Scotland allrounder Brandon McMullen's destruction of USA in a 10-wicket loss on the field was a harbinger of an off-field implosion later in the day as USA Cricket fired men's head coach Stuart Law in the wake of a feud with captain Monank Patel.

Photo credit: Peter Della Penna

By Peter Della Penna in Grand Prairie, Texas (Twitter/X @PeterDellaPenna)
 
Black Friday arrived a month early for the USA men’s national squad. But instead of bargain basement deals to put smiles on the faces of happy shoppers, the occasion only resulted in a lopsided loss and a pink slip for the USA head coach after a months-long simmering feud with the USA captain that finally boiled over. 
 
On the same day that the team kicked off their home ODI tri-series in Cricket World Cup League Two with a 10-wicket loss at the hands of Scotland, USA head coach Stuart Law was fired from his role barely six months after taking on the job. It comes just months after he led USA to a historic 2-1 series win over Bangladesh this past May in his first official series in charge, which was also USA’s first ever series win over a Full Member. Law subsequently guided USA into the Super Eight stage of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after a seminal Super Over win against Pakistan. 
 
But the aftermath of the win over Pakistan – which came at the very same Grand Prairie Stadium where he coached his final contest for USA against Scotland – is when the seeds were sown for Law’s eventual downfall. USA captain Monank Patel suffered a shoulder injury while celebrating on the team bus – which came after he was named Player of the Match for his half-century in the USA victory – in an incident that USA Cricket players and officials to this day have never publicly commented on. Subsequent scans revealed the extent of the damage, which included a hairline fracture, and effectively ruled Monank out for the rest of the tournament. He failed to take the field in USA’s final four matches, including the entirety of the Super Eight stage. 
 
According to multiple sources, Law petitioned to have Monank replaced in the squad with another reserve batter. However, the request was met with resistance from both Monank himself as well as USA Cricket administrators and the captain continued to travel with the USA team around Antigua and Barbados for the Super Eight phase even though he was never fit to play. A significant rift then developed between Law and Monank which was never able to be repaired despite at least one meeting that was facilitated while the team was on tour in the Netherlands this past August in an attempt to clear the air. 
 
USA followed the August Netherlands tour with seven wins out of eight matches on their next tour assignment in Namibia during the month of September, including a 4-0 sweep of the ODI leg of the tour. But things turned sour upon returning to the USA as the squad suffered a 3-0 T20I sweep last week at the hands of Nepal in the Stake Stars & Summits Series. 
 
The fractured relationship between Law and Monank came to a head this week in Texas. USA Cricket CEO Johnathan Atkeison flew in from Denver to attend Friday’s contest against Scotland in Texas while USA Cricket board chairman Venu Pisike also flew in from his base in Atlanta, not only to watch the squad but to finalize a decision regarding Law’s tenure as coach. It is understood that after the conclusion of the match, a meeting was called by Atkeison to meet with Law at the team hotel where Atkeison informed Law of the decision to terminate him as head coach. Atkeison subsequently held a meeting with members of USA’s touring squad inside the team hotel in Dallas at 8 pm local time on Friday evening where he informed them of Law’s dismissal. 
 
According to multiple sources, USA captain Monank was one of seven players – sources have stated that the group also includes Jessy Singh and Harmeet Singh among others – in the current USA squad who banded together to lodge a formal complaint against Law alleging discrimination against them. It is unknown on what date the complaint was lodged, nor what exactly was the nature of discrimination being alleged. USA Cricket has not made public the findings of their review of the discrimination complaint. 
 
But the fact that the complaint was lodged at all was believed to be the final straw in the breakdown of the relationship between Law and Monank which eventually resulted in the coach’s departure. Atkeison, Pisike and Law were all contacted by both phone and text seeking comment on Law’s dismissal. Law declined to comment on the matter. Atkeison and Pisike have not responded to multiple requests. USA Cricket has not issued a statement of any kind as of early Saturday morning October 26. According to sources, 55-year-old batting coach Vincent Vinay Kumar – who had a 33-match first-class Ranji Trophy career from 1989 to 1998 for Andhra Pradesh – has been appointed interim USA head coach while former USA player Usman Rafiq has been tabbed to serve as Kumar’s assistant. 
 
The news about Law made the Scotland result a footnote by the end of the day. USA lost the toss and was sent in to bat in bowler-friendly conditions as the visitors capitalized in a big way behind the new ball pair of Brandon McMullen and Brad Currie. McMulllen struck first, getting Sushani Modani to edge low to Mark Watt at first slip in the fourth over for 8 to make it 17 for 1. 
 
The score then moved to 21 before much bigger carnage unfolded as USA proceeded to lose their next four wickets without adding a run. Andries Gous was beaten by a Currie inswinger and struck on the pads to be given lbw for 5. McMullen followed with a wicket maiden in the next over, getting Monank bowled for a six-ball duck with a gem of an outswinger that pitched on middle and took out the top of off to defeat an attempted flick. Currie then went one better in the seventh with a double-wicket maiden, first getting Sai Mukkamalla for a five-ball duck bowled through the gate going for an expansive drive before Shayan Jahangir tried to walk across his stumps to negate an inswinger but instead was given lbw for a golden duck after defending down the wrong line to make it 21 for 5 after seven. 
 
Milind Kumar lasted slightly longer than the top order, scratching out 5 off 23 before pushing well away from his body to edge Brad Wheal’s fourth delivery after entering the attack in the 12^th straight to Matthew Cross behind the stumps to make it 39 for 6. Harmeet Singh provided a bit more resistance to make 22 off 27 before Wheal angled a length delivery across him from over the wicket that resulted in an edge to Andrew Umeed at second slip to make it 58 for 7. Jessy Singh was then bowled through the gate for a four-ball duck in the following over playing an extravagant whip through midwicket to become Currie’s fourth victim making it 59 for 8. 
 
Shadley van Schalkwyk and Nosthush Kenjige then came together in an effort to save face for USA with a 71-run partnership for the ninth wicket, the joint-largest ninth-wicket stand in USA’s limited over history alongside the famous unbeaten 71-run stand between Usman Shuja and Asif Khan to take USA to a dramatic two-wicket win over Oman at 2011 ICC WCL Division Three in Hong Kong. But Friday’s partnership did not achieve a similar resut and ended when Kenjige was bowled with a full delivery from McMullen for 21 to make it 130 for 9 in the 36^th. 
 
Saurabh Netravalkar entered at No. 11 with van Schalkwyk on 44. The left-hander turned down several singles before he slapped Michael Leask’s offspin wide of the cover sweeper for four to move to 48, then brought up a maiden ODI fifty off 79 deliveries on his next ball after a drive to long-off was misfielded over the rope for another boundary. Van Schalkwyk struck one more four off Mark Watt sliced past short third off the first ball of the 39^th, but tried to play a reverse three balls later and was struck in front of the stumps to be given lbw for 58 to bring an end to the USA innings for 144 in 38.4 overs. 
 
Currie claimed 4 for 32 off his 10 overs while McMullen and Wheal were just as brilliant with 3 for 20 in nine overs and 2 for 15 in eight overs respectively as the latter pair bowled seven maidens between them to heap relentless pressure on USA’s batting lineup. Watt ended as Scotland’s only other wicket-taker, taking figures of 1 for 21 in 5.4 overs. The only bowler USA managed to score off successfully was Chris Sole, who conceded 0 for 33 off four overs, including a 16-run 28^th over in which he struggled with his line to van Schalkwyk by sending down four wides as well as being clipped off the pads for a trio of fours. 

Scotland needed just two batters and 24.5 overs to finish off the chase. Eventual Player of the Match Andrew Umeed was ruthless to USA’s bowling lineup, hitting the first ball he faced for four from van Schalkwyk and never slowed down. The only chance USA had to break the partnership came in the 12^th over when Charlie Tear skied a heave over mid-on against Harmeet on 16, but van Schalkwyk spilled a difficult over the shoulder chance running back from the ring.
 
Umeed pulled Jessy for six over square leg in the 13^th over to bring up a 36-ball half-century and a clip by Umeed through fine leg for four off Kenjige in the 17^th over brought up Scotland’s 100. Tear picked up his scoring rate with a boundary off Harmeet in the 22^nd that lessened Umeed’s chances of getting to a century. With Scotland needing four to win and Umeed on strike on 94 in the 28^th, an inside edge to the boundary off Kenjige produced the winning runs and left him two short of a century.
 
Jessy took the most punishment of USA’s bowlers, giving away 28 off his three overs before being yanked out of the attack. Kenjige had the most expensive figures, ending with 0 for 37 in 5.5 overs. Harmeet returned 0 for 33 in seven, van Schalkwyk 0 for 18 in three and Netravalkar ended as USA’s most economical bowler by giving away 0 for 25 off six. 
 
USA has a rest day on Saturday before getting back into action against Nepal on Sunday at Grand Prairie Stadium.