The schedule for the ICC Americas Division One Tournament in Bermuda was released on Tuesday with the news that USA will begin its defense of their 2008 championship with a 50-over match against Argentina on May 28.

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By Peter Della Penna

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The schedule for the ICC Americas Division One Tournament in Bermuda was released on Tuesday with the news that USA will begin its defense of their 2008 championship with a 50-over match against Argentina on May 28. This year’s event introduces a new format with a Twenty20 tournament following the 50-over round-robin competition.

“I thought that’s a great initiative because taking into consideration we played the World Cup Qualifier Tournament in Dubai without any Twenty20 experience, it’s a great initiative,” said USA captain Steve Massiah. “It’s great because the Associate countries, especially countries like us, we don’t play as much cricket as we’d like or that will help us in our progress.”

The 50-over tournament will take place from May 28-June 3. USA will go up against Canada on May 29 before their first rest day on May 30. USA will take on Bahamas, the 2010 ICC Americas Division Two champion, on May 31 before facing off with 2006 champion and host nation Bermuda on June 1.

USA will then get another rest day on June 2 before four days of intense cricket to finish off the tournament, something which will test the fitness of the squad. On June 3, USA finishes off 50-over round-robin play with a match against Cayman Islands.

“I’m very optimistic and I’m very hopeful,” said Massiah about USA’s chances of repeating their 2008 victory.  “We hope to defend our crown. The addition of some new players, hopefully they can grab their opportunity with both hands because some of our key players are missing.”

Pic (Right): Team USA celebrates a win at the ICC Division V [Courtesy: Daniela Zaharia]

USA will be heading to Bermuda with six uncapped players. Massiah hopes that the matches against Jamaica this weekend will present an opportunity for the newer players to gel and get used to playing with the seasoned veterans.

“I basically do have a good idea of [Jamaica’s] players and they’re one of the top teams in the Caribbean so it does pose a great challenge for us and hopefully we can use this as preparation for our trip to Bermuda. It’s a totally new squad and hopefully we can bond quickly and become a good unit,” said Massiah. “It’s important to develop some chemistry and make guys understand the roles they’re playing. It’s important for them to understand their responsibilities. It’s important for them to understand what it takes mentally at this level.”

One more addition to the USA squad that will take on Jamaica before heading off to Florida is Steven Taylor. According to a USACA official, the 16-year-old who was the youngest player at the 2010 ICC U-19 World Cup in New Zealand will be available for both Twenty20 fixtures. Fellow Florida resident Timroy Allen said by phone Tuesday night that he would also be available against Jamaica for Saturday and Sunday only and not Friday’s 50-over contest due to work commitments.

As for the ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 competition, which begins on June 4, the six teams have been split into two groups of three. USA is paired in Group A with Argentina and Canada while Group B includes Bermuda, Bahamas and Cayman Islands.

USA’s first Twenty20 match will be against Argentina on June 4 with a matchup against Canada the following day. The last day of the event on June 6 will see the semifinals and finals staged as well as a 5th/6th place playoff for the bottom team in each group. The teams that make the semifinals are guaranteed to play two games on the final day barring inclement weather because there is a third place game scheduled in addition to the championship match.

USA Squad: Steve Massiah (captain), Muhammad Asad Ghous, Azurdeen Mohammed, Ashhar Mehdi, Rashard Marshall, Sushil Nadkarni, Timroy Allen, Orlando Baker, Carl Wright, Aditya Thyagarajan, Mohammad Bilal Khan, Adrian Gordon, Lennox Cush, Moazzam Imtiaz

ICC Americas Division One Schedule (Courtesy of ICC Web Site)

50-Over Tournament

May 28

Bermuda vs. Bahamas
Argentina vs. USA
Canada vs. Cayman Islands

May 29

Canada vs. USA
Bermuda vs. Argentina
Cayman Islands vs. Bahamas

May 30 – Rest Day

May 31

Bermuda vs. Cayman Islands
Canada vs. Argentina
Bahamas vs. USA

June 1

Bermuda vs. USA
Bahamas vs. Canada
Argentina vs. Cayman Islands
June 2 – Rest Day

June 3

Bermuda vs. Canada
USA vs. Cayman Islands
Argentina vs. Bahamas

Twenty20 Tournament

June 4

Group A – USA vs. Argentina
Group B – Cayman Islands vs. Bahamas

June 5

Group B – Bermuda vs. Cayman Islands
Group A – Canada vs. USA
Group B – Bermuda vs. Bahamas
Group A – Canada vs. Argentina

June 6

5th vs. 6th Playoff (Group A 3rd place vs. Group B 3rd place)
1st Semifinal (Group A 1st place vs. Group B 2nd place)
2nd Semifinal (Group B 1st place vs. Group A 2nd place)
3rd vs. 4th Playoff (Loser of Semifinal 1 vs. Loser of Semifinal 2)

Final (Winner of Semifinal 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal 2)