In a bizarre twist, USACA has apparently made an about face regarding the composition of the 14-man squad for the USA senior team at next week's ICC Americas T20 tournament in Florida by recalling Sushil Nadkarni in favor of Nauman Mustafa.

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By Peter Della Penna in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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In a bizarre twist, USACA has apparently made an about face regarding the composition of the 14-man squad for the USA senior team at next week’s ICC Americas T20 tournament in Florida by recalling Sushil Nadkarni in favor of Nauman Mustafa. The information was first obtained by email through a source on Saturday and was confirmed by USACA General Manager Manaf Mohamed on Sunday.

“Yes, that’s true,” said Mohamed when asked if the change was official. “That was about two days ago.” When asked why it was made, Mohamed replied, “I don’t know. I was just told that Nauman is off the team and Nadkarni is on the team.” When asked who made the decision, Mohamed replied, “The president gave me that instruction.”

However, neither player says they’ve received an official email or letter stating that they’ve been added or dropped from the squad. Nadkarni was contacted on Sunday night and says he has received no official notice from USACA, nor any email confirming he has been added and no information about travel arrangements to get to Florida.

Image (right) - A file photo of Sushil Nadkarni from ICC WCL Division Five in Nepal. [Courtesy: Daniela Zaharia/USACA]

An email that was sent on Monday afternoon to the ICC Americas office in Toronto requesting confirmation of the roster switch was still awaiting a response at the time this article was published.

Mustafa was reached by phone on Saturday night and he also said he has not received any official email or letter saying he had been dropped. Mohamed says that he spoke with Mustafa on the phone to inform him of the decision, but Mustafa says he has gotten no official email or letter from USACA.

“I’m just trying to keep myself positive, that’s all I can say,” said Mustafa. “Obviously it’s not an ideal situation to be in. For the last two weeks I’ve been training really hard. I’m just trying to keep positive because there’s nothing I can do nor is it my fault. I did my part and it’s up to USACA and others to do their part. So obviously I’m disappointed, or I’m going to be disappointed if it’s true, but I’m just trying to keep myself positive.”

All of the matches at the ICC Americas T20 will be played at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhil, Florida. The original schedule included one game each day at Boca Raton Cricket Club. According to Mohamed, the outfield at the BRCC ground was supposed to be relaid with new sod, but the work has not been completed in time and so there will be three matches a day squeezed into the stadium with the first match each day beginning at 9:30 a.m.

In USA U-19 news, Kalim Ahmed and four other players have arrived in Fort Lauderdale for what Mohamed says is a training camp for the next week alongside the USA U-19 squad. Ahmed was part of the USA U-19 team that won the ICC Americas U-19 title in February.

“He’s not been added to the squad,” said Mohamed on Monday afternoon. “He’s there to join the training also with a bunch of other kids we’ve got coming in to join the training. Nobody has been added to the squad. The squad is 14 and remains that way. The squad remains the same for now. These guys are just coming in to be a part of the training.”

“We’ve got two kids that came in from Washington D.C., and we have some local kids from right here who will be joining the camp. It’s all part of a camp and training. Offhand, I don’t have their names.” USACA has paid for the players to be in Fort Lauderdale.

“We haven’t decided how long they’re gonna be here yet,” said Mohamed. “As they go through training and get them camp instructions and everything, then we’ll see how that develops. They’ll probably be here until this weekend, at least until the 17th.”