Amsterdam, a 26-year-old New York resident and former Guyana Under-19 representative is the second straight New Yorker to win the award, following his Atlantis Cricket Club teammate Nicholas Standford’s win in 2015.

By Peter Della Penna
 
For the seventh consecutive year, DreamCricket.com is recognizing USA’s standout performers at international level with the New Inning Foundation USA Cricket Awards.
 
The 2016 New Inning Foundation Batsman of the Year is Alex Amsterdam. The 26-year-old New York resident and former Guyana Under-19 representative is the second straight New Yorker to win the award, following his Atlantis Cricket Club teammate Nicholas Standford’s win in 2015. Other players to claim the honor include Aditya Thyagarajan, Sushil Nadkarni, Steven Taylor and Fahad Babar.
 
Like Standford in 2015, Amsterdam was not the leading scorer on the year, as Babar bested him by seven runs to lead USA in the scorers list with 265 to Amsterdam’s 258. However, Amsterdam’s performances were more impactful, in particular by leading the team in scoring at WCL Division Four in Los Angeles with a total of 213 runs at an average of 53.25.
 
Among Amsterdam’s key knocks were his 102 against Jersey on the final day of round robin play. Though USA lost the match by one run, the innings ensured USA advanced to the tournament final thanks to the net run rate tiebreaker. In the final against Oman, Amsterdam contributed a key half-century, top-scoring with 50 after USA got off to a disastrous start at 5 for 3, to set up a 13-run win for the tournament title.
 
In recognition of his achievement, Amsterdam will receive a plaque as well as a $200 DreamCricket.com Pavillion Shop gift certificate sponsored by New Inning Foundation.