.2 overs. Against South East, Patel scored 41 as an opener and took 4 for 16 in six overs.

Vivek Barbhaiya, wicketkeeper/right-hand batsman, Directors’ XI – Turned in an outstanding performance behind the stumps against Central East, taking two catches and completing four stumpings to have the most dismissals for any player in a single game.

Pic (Right): Barbhaiya finished with the most dismissals and had 58 runs in the tournament

Barbhaiya topped all wicketkeepers with 10 dismissals overall in the form of three catches and seven stumpings. Barbhaiya top-scored with 30 against New York and had 58 runs in the tournament. The 13-year-old kept wicket for the first time in a match less than a month ago at the U-13 Tournament hosted by California Cricket Academy in Cupertino, Calif.

Pic (Left): Faraz Jaferi made a half-century and took six wickets

Faraz Jaferi, right-hand batsman/left-arm orthodox spin, South East – Scored 98 runs at an average of 32.67 including one half-century (66 not out vs. North East) where he was named Man of the Match. He took 6 for 93 bowling left-arm spin without much help around him.

Raymond Ramrattan, right-hand batsman/right-arm leg-spin, Directors’ XI – One of the youngest players in the tournament, the 10-year-old finished tied for fourth in the wickets column with 8 for 139.

Pic (Right): Ten-year-old Ramrattan tied for fourth in the wickets column

He was named Man of the Match in his team’s victory over North East in the seventh place game where he took 3 for 24 and scored 28 runs before being run out and finished with 57 total runs in four matches. His runs conceded are skewed because his team played three of their four games on the smaller Branch Brook Park pitch.

Nauman Khan, right-arm leg-spin, Central East – The 13-year-old opened the bowling as a leg-spinner in two of four matches for CER showing tremendous control and kept pressure on his opponents. He took 5 for 77 in 28 overs with six maidens. [Photo not available for this player]

In addition to picking an All-Tournament XI, I have ranked the top five players from this event who will have an impact at the U-19 level. Some may push for spots in next year’s USA squad that will be attempting to qualify for the 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup.

1. Zahib Tariq – His game was more polished than anyone else in the tournament. He never looks like getting out and paces his innings remarkably well. Tariq is very athletic and can do anything on the field.

2. Ryan Persaud – Quality leg-spin is hard to find, which makes Persaud worth his weight in gold. Not only is he a wicket-taker, his accuracy is remarkable for a leggie.

3. Roshan Varadarajan – Another player who does everything well. He is extremely valuable in the middle order for his ability to play spin, which most players at this level struggle with. His bowling was superb and he fields like a tiger in the circle.

4. Trevis Ross – Didn’t have to do much with so many good players around him, but showed his class in the final. Being left-handed at the crease also helps his case.

5. Arsh Buch – One of the most technically sound batsmen in the tournament, there is no debating the weight of runs he scored. He will be even better once he fills out his frame.

Top five run-scorers in the tournament

Arsh Buch, North West – 259, 86.33 AVG, one 50, one 100, top score 110 not out
Randall Wilson, New York – 239, 119.50 AVG, one 50, one 100, top score 163 not out
Zahib Tariq, New York – 186, 93.00 AVG, one 50, one 100, top score 112 not out
Shakeel Ahmad, South West – 182, 60.67 AVG, two 50s, top score 72
Rohit Mogalayapalli, Central East – 148, 37.00 AVG, one 50, top score 68

Top five wicket-takers in the tournament

Ryan Persaud, Atlantic – 13 wickets, 24.1 overs, 48 runs, 4 maidens
Harish Saikara, Directors’ XI – 10 wickets, 28 overs, 162 runs, 1 maiden
Roshan Varadarajan, North West – 9 wickets, 18 overs, 59 runs, 3 maidens
Rishi Patel, Atlantic – 8 wickets, 15 overs, 51 runs, 2 maidens
Raymond Ramrattan, Directors’ XI – 8 wickets, 31 overs, 139 runs, 2 maidens

[Views expressed in the article are those of the author. If you have differing views on one or all players, please use the comments section. As the author has stated, there were players that did not get a chance to play to their potential either due to match situations, squad selection or injury, which is why this is an All-Tournament XI. To name an All-American XI, as the USA Cricket Association has done at the U-19 level, a more complete analysis of academy-level or league-level statistics would be necessary.]

USA Under-15 Cricket Day Three: New York and North West advance to finals; Atlantic and Central East to fight for 3rd place.

openingbat — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 11:43:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

Central East wicketkeeper Gordon Makin struck a determined 57 to lead his side to victory over South West by 95 runs at Branch Brook Park in Newark, N.J., on day three of the USACA U-15 National Tournament. Makin top-scored in Central East’s total of 191 for 9 before they bowled out South West for 96 in 32.3 overs. Central East finished 2-1 in Group A and will play in the third place game against Atlantic, who finished second in Group B with a 2-1 record.

Pic (Right): Gordon Makin made a determined 57 for Central East [File photo]

Central East won the toss and elected to bat first on another sweltering hot day in New Jersey as temperatures once again climbed into the 90s with high humidity. Makin and Rohit Mogalayapalli teamed up for a 97-run stand to open the match. South West captain Shakeel Ahmad finally made the first breakthrough in the 23rd over as Mogalayapalli played across to a good length ball from the spinner and was clean bowled for 45.

From that moment forward, South West took wickets at regular intervals to climb back into the game. No one else crossed double-digits for Central East as Makin was the backbone of his team’s innings. He reached his 50 in 91 balls but was clean bowled five balls later on the first delivery of the 38th over from pace bowler Sahaj Patel. Makin tried backing away to cut but missed and the stumps were rattled. However, he had carried Central East to 167 for 5 and got a richly deserved applause from both teams while walking off.

South West looked tired coming out to bat after spending the second straight match fielding first for more than three hours in brutal heat. Central East opted to open with two spinners and the strategy worked wonders as they suffocated the South West top order. Nauman Khan took the first two wickets, having Murad Khan caught for 2 by captain Paarth Joshi at short midwicket prodding at a full length delivery. Khan then had Brahmam Chunduri caught for 1 by Joshi at short cover as the batsman backed away to punch a delivery through the off side but Joshi scooped it inches from the ground and South West was struggling at 13 for 2 in the ninth over.

Ahmad was one of two South West players to pass double-digits and the number three batsman was the only person standing in the way of Central East wrapping up the match. Ahmad had reached 31 by the last drinks break after 30 overs with the score on 92 for 6 as South West clung on hoping that he might lead them to a thrilling comeback needing 100 off the last 10 overs.

But on the very first ball after drinks, Ahmad got his bat stuck in the pitch as he came down the track trying to drive the leg-spin of Arsalan Babar. The batsman couldn’t get his bat back in time and was stumped for the seventh wicket. The final three men fell for another four runs as Central East wrapped up the game easily. Three bowlers had two wickets apiece but Khan finished with by far the best figures, taking 2 for 10 in eight overs with three maidens.

In the other match at Branch Brook Park, New York once again feasted on the tiny west side boundary at the northern ground, racking up 299 for 5 in 40 overs as they defeated Directors’ XI by 186 runs to sweep Group A and clinch a spot in the championship match. Randall Wilson scored 163 not out coming in at number four, hitting 26 fours and six sixes along the way.

Pic (Right): New York's Randall Wilson looked like he hardly broke a sweat after walking off with 163 not out. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna]

Directors’ XI gave New York a few tense moments as pace bowler Harish Saikara took all five wickets to make the score 99 for 5. But Wilson was unperturbed and finished the innings putting on an unbroken sixth wicket stand of 200 in the final 30 overs with Surendra Singh. Such was the dominance of Wilson that Singh only scored 18 runs in that partnership.

“My coach tells me that when I go into bat, make sure we bat all 40 overs,” said Wilson. He has done his best to follow New York coach Ricky Kissoon’s advice. As a result, Wilson is the leading run-scorer in the tournament heading into the final day with 228 runs in three innings while he has only been dismissed once. In the field, Zahib Tariq had the best figures for New York, turning in 3 for 16 in five overs to help bowl out Directors’ XI for 113 in 24.3 overs.

At Weequahic Park, Atlantic defeated South East by 91 runs. Rishi Patel hit 41 opening for Atlantic while Ryan Persaud hit 10 fours and two sixes during his 75 in a team total of 192 for 5. The two leg-spinners then rolled through South East’s lineup as Patel took 4 for 16 in six overs while Persaud finished with 3 for 11 in 6.1 overs. South East’s Faraz Jaferi scored 28, but got no support as his side was bowled out for 101 in 29.1 overs. South East will play South West in the fifth place game as both teams finished 1-2 in group play.

As was anticipated after day one, North West punched their ticket into the final against New York by sweeping Group B with a 254-run win over North East at Orange Park. North West racked up the highest innings score in group play, registering 326 for 6 in 40 overs. Arsh Patel scored 87 for North West while fellow opener Dave Parikh scored 51. North West captain Roshan Varadarajan cashed in for the first time with the bat in this tournament, finishing 54 not out.

North East captain Karanjit Singh played a lone hand at the top of the order, scoring 35 not out in North East’s total of 72. Five North West bowlers took two wickets apiece, including Varadarajan and Parikh. North East will play Directors’ XI in the seventh place game where both teams will be trying to avoid going winless in the tournament.

USACA U-15 National Tournament
Central East vs. South West
Central East won by 95 runs
Central East won the toss and elected to bat

Central East Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls    4s    6s    Dismissal
G Makin+        57    96    3    0    b Sahaj Patel
R Mogalayapalli    45    80    5    1    b Ahmad
A Ahuja        7    18    0    0    b Ahmad
P Joshi*        6    10    1    0    ct P Singh b Sahil Patel
A Mayasandra        5    6    1    0    b Heran Patel
A Sridher        3    18    0    0    b Sahaj Patel
P Patel            0    1    0    0    runout (Suraj Patel/Chunduri)
N Khan        9    8    0    0    st Arjun Patel+ b Suraj Patel
V Joglekar        9    4    0    1    not out
S Kumar        0    3    0    0    b Suraj Patel
Total Extras        50 (4 no balls, 4 byes, 3 leg byes, 39 wides)
Team Total         191 for 9 in 40 overs

Did not bat: A Babar

South West Bowling    Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets
G Singh        5-1-20-0
Sahaj Patel        5-0-28-2
M Khan        6-1-22-0
S Ahmad        8-0-28-2
P Singh        2-0-13-0
Heran Patel        5-0-28-1
Sahil Patel        8-0-36-1
Suraj Patel        2-0-9-2

South West Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls    4s    6s    Dismissal
M Khan        2    12    0    0    ct Joshi b Khan
B Chunduri        1    26    0    0    ct Joshi b Khan
S Ahmad*        31    71    2    0    st Mayasandra+ b Babar
P Singh        2    26    0    0    runout (Joglekar)
Suraj Patel        6    17    1    0    LBW Sridher
T Mohammad        9    10    0    1    ct Mogalayapalli b Babar
Sahil Patel        0    3    0    0    ct Joglekar b Sridher
Arjun Patel+        10    17    0    0    b Joshi
Sahaj Patel        0    7    0    0    ct Khan b Patel
G Singh        1    5    0    0    runout (sub (Tirunalayi)/Joshi)
Heran Patel        1    1    0    0    not out
Total Extras        33 (1 no ball, 0 byes, 1 leg bye, 31 wides)
Team Total        96 all out in 32.3 overs

Central East Bowling    Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets
N Khan        8-3-10-2
V Joglekar        5-1-14-0
A Sridher        8-1-31-2
A Babar        8-1-26-2
A Ahuja        2-0-10-0
P Joshi            1-0-1-1
P Patel            0.3-0-3-1

USA Under-15 Cricket Day Two: Tariq and Buch centuries keep New York and North West undefeated

openingbat — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 13:53:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

New York opener Zahib Tariq turned in a near flawless performance against South West, carrying his bat for 112 not out to lead his side to a 160-run win on Friday at Weequahic Park in Newark, NJ, on day two of the USACA U-15 National Tournament. New York finished 236 for 4 in 40 overs on the same ground where North West and Atlantic struggled to score that many runs combined on Thursday.

Pic (Right): New York's Zahib Tariq walks off the field holding his bat high after batting all 40 overs, finishing 112 not out with five fours and two sixes. [Courtesy - Peter Della Penna]

The match began after a 67-minute delay which happened because the umpires were not supplied with any cricket balls to start the match. New York won the toss and elected to bat first. Tariq walked out with Randall Wilson a day after both players scored half-centuries in New York’s 10-wicket win over Central East.

South West made an early breakthrough in the field when Sahaj Patel had Wilson caught at mid-off by captain Shakeel Ahmad for 4 after top-edging an attempted pull shot to make it 17 for 1 in the fifth over. From there though, New York dominated proceedings.

The 15-year-old Tariq was joined by Rezaul Karim and the two put on a clinical display of batting during a second wicket stand of 154. Karim faced 10 dot balls to begin his innings after Tariq started his time at the crease with nine dot balls. Once both players got their eyes in, they started to make use of the big field, finding gaps at will to rotate the strike and keep the scoreboard moving as South West toiled in the field on a day where the temperature rose into the mid 90s.

“The basic strategy was not just Zahib, but with the other opener as well, is to occupy the crease,” said New York coach Ricky Kissoon. “Occupy the crease and play the ball on the ground, keep it flat. Chances are if you hit the ball in the air, you’re gonna get out so we use that as a strategy for all the matches that we approach.”

Tariq reached 50 in 89 balls and immediately afterward started to press his foot on the accelerator, clubbing a six over mid off before bashing a four through the leg side on his next two balls. Karim brought up his 50 in 68 balls with a boundary off a pull shot through square leg but fell on the very next ball, driving spin bowler Heran Patel straight to Sahaj Patel at short midwicket to go for 52. New York captain Trevis Ross tried to up the scoring rate, hitting a four over square leg on his second ball but fell three balls later for 7 as Heran Patel claimed his second, caught by Prabhjot Singh at deep midwicket.

Jamel Parillon joined Tariq as he approached triple figures. After taking a few overs to settle in, Parillon did well to keep getting his partner on strike as Tariq went from the 80s into the 90s. Tariq didn’t stay there for long though, spending only nine balls in the 90s before reaching his century. He moved from 91 to 97 with the shot of the day, a glorious heave over midwicket that cleared the boundary by 15 yards. Three singles later, he raised his bat upon reaching 100 in 126 balls, scoring his second 50 in only 37 deliveries.

Parillon fell for 14 to Heran Patel with seven balls to go in the innings, driving a ball to Gagandeep Singh at short midwicket. Mahmudur Rahman joined Tariq for the remaining deliveries. Tariq offered his only chance on 108 on the first ball of the final over by Suraj Patel when he was dropped at deep midwicket, but otherwise he played a clean innings and deserved to walk off unbeaten with his 112 including five fours and two sixes after batting for three hours and 20 minutes.

Post Match Interview with New York's Zahib Taqir and Coach Ricky Kissoon from Peter Della Penna on Vimeo.

“Just play straight and just try to get more runs and occupy the crease,” said Tariq when asked about the key to his success so far in this tournament.

Overall, South West’s bowling and fielding was commendable. Despite the scorching heat, they continued to chase hard for balls, mixing in some diving efforts along the way. New York’s batting was just too good.

South West’s lineup looked tired at the crease at the start of the chase after spending so long in the field and New York showed no mercy by pouncing on them. Opener Murad Khan was bowled by Wilson for a duck to make it 5 for 1 before his fellow opener Suraj Patel was bowled for 3 by the centurion’s younger brother, Mohib Tariq, to make it 8 for 2. Prabhjot Singh fell next for 2, caught behind by Leandre London off Wilson to make it 24 for 3. Ahmad showed some good skills in reaching 19 to top score for South West a day after hitting 72, but he was bowled by Parillon to make it 35 for 4 and South West folded up quickly to finish 76 all out in 27.2 overs.

“We’ve been practicing for a short period of time Monday through Friday and it’s not easy when kids are coming from different parts,” said Kissoon about the team’s preparation for the tournament before highlighting Tariq as an example of the team’s dedication. “Zahid is actually coming from Coney Island and we practice in Queens so it’s almost two hours in public transportation for him. So we try to work it out.”

Parillon finished with 2 for 14 in four overs and was New York’s most impressive bowler. Wilson took 2 for 12 in five overs while spinner Andrew Deodat took 2 for 8 in 3.2 overs. New York is 2-0 in the event and will face Directors’ XI on Saturday. A win will take them through to the final.

New York’s most likely opponent will be North West, who stayed unbeaten with a 208-run win over South East at Branch Brook Park. Arsh Buch scored 110 not out in North West’s total of 270 for 6 as the team seized on the very short boundary on the west side of the ground. Buch hit 12 fours and two sixes opening the match for North West before Vivek Jayram took 5 for 12 in four overs to bundle out South East for 62.

Pic (Right): Arsh Buch scored 110 not out with 12 fours and 2 sixes

“I think the biggest difference was that we didn’t lose that many quick wickets as we did yesterday and I think I was also a little bit more aggressive,” said Buch. “Yesterday I heard I scored 22 off 72 balls so that’s really slow and today I think I was a little bit more aggressive which kind of helped and the boundary I guess was a little shorter.”

Atlantic bounced back from their first day defeat to North West with a seven-wicket win over North East at Branch Brook Park. Atlantic bowled North East out for 52 in 14.4 overs before passing the target in 8.5 overs. Ryan Persaud took 3 for 13 in 3.4 overs of leg-spin bowling while seamer Ghous Agha took 3 for 7 in six overs. Shan Razac finished 22 not out for Atlantic.

Central East notched their first win of the tournament, defeating Directors’ XI by 86 runs at Orange Park. Central East scored 220 all out in 39 overs batting first. Rohit Magalayapalli top-scored with 68 for Central East while captain Paarth Joshi chipped in with 44.

Directors’ XI 10-year-old player Raymond Ramrattan took 4 for 46 while wicketkeeper Vivek Barbhaiya completed six dismissals, including three stumpings. Ramrattan also scored 20 as Directors’ XI finished 134 for 8 in 40 overs. Nauman Khan and Arsalan Babar took three wickets apiece for Central East.

The final day of group play will see 2-0 North West play 0-2 North East at Weequahic Park and 1-1 Atlantic take on 1-1 South East at Orange Park in Group A. At Branch Brook Park, 2-0 New York will face 0-2 Directors’ XI while 1-1 Central East will face 1-1 South West. All matches are scheduled for a 10:30 am start.

USACA U-15 National Tournament
New York vs. South West
New York won by 160 runs
New York won the toss and elected to bat

New York Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls    4s    6s    Dismissal
Z Tariq        112    134    5    2    not out
R Wilson        4    13    0    0    ct Ahmad b Sahaj Patel
R Karim        52    69    7    0    ct Sahaj Patel b Heran Patel
T Ross*        7    5    1    0    ct P Singh b Heran Patel
J Parillon        14    19    0    0    ct G Singh b Heran Patel
M Rahman        2    3    0    0    not out
Total Extras        45 (3 no balls, 0 byes, 1 leg bye, 41 wides)
Team Total        236 for 4 in 40 overs

Did not bat: L London+, M Tariq, S Singh, B Dat, A Deodat

South West Bowling    Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets
Sahaj Patel        4-0-31-1
G Singh        7-0-28-0
M Khan        8-1-33-0
S Ahmad        8-0-42-0
P Singh        2-0-18-0
Suraj Patel        6-0-43-0
Heran Patel        3-0-28-3
Sahil Patel        2-0-12-0

South West Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls    4s    6s    Dismissal
M Khan        0    10    0    0    b Wilson
Suraj Patel        3    13    0    0    b M Tariq
S Ahmad*        19    31    2    0    b Parillon
P Singh        2    13    0    0    ct London+ b Wilson
T Mohammad        9    18    0    0    ct Karim b Parillon
B Chunduri        5    36    0    0    runout (M Tariq/Wilson)
Sahil Patel        3    14    0    0    b Ross
A Patel            3    10    0    0    not out
Sahaj Patel        6    13    1    0    b Deodat
G Singh        2    2    0    0    runout (Rahman/London+)
Heran Patel        1    5    0    0    st London+ b Deodat
Total Extras         23 (1 no ball, 0 byes, 1 leg bye, 21 wides)
Team Total         76 all out in 27.2 overs

New York Bowling
R Wilson         5-0-12-2
M Tariq        5-0-12-1
J Parillon        4-0-14-2
B Dat            5-0-14-2
T Ross            5-1-9-1
A Deodat        3.2-0-8-2

USA Under-15 Cricket Day One: North West, South West, South East and New York post wins

openingbat — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:46:00 GMT

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By Peter Della Penna

Defending champion North West Region scratched their way to a 23-run win over the Atlantic Region on the first day of the USACA U-15 National Tournament at Weequahic Park on Thursday afternoon in Newark, NJ. The match was delayed two hours after being moved to Weequahic Park because Watsessing Park, one of the original venues, was unplayable due to heavy rain in the area on Wednesday.

Pic (Right): Ryan Persaud took 4 for 15 and scored 38 runs [Courtesy: ICUSA]

Atlantic won the toss and elected to bowl first, but their attack was jittery at the start and it cost them in the end. A combination of nerves and inexperience from the pace bowlers contributed to a total of 50 wides bowled by Atlantic.

Arsh Buch and Dave Parikh constructed a 44-run opening partnership in 9.3 overs in which 25 of the runs came from wides. Buch wound up finishing as the top batsman for North West with 22 in 72 balls. He did not try to dominate the bowlers but instead defended as many deliveries as he could as the runs continued to come in extras.

NWR was 95 for 3 in the 22nd over when Ryan Persaud finally ended Buch’s stay at the crease by looping up a big leg-break delivery down leg side which Buch left alone, only to see it turn back sharply and rattle his stumps as Buch was bowled around his legs. This triggered a collapse as NWR could not handle the twin leg-spin of Persaud and Rishi Patel. Between them they accounted for the final seven wickets to fall for only 40 runs. The only other player to cross double-digits for NWR was Neil Tagare who tallied 21 off 52.

Persaud finished with 4 for 15 in 6.2 overs while Patel finished with 3 for 15 in 4 overs. Patel was on a hat-trick at one point after claiming the wickets of Sefath Yasini for 5 and Vivek Jayram for 6 on consecutive balls when they were caught on the boundary trying to slog. Patel wasted his hat-trick ball though by bowling a wide down leg side, which summed up Atlantic’s effort in the field: flashes of brilliance neutralized by lapses in concentration. Persaud took the final wicket of Ankush Prakash for 1 as NWR was bowled out for 135 in 35.2 overs.

Atlantic’s chase never really gained any momentum as wickets fell at regular intervals. Patel was the first wicket to fall for 5, caught brilliantly by Parikh diving forward from point off the left-arm seam bowling of Buch. Persaud came out to join William Gillard, who soon left LBW to Yasini for 5 to make it 27 for 2 in the 8th over.

Pic (Left): Arsh Buch was top scorer for North West with a cautious but effective 22 from 72 balls.

Persaud tried his best to lead Atlantic back into the game as wickets kept falling around him. He was also fortunate to survive on 6 when he was trapped in front of the stumps, but was spared when the umpire called no-ball on Buch for overstepping the mark. North West bowled 13 no-balls on the day. Persaud teamed up with Gauranshu Sharma to add 32 for the 5th wicket, but with the required run rate rising, the pressure started to build until Sharma went for a big heave and was out stumped for 11 against the off-spin bowling of North West’s captain Roshan Varadarajan, who finished with 3 for 15 in 8 overs.

Atlantic still held hopes of winning as long as Persaud was at the wicket, but he finally perished in the 37th over going for a risky single to get back on strike and was run out for 38 to make it 108 for 9. Parikh bowled Sahan Ratnayake for 2 in the next over to seal the win as the left-arm seamer finished with 3 for 12 in 7.4 tidy overs.

In the other matches of the day, New York made short work of Central East’s 141 at Branch Brook Park, winning by 10 wickets in 25.1 overs. Randall Wilson scored 61 not out and fellow opener Zahib Tariq walked off unbeaten on 57 for New York.

South West defeated Directors’ XI by 128 runs in the other match at Branch Brook Park. Batting first, SWR made 186 for 9 in 40 overs with Shakeel Ahmad scoring 72 coming in at number three. Pace bowler Murad Khan then took 6 for 5 in 7 overs for SWR to help bowl out the Directors’ squad for 57 in 21.4 overs.

South East defeated North East by seven wickets in a match that was shifted from Watsessing Park to Orange Park. Faraz Jaferi turned in a solid Man of the Match all-round display for South East taking 2 for 14 in the field from 8 overs before scoring 66 not out as South East chased down North East’s total of 158 for 7, passing the target in 30 overs.

Friday’s games will see North West take on South East in a battle of unbeatens at Branch Brook Park while Atlantic will take on North East at the same ground. Central East will play Directors’ XI at Orange Park. South West will play New York at Weequahic Park. Officials are hopeful that Watsessing Park will be suitable to use by Saturday as temperatures are expected to be in the 90s for the rest of the weekend and should help to dry up the wet field there. All matches are scheduled for a 10:30 am start.

USACA U-15 National Tournament
Atlantic vs. North West
North West won by 23 runs
Atlantic won the toss and elected to field

North West Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls     4s    6s    Dismissal
A Buch        22    72    0    0    b Persaud
D Parikh        9    24    0    0    ct Gillard b Khan
V Altekar        0    4    0    0    b Ratnayake
R Varadarajan*    4    7    0    0    runout (Gillard/Razac+)
N Tagare        21    52    0    0    ct Sharma b Patel
M Athavale        5    21    0    0    ct Silva b Persaud
S Yasini        5    8    1    0    ct Rajram b Patel
I Amritharaj+        0    2    0    0    ct Patel b Persaud
V Jayram        6    18    0    0    ct Silva b Patel
A Prakash        1    3    0    0    ct Razac+ b Persaud
S Pedada        0    3    0    0    not out
Total Extras        62 (2 no balls, 8 byes, 2 leg byes, 50 wides)
Team Total         135 all out in 35.2 overs

Atlantic Bowling    Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets
V Rajram        5-0-23-0
S Khan            6-1-20-1
S Ratnayake        4-0-18-1
N Mehdi        5-0-20-0
G Sharma        5-1-0-14
R Persaud        6.2-0-15-4
R Patel            4-0-15-3

Atlantic Batting
Batsman        Runs    Balls    4s    6s    Dismissal
R Patel            5    30    0    0    ct Parikh b Buch
W Gillard        5    22    0    0    LBW Yasini
R Persaud        38    87    1    0    runout (Athavale/Amritharaj+)
T Silva*         2    19    0    0    runout (Varadarajan/Amritharaj+)
S Khan            0    7    0    0    b Varadarajan
G Sharma        11    43    0    0    st Amritharaj+ b Varadarajan
S Razac+        0    3    0    0    ct & b Varadarajan
M Singh        2    6    0    0    ct Athavale b Parikh
V Rajram        1    3    0    0    ct Jayram b Parikh
S Ratnayake        2    13    0    0    b Parikh
N Mehdi        3    3    0    0    not out
Total Extras        43 (13 no balls, 1 bye, 1 leg bye, 28 wides)
Team Total        112 all out in 37.4 overs

North West Bowling    Overs-Maidens-Runs-Wickets
A Buch        6-0-24-1
S Yasini        7-0-21-1
D Parikh        7.4-1-12-3
R Varadarajan        8-2-15-3
M Athavale        3-0-12-0
S Pedada        2-0-4-0
N Tagare        1-0-6-0
V Altekar        3-0-16-0

USA Cricket - National Under-15 Championship begins on Thursday, July 15

openingbat — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 03:50:00 GMT

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2010 National Under-15 Cricket Championship

The 2010 USA Under-15 Cricket Championship will be conducted between July 15 to July 18, 2010 in and around Newark, New Jersey. The main tournament venues are Watsessing Park in Bloomfield NJ and Branchbrook Park in Newark NJ. One match on Sunday will also be played at Laurel Hill Park.

Matches will commence following an opening ceremony on Thursday, July 15th at the Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ. The eight teams in the tournament have been divided into two groups - Group A comprising North West, Atlantic Region, South East, North East and Group B comprising New York, Central East, South West, Directors XI.

Following is the schedule:

Thursday, July 15

8:00 AM - Managers/Coaches meeting for all teams

9:00 AM - Opening Ceremonies for all teams.

10:30 AM - Matches begin -

Group A: NWR vs AR, Watsessing Park B
Group A: SER vs NER, Watsessing Park A
Group B: NYR vs CER, Branch Brook A
Group B: SWR vs Dir XI, Branch Brook B

Friday, July 16

10:30 AM - Matches begin -

Group A: NWR vs SER, Branch Brook A
Group A: AR vs NER, Branch Brook B
Group B: NYR vs SWR, Watsessing Park A
Group B: CER vs Dir XI, Watsessing Park B

Tournament Dinner - All Teams 8:00PM at Hotel Banquet Room

Saturday, July 17

10:30 AM - Matches begin -

Group A: NWR vs NER, Watsessing Park A
Group A: AR vs SER, Watsessing Park B
Group B: NYR vs DIR XI, Branch Brook B
Group B: CER vs SWR, Branch Brook A

Sunday, July 18

Group A1 vs Group B1, 9:00 AM at Laurel Hill Park
Group A2 vs Group B2, 10:30 AM at Branch Brook B
Group A3 vs Group B3, 9:30AM at Watsessing Park B
Group A4 vs Group B4, 10:30AM at Branch Brook A

Awards Presentation at 5:30 PM at Branch Brook

The matches will consist of one innings per side and each innings will be limited to 40 overs. A minimum of 20 overs per team shall constitute a match.

DreamCricket.com pledges 100 free cricket kits for USA cricket development. Delivers 15 kits to USYCA.

openingbat — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 02:20:00 GMT

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DreamCricket.com pledges 100 free cricket kits for USA cricket development. Delivers 15 kits to USYCA.

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ – DreamCricket.com, USA’s premier cricket website, made a pledge today to donate 100 cricket kits to the United States Youth Cricket Association (USYCA) and other qualified organizations.

The company announced that it had already donated the first 15 kits to USYCA and will donate the remaining 85 kits in a phased manner before year-end. A number of elementary schools, such as Highland Park in Landover, Maryland and summer camps, such as Hidden Meadows in Bartow, West Virginia, have benefited from the free kits thereby introducing cricket to over 800 cricketers in the under-12 age category.

Pic (Right): USYCA camp in progress at Highland Park Elementary School. Equipment was provided by DreamCricket.com

Charles Silberman, the Physical Education instructor at Highland Park E.S. said, “The school was provided with a set of equipment to keep, and the instruction provided to the students was easy to understand, age appropriate, and it allowed the students to start playing a modified version of cricket within a thirty minute class period.”

DreamCricket.com also announced that its retail store - The Pavilion (PavilionShop.com) became the Official Equipment Supplier to USYCA. In its position as Official Equipment Supplier, DreamCricket will provide cricket sets for USYCA affiliates’ use in their schools programs. The kits sold through USYCA affiliates will be sold at a discounted rate. The discounted rate will also apply to children in USYCA programs that wish to purchase sets of their own. In addition, for each set purchased from DreamCricket.com, a donation will be made by DreamCricket.com to USYCA.

Kranthi Bayya, CEO of DreamCricket said, “DreamCricket.com is committed to bringing youth cricket to the United States, and we are excited to be affiliated with the USYCA team, because we recognize the great progress and potential there. At DreamCricket Academy, we have run Kiddie Cricket programs and we understand the difficulties faced in youth cricket development at the grass-roots level. USYCA came to us with a plan earlier this year and we worked together on a pilot program and saw first-hand the quality of their execution in youth cricket development. We now want to cement this partnership for the long-term so that USYCA can continue to do the great work they have been doing. We look forward with great anticipation to the future of youth cricket in the USA.”

Jamie Harrison, President of USYCA, said, “We are delighted to be working with DreamCricket.com, America’s number one online cricket destination. This partnership demonstrates their vision and willingness to invest in youth cricket in the United States, and speaks volumes about their national leadership. I couldn’t think of a more perfect match for USYCA.”

Pic (Left): USYCA Cricket Camp at Hidden Meadows using equipment provided by DreamCricket.com

Since 2007, DreamCricket.com, has grown rapidly into USA’s premier cricket news and opinion website. A sister website, The Pavilion Shop, now accessible online and offline, is now one of the nation’s largest cricket stores, boasting a 6,000 sq. ft. physical location and offering high-end indoor facility with bowling machines and an astro-grass surface. DreamCricket Academy is the company’s development arm that offers several coaching camps and sessions tailored to meet the needs of individual cricketers across all ages and skill levels. The Academy is aided by US-based and international coaches including Coach Earl Daley, Coach Ian Pont and Coach Bharath Kumar.

The Academy is frequently visited by legendary test cricketers and the Academy's teams participate in different tournaments in the Under-15 and Under-13 age categories.

The United States Youth Cricket Association (http://usyouthcricket.org) is dedicated to introducing cricket to American children by supporting local youth cricket organizations and by sharing funding, printed and digital resources, and “best practices.” It is also a network of dedicated volunteers who give their time, energy and money to bring cricket to schools. USYCA, working closely with clubs, training facilities and academies, will be a feeder system, supplying a steady flow of new, young cricketers with which to fill their ranks. USYCA is also firmly committed to fully developing women’s cricket by drawing girls into our sport at an early age and shepherding them through to national teams.

For details, contact Kranthi Bayya of DreamCricket.com at 877-HIT-A-SIX (877-448-2749). To reach Jamie Harrison of USYCA, please email usyouthcricket @ gmail . com

Six Stages of US Youth Cricket Development - Jamie Harrison

openingbat — Mon, 17 May 2010 02:04:00 GMT

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

By Jamie Harrison

I’ve spent a lot of time talking and writing about how to get kids playing cricket in America, and the importance of taking the game to them while they are still in elementary school.

What I’ve discovered in the past few months is that I was not alone in my view of things; in fact, it seems as if there were literally hundreds of you who had the same idea, but were just waiting for someone to raise a flag somewhere to rally around. For many of you, the USYCA has become that flag, and for that I am deeply grateful.

As the USYCA has rapidly expanded, I am often asked for my broader view of cricket development in America. In other words: “OK, so you teach them the game while they’re young. Then what?” Sometimes, this question disguises a deeper concern that the USYCA intends to replace or supplant existing academies, clinics and youth leagues.
Nothing, of course, could be farther from the truth.

In my “cricket worldview,” I see the USYCA, academies, clinics, clubs and youth teams as partners in a harmoniously synchronized process, by which small children who know nothing about cricket become young adults competing for spots on national teams. As I see it, everyone has a specific, and very important role to play, and if the process fails at any point along the way, the end objective is not met.

Let me explain.

The process I will describe can be separated into six unique stages, each with its own place and clientele. If we try to cheat the system by skipping stages, the result will usually be less than satisfying. On the other hand, if we adhere tightly to the developmental process, we will, with patience and in time, produce a generation of Americans that can compete with, and win matches against, any nation in the world.

Here are the stages, described:

Stage 1 – Young children are introduced to a low-intensity, fun-filled version of cricket in places such as elementary schools, summer camps or public demonstrations. In this stage, the emphasis is on teaching the simplest forms of the game, and allowing the children to quickly play the game with very little pressure or technical instruction. Here we nurture their love for cricket by letting them enjoy it; in Stage 1, it’s all about the fun.

Stage 2 – Here children are formed into community softball cricket leagues, where the fun can continue outside of the limitations of gym class. By expanding the time when they can play, we are allowed to do some rudimentary instruction and we can devote more resources to nurturing not just their love for the game, but also their understanding of it. It is in Stage 2 where some children will begin to separate themselves from their peers, and many of these children will yearn for something more challenging; these we will channel toward local academies, indoor facilities and other instructional programs.

Stage 3 – This is where we will find our our indoor training facilities and specialist coaching clinics. These are the places where parents will bring their aspiring young cricketer to learn the proper way to play a pull shot, to stump a batter or to bowl with leg spin. Here the children will first put on their cricket armor and stride clumsily into the nets, where, with the patient encouragement of a dedicated coach, they will learn to be of value to their team.

This is the stage where the hard, “nitty-gritty” work of cricket development takes place. Here much sweat and frustration will be invested, and trusting parents will spend many dollars. Here, the raw, unskilled youngster will become the promising new talent of tomorrow. Stage 3, then, is the factory floor where the raw material supplied by Stages 1 and 2 become products ready for the finishing work of Stages 4 and 5.

Stage 4 – Now our young prospect is finally ready be placed on youth hardball teams, playing in youth hardball leagues. This is a critical development, because we all know that there is only so much coaching that is possible in the nets; much of what is learned must be discovered under fire, in the lonely 22 yards that rests between the wickets.

In Stage 4 we discover whether the promise that was displayed in practice will be carried over into live matches; in Stage 4 we get to see which players will be solid performers, which will be disappointing, and yes, every now and again, which will be considered as top prospects for our national teams. In Stage 4, as we watch certain players execute to perfection, we begin to get excited.

Stage 5 – In this stage, the most talented young players compete for, and are selected to, regional and national youth teams. Here, the kid we’ve “had our eye on” since the age of eight is selected to represent his country against the world’s best youth players. This stage also continues, and elevates, the coaching continuum that our youngster has been receiving; now, as a member of a regional or national squad, the player receives the absolute best coaching that is available to someone at that age.

In Stage 5, the United States begins to reap the rewards for all of the time, hard work and dedication put forward in Stages 1-4. Those who aren’t selected for a regional or national team will continue to play for local clubs as they pursue their dream, or simply their passion.

Stage 6 – And now, at last, we get the big payoff for all that has come before. In Stage 6, our little boy or girl of yesterday is elevated to the national senior team that will carry the flag of the United States into battle against the best cricketers on the face of the earth. In Stage 6, we will debate the wisdom of having the boy from Texas as one of the opening batsmen; we will argue over whether the girl from Ohio should have bowled the final over; and we will rejoice as a nation when the kid from Kansas hits a match-winning six against Australia. In Stage 6, the process is complete, and America has taken its place beside the other cricketing nations of the world.

In examining these stages, it becomes easy to identify what programs fit into what stages. While USYCA is clearly focused on Stages 1 and 2; other organizations have varying objectives. While some organizations like DreamCricket Academy run Stage 1 and Stage 2 programs in addition to Stage 3 clinics, many other academies are mostly focused on Stage 3 programs, while the teams they sponsor fall squarely into Stage 4.

In this hierarchy, the role of the USYCA is to provide guidance, structure and support for Stage 1 and 2 programs, including, but not limited to, material support, networking, sharing of resources and practical advice, such as developing “best practices.” By partnering with the USYCA, programs are able to leverage a powerful resource that will enable them to accomplish much more, much faster.

The distinctions between stages are not arbitrary, in fact, they are terribly important, because when it comes to introducing the game of cricket to a child with no previous knowledge of it, we can see that there is a clear correlation between the stage at which that child discovers cricket and the likelihood that the child will adopt the game and play it well.

For example, a child who first learns the game at age seven in school, and then methodically ascends the stages of development will undoubtedly be more likely to stay with cricket than a child of the same age who is introduced to the game at a Stage 3 facility. There’s nothing wrong with the Stage 3 program, it just serves a different purpose and is not a place for discovering the joy of cricket.

In a Stage 3 facility, the focus is on coaching and perfecting technique more so than having fun; a novice, especially a young one, will quickly tire of spending hours on his grip and stance when he’d rather be running and playing with wild abandon.

In the past, we have expended far too much time and energy trying to “game the system” by thinking we can jump to Stage 3, and turn kids on to cricket by putting them in helmet and pads and then spending a half an hour with them trying to perfect their swing.

Think about the way you first played the game when you were a child. How long was it before you first put on the heavy gear? And in the meantime, how many hours did you spend racing back and forth between the wickets? (Even if the wickets were your mother’s kitchen chairs.) We must first fall in love with cricket by playing it, before we can find the determination to work hard enough at it to become good. And don’t think, not even for a minute, that children new to the game will look forward to the prospect of standing around in pads being coached on their technique. Children want to run; children want to shout; children want to play – not to be coached.

This is where the stages help us to recognize the truth: It becomes incrementally more difficult to convert someone to cricket as we move up the stages. While it is easy to create cricket lovers from novices in Stage 1 and even Stage 2 programs, it is considerably more difficult in a Stage 3 program, and impossible beyond that point. (Let’s face it: placing a novice in a Stage 4 program might just get him killed). And the wonderful thing about following the program in stages is that the child will almost always tell you when it’s time to move up a level.

As a teacher at Cardinal Gibbons School, I watched cricket become an overnight phenomenon for dozens of teenagers. Luckily for them, I didn’t know enough about cricket at the time to be able to think I could coach them; otherwise I probably would have wrecked their fun and ruined their enthusiasm.

In April-May of 2008, they played Stage 1 cricket; in September-November, they played Stage 2 cricket; over the winter, they played Stage 3 cricket and in the spring they played Stage 4 cricket – and it worked at every step along the way. Within 12 months, twenty kids went from knowing nothing about the game to being fanatics who were willing to pay $150 each for the chance to be annihilated on a weekly basis by experienced players. That experience was my cricket laboratory, and I’m pleased to say that the elixir has been perfected.

All we need now are enough doctors to distribute the medicine or to help facilitate its distribution; many have volunteered already – I hope that you will join us in this sport revolution.

Dialog on youth cricket calls for greater coordination

openingbat — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 02:54:00 GMT

Ram Varadarajan wrote in an email dated March 30, 2010: “It has been my belief that USA cricket can benefit from a national dialog with inclusive participation and active and open communication.” That belief was shared by roughly 60 participants who dialled into the first call on Monday, April 26, 2010. The topic was - "A national youth program: Coordination among youth academies and youth programs across the country." The callers included leaders of nearly all cricket academies and coordinators of youth cricket programs.

In his introductory remarks, Mr. Varadarajan said that, "Youth cricket (in USA) is mainly led by individuals and is a grassroots effort. There is no real coordination at the national level." He said that while academies and other league initiatives were doing a great job, there is a need to "knit these (efforts) together into a national plan." "USACA has a big role to play," he added.

Pic (Right): Ram Varadarajan began the first in a series of monthly calls for sharing ideas that benefit USA Cricket

Calling it an open forum, Mr. Varadarajan said, "we are just starting a dialog, out of this may emerge a plan." He urged the participants to look forward instead of backward: "no abuse, no screaming, be civil and constructive, let us make this a progressive call." He also asked that participants adhere to strict time limits adding that there will be more calls, including at least one more call on youth cricket.

The response to the national dialog was positive. In an email to DreamCricket.com, one participant wrote: "I was worried that either very few would call in, or that many would call in, [and] each with a different perspective and different solutions, so that there would be little agreed upon and little to take away. What I heard instead was much general agreement, and many of the same experiences."

Another caller told DreamCricket.com he hoped that the call would result in a national federation of youth initiatives and a league for youth cricket that plays year round in various divisions, instead of meeting once a year for a regional or national tournament. "Cricket does not have to look very far for inspiration. Soccer has two national youth organizations both of which are affiliated to the US Soccer Federation. Those youth associations have their own bylaws, national rules and regulations, and policies."

The call featured five speeches followed by a discussion. Speaking first, Jamie Harrison, President of Maryland Youth Cricket Association, told the participants: "You do great work on behalf of cricket in the United States, and I want to say how much I admire your hard work, innovation and dedication. Many of you have labored in obscurity for years, seeking only to do right for those you coached."

Speaking about the Maryland Youth Cricket Association and the national United States Youth Cricket Association, which is in formative stages, Mr. Harrison said, "Our mission is to introduce elementary-school age children to cricket by donating cricket sets and instruction to schools, summer camps and youth groups." According to Mr. Harrison, the US Youth Cricket Association would produce a huge feeder system for upper-level schools, academies and cricket camps.

A former teacher and coach at Cardinal Gibbons, Mr. Harrison said, "Instructors are always on the lookout for new games to break the monotony of class, and schools love it when things are donated for free. Also, cricket is the perfect game for gym classes and once they are made aware of the benefits that cricket holds for themselves and their students, many educators will welcome the game with open arms. As a matter of fact, even now we have schools contacting us to ask that we start them on cricket."

Following Mr. Harrison's speech, Rajesh Suthar of NCCA (Bay Area) spoke about that league's efforts in promoting cricket. He said that there were 60 kids in the league's program between the ages of 6 and 19. But he said that there were not enough teams within the league - which made match-play a challenge. He hoped that the youth programs in his region could put their differences behind and collaborate to provide kids with a regional minor league.

Venu Palaparthi said that the two year old DreamCricket Academy conducts summer camps and specialized coaching in New Jersey. Mr. Palaparthi indicated that the summer camps in 2008 and 2009 were well attended and gradually about 30 of the kids have become year-round cricketers playing at the Academy's indoor facility and when opportunities arose, on a ground. Not having a dedicated ground in the entire state of New Jersey for youth cricket was the biggest obstacle, one that the Academy is looking to overcome during 2010 with support from the cricket community. The Academy has conducted camps across the entire spectrum of junior cricket - from five-year olds at the Kiddie Academy to students with special needs - such as a camp conducted for the NJ School for the Deaf. And it plans to conduct camps in more cities in the future.

Ajay Athavale of California Cricket Academy (Bay Area), the most successful cricket academy in the country by any metric, said that his Academy's goal was to spread cricket. He spoke about the Academy's successful efforts in conducting national level age-group tournaments. This year, the Academy was launching the U-17 age category in the tournament which is planned for June 24-27. Speaking of his Academy's tour program, he said not only had CCA invited outstation teams, most recently a team from CAUSA in Atlanta, it traveled outside its region including overseas tours. He then spoke of the CCA tours to England and India which had given the CCA and some non-CCA boys invaluable turf-wicket experience. He said that the Academy is open to coaching all kids in the areas of skills training and playing in a variety of conditions.

Florida Cricket Academy's Wayne Ramnarine said that several well known junior cricketers such as Steven Taylor and Ricky Nayyar had attended his Academy. He said that Ramnaresh Sarwan recently visited the Academy and coached the boys. The Academy, which has nets at the Ansin Park and plays matches at Brian Piccolo, has access to some of the best facilities in the country for youth cricket. He said that his Academy's biggest wish was to see greater funding from corporate sponsors and USACA. Calling for a national youth coordinator and national agenda, he said that his region's youth coordinator had not visited his youth program.

Shyam Mayasandra spoke on behalf of Michigan Cricket Academy in Detroit, Mr. Mayasandra said that his academy was begun by himself, Vasant Krishnaswamy and Mike Makin in 2004. The academy has had year round activities including winter activities in an indoor arena. He said although 100 kids were on the roster, they did not have the necessary strength to have a youth league. To address that, they organized tournaments at U-15 and U-19 levels which were well represented. He spoke of Detroit's beautiful grounds and also proximity to Toronto's more advanced youth cricket scene as advantages. Mr. Mayasandra hoped for greater cooperation between the regions and called for an end to the island mentality. He hoped that Detroit would one day has something like the Brijesh Patel Academy, which he said had 40 nets in a single ground. He also hoped that USACA would organize a week-long camp at the national level for talented junior cricketers to supplement the national level tournaments.

In the discussion phase of the call, the callers unanimously agreed on the need for a national database for youth cricket, the backbone for which DreamCricket offered to provide. Mr. Varadarajan said that submitting data should be voluntary so that there are no privacy concerns. There was also general agreement on the need for greater coordination, which was the main theme of the call.

Former New York Youth coordinator Clifford Hinds spoke about the need for uniform curriculums among the programs in the country and urged USACA to have a voting member on USACA board who watches out for youth at all times. New Jersey parent Rahul Sharma said that recreational programs were the way to cultivate interest in cricket. He said that township and municipal administrators should be approched for inclusion of cricket in their recreational programs.

Mike Thomas spoke of youth cricket in Philadelphia area and much later, in response to a question by Shahid Ahmed, he also touched on cricket at Haverford and surrounding colleges. In his view, most people in his area espoused the idea of cricket and he saw no reason why cricket could not grow rapidly. Krishna from Chicago wanted to know more about fundraising experiences of other callers. Venu Palaparthi responded with his experience saying it boiled down to marketing and packaging. Mr. Palaparthi noted that having a non-profit status offers a huge advantage for raising funds due to the inherent tax benefits to the donors.

Speaking about his experience with raising money for the national tournaments in California, Mr. Varadarajan said that youth cricket tugs at the heart strings of community and saw no reason why community oriented businesses could not be persuaded to donate money.

Jay Shah of Dallas spoke about the need for product cricket! By that he meant that if the sport was marketed better, more people would play the sport. This was in response to an emailed question by Richard asking regarding a path to a professional career. Mr. Palaparthi spoke briefly about ManasSahu, the president of the Massachusetts State Cricket League, who had initiated a 'One Club, One School' program wherein each club in the league would be encouraged to adopt a school. In response, one caller suggested that leagues should be handed USACA funds based on their involvement with youth cricket.

Mike Makin of MCA said that roughly 4 million kids played soccer and not everyone really aspired to play professional soccer. And those that did dreamt of playing for Real Madrid. His point was that there were enough good reasons to play cricket that not having a professional career path was not a limitation.

Mr. Varadarajan ended the call with a quick note of thanks and promised another call on youth cricket in May.

Speaking to DreamCricket.com, Jamie Harrison said, "In the next call, I would like us to develop further the concept of a nationalized youth cricket organization. Even if we don't get to create the organization, I believe that if we have broad agreement on what it should look like and how it should function, our suggestions will be incorporated into whatever plan eventually emerges. Being able to put forth a specific plan will also make it easier to approach USACA, as opposed to voicing multiple, varied ideas that may be in opposition to each other. It also lets USACA know that they will have eager partners awaiting them when they are ready to move forward in the area of a nationalized youth cricket agenda."

Ram Varadarajan initiates monthly conference calls. First topic is youth cricket.

openingbat — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 20:52:00 GMT

On Monday, April 26, 2010, the USA cricket community will participate in the first of a series of conference calls to facilitate broader exchange of ideas on topics of interest to American cricketers,

Readers of DreamCricket.com will remember Ram Varadarajan as someone who (unsuccessfully) ran for President of USA Cricket Association in 2008. He has largely remained behind the scenes taking a low-profile approach over the last two years, helping youth cricket activities in California and elsewhere. His New Inning campaign promised a Bill of Rights, and one of the rights was “Full and Inclusive Participation.”

Mr. Varadarajan wrote in an email dated March 30, 2010: “It has been my belief that USA cricket can benefit from a national dialog with inclusive participation and active and open communication.”

“It is in the spirit of openness that I want to set up a monthly call to discuss cricket matters, share ideas and solutions amongst constructive and like-minded group of individuals for the benefit of USA cricket.

"The call will be for one hour. This will be an open forum. All are invited. I will be accommodating 125 participants on each call. From time to time, we will have invited speakers as well.”

The topic for the first call, to be held on Monday, April 26, 2010, is - "A national youth program: Coordination among youth academies and youth programs across the country."

Inviting youth cricket coordinators and other key people in youth cricket to join the first call, Mr. Varadarajan wrote: “I know you have all done yeoman’s work for youth cricket as part of an academy, a coaching program, or a schools program. I do not wish for this to be a political conversation.   We all have a lot of good ideas. When we share them kids all over the US will benefit.”

Extending the invitation to USACA officials and league presidents, he wrote: “Feel free to invite others that are involved in youth cricket to attend. Omissions, if any, are purely by accident.”

"The format of the call is simple," he explained.   Following a quick introduction, five speakers who had RSVP’d to his initial email will present for 8 minutes about “what they have achieved, describe ways that they have overcome challenges, opportunities that they see in the future and any specific help that they need.”

Following that, there will be a Question and Answer session. Questions can be sent in advance or during the call – they can be emailed to varadarajan.rammohan@gmail.com with "Youth Cricket" in the subject line or via SMS to 408-772-3151.

Call Details:

When: Monday April 26, 2010 at 9:00 PM Eastern 6.00 PM Pacific.
Who can attend: First 125 callers can attend by calling 1-866-292-5107 toll-free from within the USA. There is no PIN required.
Topic: "A national youth program: Coordination among youth academies and youth programs across the country."

Agenda: Five youth cricket leaders will speak followed by questions and discussion.
Questions can be sent in advance or during the call: To avoid confusion on the call, questions can be emailed to varadarajan.rammohan@gmail.com with "Youth Cricket" in the subject line or via SMS to 408-772-3151.

Five ways to make cricket attractive to Americans - Ben Miron

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

by Ben Miron

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

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

1. Show cricket highlights on television

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

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

2. Give Americans an opportunity to play cricket

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

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

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

3. Make cricket equipment more readily available

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

4. Show cricket on television

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

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

5. $$$

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Peter Della Penna

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Merchandising

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

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

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

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

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

3. It’s a stick and ball game

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

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

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

4. Duration is a plus, not a minus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. Betting

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

USA's best cricket grounds: Fontana Field - Just what the doctor ordered

openingbat — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:52:00 GMT

By Peter Simunovich

Fontana Field: Just what the doctor ordered

When Asif Ahmad decided to buy and build his own field in Fontana, California, a one-hour drive east of Los Angeles, he went the whole nine yards or in cricket terms, the full 22 yards, the length of a cricket pitch.

The pitch at the Fontana field

The Fontana Cricket Ground sits on five acres of land, has a pavilion, four turf pitches in the center square of the field, the practice nets have three turf wickets, a bowling machine and there are another two concrete pitches that are used during winter.

For those who visit and watch games, says Asif, it reminds them of an English cricket field. But there is a lot more to this than just a nice ground in pleasant surroundings.

More than four years ago Asif made a trip to Melbourne, Australia, and visited the Melbourne Cricket Ground, commonly known as the MCG, then later to Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, to talk to the groundsmen and get samples of clay that help make up the turf wickets at the two famous cricket stadiums.

Upon his return, he had them analyzed by an engineer, who worked with a brick company.

The pitches in the nets are 90 percent clay and the wickets on the field are 80 percent clay, said Asif, 53, a physician who moved to the United States from Lahore in 1985.

The Fontana outfield is a cricketer's dream!

Asif used hydro seeding as top soil rather than sods, which, he said, made the wickets spongy. "The pitches are very quick," he told DreamCricket.com.

The field has a pavilion, which is really a 1,200 sq. ft. house, built above ground level to give players a better view of the field. The pavilion has two bedrooms, two bathrooms each with a shower and toilet for the players to use on game days.

Dr. Asif Ahmad - Creator of Fontana field

The front of the house is all glass so players can watch the game from inside. Overall, the field is just what the doctor ordered.

Asif played cricket in Multan as a fast bowler while studying at medical school and while he wasn't destined for a first class career he was "quite passionate about the game," he recalled.

When he came to the US he found everything he wanted except cricket, and there was a period from 1985 to 1998 where there was little cricket, there were some games, but no international matches to watch on TV.

"I missed it," he said.

In 2004 Asif began a youth program with the City of La Mirada on a field with tall grass. But he wanted more. A patient told him about a piece of land and after taking a look at it he bought the five acres for about $1 million.

Nina Ahmad - Heavily involved with
Citrus Valley Cricket Club

"It was vacant land with an old shed, I think it was a chicken farm at some point. It was very dirty at the time," he said. Asif went to the local council and it was very helpful as he talked about developing a cricket field.

He had dreamed for years about having his own field so he could start an academy to teach cricket to the youth in the area. The academy has between 60 and 70 aged from eight to 18 coached at a high quality level by Mumtaz Yosuf, a former spin bowler who played Test cricket for Sri Lanka. He later coached Sri Lanka and also coached in Australia.

"It is highly skilled cricket," said Asif. "I want to give back to the kids." The academy is made up mainly of players from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

"We have a few American kids, but we have found that when they go home cricket stops. They have nobody to talk to about the game or to watch it on TV. The others can go home and talk about the game with their family or watch games on TV," he said.

For Asif, the field is special to him and his family - his wife, Nina, and two sons, Salman, 17, and Shakeel, 14. "We can enjoy it," he said.

Salman, an all rounder, and Shakeel, a leg spinner, have the potential, says Asif, to play at first class level. "We are working with them every day," he said.

Last year Salman represented the South West California Region Under 19 team and will repeat again this summer and Shakeel will do the same with the Under 15 team.

"When I look at the field I feel very satisfied," said Asif. "It is a true cricket field. The pitches are of a high standard, there are nets to practice. It is a breeding ground for cricket. There is a lot of satisfaction and my wife is heavily involved."

The Citrus Valley Cricket Club, which is made up of Under 18 and older cricketers, play on the field during the Southern California Cricket Association season and youth teams from age 10 and upwards also play there.

Asif praised coach Mumtaz for his patience and quality coaching the Americans, who took a while to understand and get used to cricket.

Asif has two more 10-acre properties near Fontana and one day he might also develop them into cricket fields. But that is another story.