U.S. Virgin Islands, a 133 square mile USA territory where the residents drive on the left, is the only team of Americans at the Stanford Twenty20 cricket tournament that begins on January 26th.

U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), a 133 square mile USA territory where the residents drive on the left, is the only team of Americans at the Stanford Twenty20 cricket tournament that begins on January 26th.

During the last edition of the tournament, the USVI team did not make it past the first round. If former West Indies great Desmond Haynes is to be believed, the USVI team will perform better in 2008. Mr. Haynes should know, because he is training the USVI team in St. Thomas. He has lined up some warm-up matches for the boys against Anguilla and British Virgin Islands. "The players have shown a lot of enthusiasm and I am very pleased with their performance. If they keep up what they are doing I think they will do very well in the tournament," Mr. Haynes told the local media.

Regardless of how well they do, they will be living the dream of a hundred thousand cricketers across USA. They are the only Americans playing professional cricket at the moment. And just like the 18 other teams in the tournament, each member of the USVI team will receive a salary from Allen Stanford. Of course, they also are playing for some $1.9 million in prize money.

Officially, cricket in US Virgin Islands is part of Leeward Islands, which plays first class cricket in the West Indies (see note below). In fact, USVI have hosted first class matches between the teams that form the West Indies - for instance a match between Leewards and Barbados was held in St. Thomas last year.

The USVI team at Stanford Twenty20: Sherville Huggins, captain, Terrance Webbe, vice captain, Clifford Walwyn, Junie Anthony, Hamish Anthony, Dave Weston, Andrew Eusebe, Calvin Lewis, Mark Vitalis, Clifford Fanis, Alderman Lesmond, Gaulbert Evans, and Keithroy Cornelius. Of these, Eusebe, Fannis, Evans, and Cornelius, are new entrants to the team.

Former USVI player Livingston Harris will coach the team. He will be assisted by Lennox Galloway, who will also serve as the team trainer. Brad Laurent, Colin Joseph and Samuel Jones were part of the 16-man training squad who did not make the final cut.

Better facilities than USA

USVI boasts two 'first class' venues - the Addelita Cancryn Junior High School ground in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas and Polly Joseph Stadium in Christiansted, St. Croix.

Recently, after the St. Thomas based East End cricket league had to vacate its cricket ground owing to construction of a new athletic facility, US Virgin Islands Governor John de Jongh Jr initiated plans to build a multi-purpose stadium that includes cricket. To be built in Nazareth, the stadium will be named after John P. Scott who is said to have donated the land.

Just last week, The Stanford Financial Group announced that Stanford 2020 Management offices will also be located in US Virgin Islands. Stanford Financial Group said that it was building a global 105,000 square ft campus in St. Croix. All this can only mean one thing - cricket will thrive in US Virgin Islands.

P.S.: The US Virgin Islands is part of USA but plays cricket as part of the Leeward Islands (West Indies). USVI residents are USA citizens. But they cannot vote either in USA Presidential elections, or even USACA elections for that matter. Interestingly, some have argued that USA cricket leagues must align themselves with the cricket organization in USVI instead of USACA!

Leeward Islands cricket team comprises representatives from several islands - Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla, Montserrat, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands and Sint Maarten.