As recently as five days ago, Mohamed said that Linden Fraser was going to be coaching the USA Women's team in Bangladesh.

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By Peter Della Penna

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An email written today by USACA General Manager Manaf Mohamed states the Robin Singh has been named coach of the USA Women’s team for the 2011 ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier next month in Bangladesh. The email was obtained from a source. It was written to the USACA board and a host of women’s players. As recently as five days ago, Mohamed said that Linden Fraser was going to be coaching the USA Women’s team in Bangladesh.

During an October 5 phone call, Mohamed was asked who would be running the USA Women’s camp scheduled for October 14-16 and responded, “That would be the coach, Linden Fraser. He’s the coach.” When asked if Fraser would be the coach for the team in Bangladesh, Mohamed responded, “As of right now yes, he’ll be the coach for Bangladesh.”

Image (right) - Robin Singh will be coaching the USA Women's team in Bangladesh. [Courtesy: Peter Della Penna/DreamCricket.com]

Fraser went to Barbados with the USA Women’s squad in August to serve as coach during their 10-day training camp. He is also the coach of the highly successful Tri-State Lynx team which won this year’s USACA national championship. More than half of the 18-player USA squad plays for the Lynx while several other USA players are known to train with the Lynx. Fraser had been working with most of these women on a weekly basis since January by conducting conditioning and coaching sessions. Fraser is an ECB Level II Certified coach.

“I have nothing to do with that,” said Krish Prasad, chairman of the USACA Cricket Committee, of the decision to have Robin Singh be the women’s team coach in Bangladesh. Prasad says that up until he received today’s email, he fully believed that Fraser was the women’s team coach and would be going to Bangladesh. “I heard it when the team got the email. I was very surprised to hear that. Nobody I know was involved with that.” A call to Fraser’s phone late Monday afternoon went straight to voice mail while a call to Mohamed seeking comment also went to voice mail.

Prasad went on to say that as far as he knows, there have not been any plans made to fly the women’s squad to Florida this weekend for a final camp to be used for selection and without Fraser being involved, he doesn’t know how USACA will be able to pick the best 14 players to go to Bangladesh. “Robin Singh doesn’t know who these women are,” said Prasad.

Singh served as head coach of the USA U-19 team in Ireland at the 2011 ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier where they finished a disappointing seventh, failing to qualify for the 2012 ICC U-19 World Cup. He currently serves as the head coach of the IPL’s Mumbai Indians, who won the 2011 Champions League T20 on Sunday.