Courtesy:  NorthWest Cricket League website (pls visit www.nwcl.org)

Bhargava Vadapalli and the resurgent Reds clinch the Division I Championship title in a hard fought game. Saturday, September 27, 2008 Match# 08-53-I: Microsoft Reds won by 22 runs Marymoor Park, Redmond, WA Toss won by Microsoft Reds and elected to bat Microsoft Reds: 146 for 8 in 40 overs Batting highlights: Bhargava Vadapalli (MoM) 33* (33 balls - 2x4, 1x6), Avinash Upadhyay 29 (65 balls - 1x4), Murthy Pappu 25 (23 balls - 1x4, 1x6) Bowling highlights: Samarth Shah 8-0-38-2, Srikanth Sundaragopalan 7-1-19-1, Rajesh Ganesan 8-1-21-1, Harish Mohanan 7-0-24-1, Maheshwar Jayaraman 8-0-24-1 Microsoft Greens: 124 for 10 in 35 overs Batting highlights: Naveen Kumar 15 (12 balls - 1x6), Srikanth Sundaragopalan 14 (21 balls - 1x4), Samarth Shah 14 (50 balls - 1x4), Ashwin Karuhatty 14 (26 balls - 2x4) Bowling highlights: Bhargava Vadapalli (MoM) 8-2-13-4, Sanjay Rama 8-0-22-3, Rajesh Munshi 1-0-3-1, Rajiv Nandivada 7-1-27-1, Avinash Upadhyay 3-0-18-1 Man of the match: Bhargava Vadapalli from Microsoft Reds Other notables • MS-Reds opted to bat first on a day with ideal weather conditions for the season finale. The MS-Greens pushed Reds on the back foot in the initial overs giving nothing away. The initial breakthrough came in the form of Rutwick Bhatt’s wicket off Harish Mohanan in the 5th over. The 2nd wicket partnership of 42 runs between Sandeep Parab & Avinash Upadhyay took Reds to 48/2 in the 19th over when the former was dismissed by Samarth Shah. Greens captain Srikanth Sundaragopalan and Harish Mohanan and later on Maheshwar Jayaraman & Samarth Shah bowled immaculate line and length in the first 20 overs to keep the Reds scoring down to 50/2. • Maheshwar Jayaraman got the prize wicket of Vijay Beniwal caught in the deep with Reds score reading 59/3 in 23.4 overs. Avinash Upadhyay was next to go when Nikhil Patel affected a run out with a smart piece of fielding and further reducing the Reds to 66/4 in 26 overs. Bhargava Vadapalli joined Sanjay Rama and put on 23 runs inside 6 overs. Sanjay Rama was run out by the bowler Rajesh Ganesan while attempting a quick single leaving the Reds struggling at 89/5 in 31.5 overs. Wickets of Reds Captain Rajiv Nandivada and Siv Nagalingam fell in quick succession with the scorecard reading 102/7 in 34.2 overs. Rajesh Ganesan bowled a great spell and made it difficult for all Reds batsman to score • Murthy Pappu, with clutch performance in similar situations in the past, batted with great calm and composure and combined with Bhargava Vadapalli collecting runs at will and scoring run a ball from the 35th over to 40th over. The duo of Bhargava Vadapalli and Murthy Pappu put on a crucial 36 runs in 30 balls for the 8th wicket in what eventually turned out to be the match winning partnership. Scoring 14 runs of the last over Reds finally finished with a challenging total of 146/8 in 40 overs. Bhargava Vadapalli remained unbeaten on 33 along with Sairam Kandabhattu • When Greens started the chase, it looked like the strategy was to get the innings started off with brisk scoring and take advantage of the left and right opening combination. It was evident in Ashwin Karuhatty's batting as he came down the track several times to dominate the bowling attack where as Samarth Shah was happy to block and take the singles. • Reds captain Rajiv Nandivada got the first break through when he got Ashwin Karuhatty LBW. Greens captain Srikanth Sundaragopalan joined Samarth Shah and put on a quick 27 run partnership for the second wicket. Avinash Upadhyay, who came in as first change, got the important wicket of Srikanth Sundaragopalan caught smartly at deep cover by Sanjay Rama when the Greens were cruising along. Naveen Kumar joined Samarth Shah at the crease and batted sensibly for a while • Sanjay Rama and Bhargava Vadapalli bowled economically in tandem and put the brakes on. From 58/2 the Greens were pushed back to 75/4 when Bhargava Vadapalli got Samarth Shah and Nikhil Patel out caught behind in the same over. At the drinks break, Greens were 83/4 (as opposed to Reds score of 50/2) and with Naveen and Ganesan at the crease they seemed to have the advantage. Bhargava Vadapalli struck another big blow when in the 22nd over he got Rajesh Ganesan out clean bowled. After two overs Sanjay Rama followed it up with the wicket of danger man Naveen Kumar, out LBW to reduce Greens to 88/6 in 22.2 overs • But after every wicket the Greens consolidated with steady batting and kept themselves in the game. At this stage the match was evenly poised and had all the ingredients of being a thriller. Before finishing his spell, Bhargava Vadapalli dealt another blow when he got Sanjay Tikku plumb in front to further reduce the Greens to 103/7 in the 28 overs. Bhargava’s bowling figures were 8-2-13-4. He bowled his heart out first to ensure that the batsman was never able to dominate and then cashed in to earn 4 important wickets. Sanjay Rama bowling from the other end was supported Bhargava really well and together they bowled the match winning spell for Reds – 16 overs costing only 35 runs and 7 wickets in return • Sanjay Rama had Aniruddha Daptardar caught behind by Sandeep Parab in the 33rd over to take the Reds within 2 wickets of victory. Rajesh Munshi was introduced into the attack in the 34th over. He responded well under pressure and cleaned up Maheshwar Jayaraman's stumps to take the Reds within 1 wicket of a dramatic victory. It looked like the Reds had won the game when Srikanth Vemparala hit a skier. But Siv Nagalingam misjudged the catch at long on and the drama continued. Greens had one more chance to rally with the last wicket and get to what seemed to be an unlikely victory at that point • For the Reds the missed opportunity could have been expensive as the fifth bowler was yet to bowl 2 overs. It ended on dramatic note when Sanjay Rama got Srikant Vemparala's bowled off the last ball of his spell. Greens were bowled out for 124 and Reds won the game with 22 runs and with 5 overs to spare. The final game signified the roller-coaster season for the Reds. They were below 500 at one point and faced the possibility of being eliminated from the playoffs. But some great team work and experience came in handy and they won on the days it mattered the most • Overall, Two MSCC teams have contested in the Division I final for the third consecutive year and MSCC as a club has now won 6 championships in the last 8 years

Central upset Redmond colt and wins Div II Championship Saturday, September 27, 2008 Match# 08-71-II: Central won by 26 runs Ron Regis Park, Renton, WA Toss won by Redmond Colts and elected to field Central: 171 for 10 in 35.5 overs Batting highlights: Ashish Kasar 37(56), Tarun Kumar 27(19), Sam Karwal 22(51) Bowling highlights: Pravin Deshrnukh, 3/25, Venu Belpu 2/29, Balamuruqan Annamalai 1/15 Redmond Colts: 145 for 10 in 36.5 overs Batting highlights: Mahesh putta 49(51), Kiran Bhaskar 26(46), Pravin D. 19(25) Bowling highlights: Banti Karwal 3/13, Vipan Dutt 2/35, Lucky S. 1/27 Man of the match: Vipan Dutt and Ashish Kasar from Central Other notables • Redmond Colts won the toss and put Central to bat. Central had rocking start with Tarun Kumar hitting couple of sixes and boundaries and Banti Karwal helping along. • Splendid batting display by Ashish Kasar guided Central to put up commendable score.Banti Karwal and Ashish Kasar put up a 2nd wicket partnership of 44 runs in 36 balls. Ashish Kasar and Vipan Dutt put up a 3rd wicket partnership of 29 runes. • Sam Karwal and Lucky Singh put up a mini partnership of 31 runs. After that Central couldn’t put a descent partnership and kept loosing wickets. • Rajesh Kumar hit couple of good sixes and central finished the innings with total score of 171 runs. • Redmond colts had been batting very well and won their last two games with very good batting lineup. Against Central Redmond Colts started their opening with hitting boundaries and had a quick start. Central fielded well by getting Redmond Colts first 3 wicket as run out, one of them with direct hit by Rishu from boundary line. Other two with Banti and Rajesh throwing the ball right into Jaskaran hands (wicket Keeper). • Mahesh Putta was batting very well and had cut the central score by half with only 3 wickets down. Before going on to the 20 over break banti bowled the 20th over. On his very 1st ball Banti Karwal took Mahesh’s wicket (caught by Aman Johal). In the same over Banti took another wicket of Kshitij Moghe (caught by Jaskaran singh). • Kiran Bhaskar and Praveen Desmukh put a mini partnership to make the game interesting. During the final few overs Kiran bhaskar was the only one between central and the Championship. Redmond Colts needed 40 runs of 25 balls and then Lucky bowled Kiran Bhaskar wicket to ensure the central victory. Vipan Dutt took the last wicket. • This is Central’s first Championship in NWCL.

Check this final report out courtesy of WCL Website:

 Virginia beat Kensington in the inaugural Twenty/20 tournament in the Division I category on Saturday, October 18th at Hyattsville. Kensington, after winning the toss elected to bat and set a challenging total of 158 runs to win the Division I Finals. Captain Bartley scored 49 and one of the league's senior most player, sixty-two year old Carlton Carter supported him with a well compiled 40.

Virginia started off confidently with Rajesh Vayal and put on 37 runs on the board in 5 overs. Soon Carl Wright took over. With great running between the wickets and powerful hits over extra cover, he scored 51 runs and Vinnie Simon stayed unbeaten with 48 runs to lead Virginia over Kensington.

The game was played with great camaraderie and sportsmanship and Virginia deservedly won the game with good all-round performance. Congratulations to both teams for another excellent performance in the finals!

Twelve years in the making, Virginia finally captures the top honors in the WCL by beating the powerhouse Kensington in thrilling finish. Virginia, after scoring 195 for the loss of 8 wickets was able to hold its nerves and its catches at crucial moments to restrict Kensington to 192 for 8 in 40 overs.

Kensington, after winning the toss elected to field, perhaps to surprise Virginia and they did. Virginia was held to a poor run-rate as tension mounted. Virginia could not break the shackles, even though, two of their top batsmen, Carl Wright (49) and Tony Powell (66) were at the crease.

Two of WCL's most explosive batsmen and Virginia could muster only 103 runs in 27 overs. But Tony kept finding holes and the run-rate slowly crept up. Chris Vassell with Baxi Soudhan and Jason Nelson finished strongly to end Virginia's 40 overs at 195, leaving Kensington to score 196 in 40 overs for a victory and retain the Division I Championship.

Kensington started confidently with Donald Bennett and Gowkaran (Juicy) Roopnarine. Donald was surprised by the ball that came in sharply and took out his bails. Juicy played down the wrong line and was plumb in front. Both Usman Shuja and Baxi Soudhan bowled well to maintain the pressure on the batsmen. Wayne Cuff (60) and Barrington Bartley (66) put on 82 runs to wrestle the initiative away from Virginia.

Kensington seemed to have the upper hand as long as its captain Bartley was at the crease. But Usman Shuja held a magnificent catch at the deep mid-wicket boundary to get rid off the dangerous Kensington Captain.

That wicket, along with a great bowling spell by Virginia captain Gunu Suri (2/29 in 8 overs) helped Virginia put pressure on Kensington who tried to accelerate the score, but to no avail.

Needing 8 runs to win in the last over, Usman Shuja delivered a great over by yorking Everton Cox and then restricting Kensington to just 4 runs. Needing 4 runs to tie the game on the final ball of the over, Kensington could only muster a single, thus delivering the WCL Division I Championship NAMC Trophy to Virginia.

This was an exciting game that was well contested and the players and the spectators alike were thrilled to be a part of a spectacular show put on by both teams. Congratulations to Virginia for its first ever WCL Championship and claiming the North Atlantic Mortgage Company (NAMC) Trophy!

The league is thankful to the umpires Ram Ragoo and Harry Goodall for officiating the game and also the volunteers who helped with getting the field ready for the game.

Tony Powell was declared the MVP of the finals for his 66 runs in 77 balls to hold Virginia's innings together.

WCL: DIVISION II
 

Titans overcame a spirited charge from Dulles to capture the WCL 2008 Inaugural Twenty/20 Division II Crown. After winning the toss, Titans put Dulles into bat to take full advantage of their strong bowling lineup. Dulles played extremely well to neutralize the advantage with some great shots by Saad Moulvi, Sarat Muddu and Anirudh Roy. Semi-final star Vamsi Mohan started well, but could not get going. Dulles scored a challenging 155/6 in their 20 overs.

In reply, Titans struggled to get going, losing the first three wickets quickly, before Shahid Hussain (31), visibly hobbling with some injury kept the score moving along with well placed shots. At the other end, Shahrukh Mahzer (60 not out) took advantage of some wayward bowling in a couple of overs by the Dulles bowlers to score 45 runs in 3 overs to get the score closer to the target. Finally, good running between Shahrukh and Saqib Ali helped Titans claim victory. WCL is grateful to Harry Goodall and Ravikiran Nellutla for officiating the finals. Congratulations to both teams for an exciting match!

 

 

USA national team could potentially participate in two major tournaments in November.

As announced earlier on DreamCricket.com, Guyana plans to host the West Indies domestic ODI tournament and the hosts appear keen to invite two of the three North American teams - USA, Canada and Bermuda to the tournament to be held between 14th and 27th November.

Separately, ICC Americas announced that the Americas Region Division I will take place in Florida between November 24th and December 1st.

Even though there is a potential conflict with the dates of the WICB tournament and the ICC Americas tournament, the two tournaments present tremendous opportunities for USA's tournament starved cricketers.

Significantly, ICC Americas announced that the new Broward County stadium would host some of the ICC Americas Region I matches - a welcome development for the stadium's supporters.

Besides USA, the following Division I teams will participate in the ICC Americas tournament: Argentina, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands and Suriname. In the last edition of the ICC Americas Division I held in 2006, Bermuda won the championship edging out USA and hosts Canada.

What of USA Senior National Tournament?

Amidst all the news trickling from the neighbourhood, the uncertainty surrounding USA Senior National Tournament continues. This tournament featuring Central West and West Coast (North) from the Western Conference and New York and Atlantic from the Eastern Conference was to begin on October 10th. USACA has not notified the regions of the new dates yet.

Cricket continues to make inroads in Canada

Meanwhile, Canada has made tremendous progress and the organizational improvements within the ruling body have produced immediate results. The first major step was the hiring of Atul Ahuja as CEO of Cricket Canada in September of 2007. Ahuja, who had served as the Marketing and Communications Director of the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, has so far been successful in his efforts to generate sponsorship support.

In August, Canada hosted Bermuda and West Indies in the Scotiabank Series Cup. They then followed that up with the Al Barakah T20 in October featuring Canada, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

These international tournaments have not only bolstered Canada's cricket exchanges with top-tier teams, they have also boosted the popularity of the sport in that country.

 

Philadelphia Terminators crowned the NuWare New Jersey Twenty20 Champions

Mercer County Park, New Jersey (DreamCricket USA)

Pre-match and Toss:

The final of the Nuware NJT20 Championship was going to be a wonderful treat for cricket lovers with the experience of the Challengers matching up against the multi-faceted Terminators. The venue for the final - Mercer County Park - resembled Kent’s Canterbury cricket club with an immaculately manicured outfield and an oak tree inside the boundary line. The weather conditions - cool and windy with a balmy sun further accentuated the atmosphere for this exciting denouement to this wonderful cricketing mela that had captivated cricket lovers in the Tri-state area for the past four weekends.

The Challengers drafted in Melroy Kingston and Cameron Mirza to reinforce their batting strength and the Terminators retained the winning combination from the semi-finals for the match. The Challengers captain, Neil McGarrell won the toss and put the Terminators to put, hoping to leverage the team’s strength to put the Terminators batting under pressure. The Terminators captain, Dawood Ahmed, welcomed the decision claiming that they intended to bat first and grab the initiative.

Terminators Innings:

The Terminators opened with Ali Rizwan and Himanshu Patel and given their erratic fielding in the tournament thus far; the Challengers’ opening gambit depended on how well they were going to be field against the rampaging Terminators attack. After a quiet first over from the ever-dependable Deryck “Macky” McDonald, Rudy Naraine struck the first blow for the Challengers when he accounted for Himanshu Patel - caught in the deep by Melroy Kingston with the score at 11.

Terminators caption Dawood Ahmed receiving the winner's
crystal trophy and check from Neel Mukerji of NuWare

Ali Rizwan, the other opener was the next to go, caught by Stanislaus off McDonald after a frenetic 12 (inclusive of two 4s). The tournament-leading scorer, Amir Siddique followed soon falling cheaply for 6 with the team’s score on 29. When USA international Imran Awan fell off McDonald’s last over caught again by Kingston with the score on 34, McGarrell’s decision to bowl was beginning to look like a stroke of genius. Pakistani first-class player Zaheer Abbasi and captain Dawood Ahmed put their heads down at this stage and calmly rotated the strike with 1s and 2s. McGarrell introduced Santhosh Dani at this stage and Dawood used the opportunity to up the ante with 2 sixes off Dani and the Terminators batting was coming on its own.

It was going to take a special effort to break this partnership which had bloomed to 45 runs and the skipper McGarrell took it upon himself to deliver the much-needed breakthrough when he caught his counterpart Dawood off an acrobatic effort, off his own bowling. Zaheer Abbasi followed his captain for a 20-ball 20, bowled by left arm off-spinner Kumar Nandlal. Junaid Rashid and Amique Khan the two new batsmen ensured that there was no let up in the run-rate scoring 8 runs an over to take the Terminators past 100 before both falling for 17 runs. McGarrell kept the remaining Terminators’ batsmen Badhar Chouhdry and Chaminda Gunaratne quiet to restrict the Terminators to 127 - a competitive total, yet below the Terminators’ potential. McDonald and McGarrell were the most successful bowlers for Challengers with 2 wickets each in their four overs.

Spectators enjoying the food and festivities at the 20-20 finals half-time show at Mercer County park

Challengers’ innings:

A score of 127 was not going to be a slam dunk for the Challengers regardless of their batting potential. A lot of their hopes rested on their opening pair, Guyanese international Vishal Nagamootoo and the promising young batsman Cameron Mirza. Captain Dawood Ahmed and Fazeeh Abbasi kept the Challengers batsmen under leash for the first couple of overs.

Cameron delivered the first salvo for the Challengers taking on Dawood Ahmed, square driving him for four and repeating the stroke for another two. However, he had no answer to an absolute turner that landed outside the off stump and uprooted his leg stump.

Melroy Kingston joined Vishal and the two ensured that the asking rate was in check by keeping the scoreboard ticking. Having taken the total to 39, Melroy Kingston fell against the run of play caught by Nabeel Adeel off Chouhdry for 11 off 11 balls. Captain Neil McGarrell joined Vishal at this stage and the two looked comfortable handling the Terminators attack taking ones and twos at will with an occasional boundary.

Badhar Chouhdry, the most successful bowler in the tournament, struck for the Terminators when he tempted the dangerous McGarrell into a cross-batted shot which resulted in a ballooning catch to keeper Dawood Ahmed.

The Challengers were struck another deep blow when in-form batsmen Vishal Nagamootoo was run out for a well-made 23. Derrick Kallicharan the other batsmen involved in the run-out atoned for his running by contemptuously launching Badhar for 2 sixes. Captain Dawood Ahmed introduced Amique Khan at this stage and he immediately repaid his captain’s faith by having Sean Stanislaus caught in the deep by Rashid for 6. To add insult to injury, he also removed danger-man Kallicharan bowled for 13, to leave the Challengers tottering at 77 for 6.

Spectators enjoying the 20-20 finals at Mercer County park

Deryk McDonald and David Forbes both fell at 81 - trying ambitious hits in an attempt to keep up with the steep asking rate. Santhosh Dani was the last recognized batsmen for the Challengers coming in the 16th over with still 46 runs still to get. He tried in vain to launch a counter-attack, but it was a too little too late when the Terminators bowlers clamped down on the Challengers batsmen - squashing any chances of a comeback. Rudy Naraine was the last bastmen out in the final ball - leaving the Philadelphia Terminators well deserved winners by 24 runs.

Ameeq Khan was the most successful bowler for the Terminators with bowling figures of 3-0-14-3 and Zaheer Abbasi was the most economical with 4-0-11-1. Dawood Ahmed, the Terminators captain, was awarded the man-of-the-match for his team-high score of 25. Challengers’ captain, Neil McGarrell was awarded the man of the tournament for his excellent form throughout the tournament and he almost single-handedly willed his team to victory, except the final hurdle.

The Terminators were the well-deserved winners of the tournament displaying consistent form throughout the tournament after the initial loss to the Renegades. Their batting gained strength with each passing game and their intelligent spin bowling attack that suffocated team after team. Their electric fielding completed their tight bowling and served as the perfect ingredient for their team success. The Challengers on the other hand struck form after their first win again the Hurricanes and notched up close victories in their run to the final. But their inconsistent batting finally caught up with them and they had no answers to the Terminators.

The pulsating final brought the curtains on the very exciting NuWare NJ Twenty20 tournament - the first of its kind held in the east coast. The crowd response and all-round generous support of the sponsors presented a glimpse of the enormous potential for the game of cricket in the United States of America. More importantly, the hard-fought games and the plethora of nail-biting finishes reinforced the reason why the T20 format was the most revolutionary change to happen to cricket and tournaments like this would only help further the cause of cricket in the long run. The end of this tournament also signaled the end of the cricket season in the east coast and while the pads and bats may be put away for a while - the cricketing spirit will stay strong - ready to rise stronger in the coming year.

The West Indies domestic ODI tournament, that was originally scheduled to be held in Florida, has now been moved to Guyana between14 and 27 November.

 

Sun St. Kitts and Nevis noted that Chetram Singh, the president of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and director of the West Indies Cricket Board, had confirmed on Friday that the competition which was moved from Florida will involve 10 teams including two from North America. 

The newspaper did not say which two N. American teams would take part.   Does it mean that USA is playing?  

According to The Nation Newspaper of Barbados, Singh expects the six traditional sides, including holders Jamaica, as well as the Combined Campuses and Colleges, a Young West Indies team, and two of either the United States, Canada, or Bermuda to take part in the competition.

http://sunstkitts.com/paper/?asknw=view&asknw=view,view,view,view,view,view,view&sun=494418078207132005&an=490055059310202008&ac=Sports

While Dan is one of many on his college's team, this story from Boston Globe is still a compelling one because it helps to dispel the notion that cricket is an arcane immigrant-only sport. 

Dan Drebing has the distinction of playing on the only college varsity cricket team in the country.

"My experience with cricket started when my cousin came back from a trip to India a few years ago," said Drebing, a sophomore at the liberal arts college outside Philadelphia. "He brought home a bat and a DVD of a match and gave me a cursory overview of the rules. I also found out then that Haverford, not far away from their house, had a team.

"When I was accepted to Haverford, a family member gave me a cricket bat, somewhat jokingly, but the gift put the idea in my head," added Drebing, who played lacrosse and volleyball in high school.

"Of all the aspects of cricket," Drebing said, "the culture and the teammates are the most appealing. There is a whole world of cricket that I was completely blind to before playing here.

Full article here: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/10/19/in_cricket_he_knows_to_hit_it_where_they_aint/?page=1

Area's Top Talent, International Stars, Young Guns and Experienced Veterans to take part in DreamCricket's New Jersey Twenty20

Twelve teams comprising some of the most talented cricketers in the North East have now confirmed that they will take part in the inaugural DreamCricket New Jersey Twenty20 event. Players ranging from the best youngsters to first class cricketers have now been signed up by the various teams.

Response to the tournament has been overwhelming, and demand for team slots has far exceeded the number of team slots available. As for the players, there are enough first class and international players in the DreamCricket New Jersey Twenty20, that if we strung them together as an All-Star team, they would give an ICC team a run for its money.

The Teams

The twelve teams are - Holmdel Hurricanes, Tri-State Argonauts, Mercer Warriors, Edison Daredevils, Jersey Indians, Philadelphia Terminators, Global Challengers, Somerset Cavaliers, North Jersey Renegades, New York Knights, NJ Royals and Southern Connecticut Patriots. Most teams are very different from the club sides that their names are associated with in the local leagues. For New Jersey Twenty20, the teams have injected new players and killer instinct.

Although there was no draft process, teams unknowingly gravitated towards one - with the best players getting most requests to join their teams. The New Jersey Twenty20 promises to be a dueling ground for the young and the experienced, the American born and the immigrants, local heroes and international stars, classy cricketers who migrated to USA to pursue better opportunities while still playing cricket and those first class players who came to America after a productive cricket career.

Just as with the IPL, the best team on paper may or may not win the contest. That said, let us look at the teams (these are incomplete lists - full rosters will be published soon).

First the young guns to whom all credit should go for learning and playing their cricket in USA. That should show everyone that cricket is not a sport played by immigrants alone. The next generation is embracing it with vigorous enjoyment. We have two entire teams - New York Knights and the Edison Daredevils - a majority of whom are either American born students or recent graduates of USA universities. The average age of these two teams is 20. How about that for Twenty20? They may not have age on their side, but they have attacking batting, quick running, sharp fielding and superb bowling.

The New York Knights, sponsored by Stuart Sport, are all under 25 years of age - most have won a national U19 championship and some have represented USA in the U19 World Cup where they reached the semi-finals of the Plate Championshop. The Knights include Andre Kirton, Akeem Dodson, Dwayne Smith, Romeno Deane, Greg Sewdial, Keon Lake and Abdulla Syed.

Edison Daredevils are either currently enrolled in or recent graduates of New Jersey colleges. In another country, this might be called a Combined Universities team. The boys are instantly recognized in the leagues of New Jersey - for their performance that is remarkable and for their enthusiasm that is unparalleled. Captained by Rushi Amin, the team includes Sidharth Sharma, Gautam Sharma, Gautam Shetty, Noman Iftikar, Fahad Ahmed and Himanshu Patel.

The Philadelphia New Castle Terminators have pulled out all the stops for this competition. On the batting front, they have the Pakistan ODI opener Nasir Jamshed, who scored two 50's in the two matches he played in the Asia Cup 2008. On the bowling side, they have Imran Awan - the right-arm fast bowler has played for USA since 1999 including the ICC Champions Trophy 2004. Imran took the wickets of Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Smith in a promotional match against West Indies in 2006. His tally was 3 for 39 in that match. Imran plays for Washington Tigers in the WCL.

Who has not heard of Global CC in the North East? Global is the home away from home for some of the best West Indies cricketers in the Tri-State area. Global Challengers has roped in two former West Indies cricketers and several others who have played first class cricket. First of them is Reon King, the Guyanese pace bowler who has played for West Indies in 19 tests and 50 ODIs. Reon, who has been compared to Michael Holding, was West Indies' fastest bowler at the turn of the century.

He is joined by Neil McGarrell, the slow left arm bowler who played four tests and 17 ODIs for West Indies. His last match for Guyana was in 2007. Global's other players include Vishal Nagamootoo, Rudy Naraine and Rafay Siddiqui.

Then there are the New Jersey teams drawing their talent from the area's best clubs - these include SGCC, Global, Incredibles, Gladiators, Cavaliers, Holmdel and Gymkhana.

The Tri-State Argonauts, as their name suggests, are going for gold! This team comprises some of the best known names in this part of the world including three former first class cricketers. Amjad Khan - the former J&K player and American captain who was responsible for USA's spectacular victory over Barbados in the Red Stripe Bowl (Jamaica, 2000). Closer to home, Amjad holds the record for the highest individual score in North America - 304 not out (19x6, 28x4) in a team total of 436 for 7 in a league game.

Also playing for the Argonauts is the super-efficient Andhra medium-pacer, Ramkishen Hanumara, who has a first class bowling economy of a miserly 2.77. Hanumara plays regular season in New Jersey for the Gladiators. Also on the Argonauts team is the experienced Zamin Amin, the former Guyana U19 player who played for over a decade for USA. Praveen Vijay, the captain of the Argonauts team, played U16 and U19 for Karnataka. The team includes Shantharam Serukur (2007 Best Batsman - CLNJ), Fazeh Abbasi, Hari Kilakenchrerry, Fazal Alam and Pradeep Sunny Sangwan.

North Jersey Renegades are the reigning champions of the Millennium Cricket League. Their team in the Twenty20 competition is the North Jersey Renegades - a top-notch outfit that combined the strengths of Commonwealth League, the Millennium Cricket League and Prince Cricket Club in the CLNJ. The team includes the Bangladeshi cricketers Wahab Munir and Hunain Munir, Shahib Shehzad and Prince cricketers Irfan Nasim and Wasim Arif.

Jersey Indians sponsored by Jersey Farm, is captained by Uday Patel. It draws its players from the strong South Gujarat Cricket Club and features Chintan Patel (USA national team) and four players who have played for the Atlantic Region - Siddharth Mehta (2007 CLNJ MVP and Leading Scorer), Ketan Patel, Kiran Patel and Hiten Patel. In addition, their team features former Maharashtra U16 player Priyesh Shah, a student of Sri Ramakant Achrekar - who was also Tendulkar's coach; and Jaymin Goswami (former Atlantic Region U19 player).

Holmdel Hurricanes has Kunal Baride (Atlantic Region), Abbey Joseph (former Tamil Nadu Division A), Sohail Akram (CLNJ's leading wicket-taker who has played first class cricket in Pakistan) and some of the best talent from the Holmdel, Incredibles and Gladiators sides.

Telkite sponsored Somerset Cavaliers led by Bilal Fayyaz are the Division 3 leaders in CLNJ and need no introduction to New Jersey cricketers. By all accounts, they are well suited for Twenty20 format. Their team includes players such as Shavinda Peiris, Terry Almeida and Yamunan Kannan from NJ Sluggers, Piscataway and other NJ teams.

Mercer Warriors play as the Warriors Cricket Club and their roster includes Brijesh Patel, Parth Amin, Durale Forest and Azhar Sufi.

NJ Royals is led by former Karnataka opener Aditya Mishra. Royals include such eminent cricketers as Dharmesh Tyagi, Mushtaq Ahangar, Farhan Kayani and Rajiv Nigam.

Southern Connecticut is the third out-of-state team in the competition (New York and Philadelphia being the other two) and it is an all-star team from the Southern Connecticut Cricket Association. Their roster will be published very soon.

Please note that the full rosters will be posted on the tournament website very soon.

In a step in the right direction, the USACA Secretary issued a "what's happening" memo, which he hoped would promote greater communication between the national cricket body and its constituents.

"I have opted to use this method of keeping you up-to-date on what's happening at the administrative levels in your national organization. As part of the volunteerism of USACA, it is important that members be kept up-to-date on what the organization is doing, planning on doing, and if any, what obstacles are standing in its way," John Aaron wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by DreamCricket.com from one of the recipients.

He asked the recipients to share the what's happening memo with all interested members through the normal communication channels used in their regions. Mr. Aaron said he was not entrusted with the management of the USACA website.

Operational Matters

The memo confirmed that the Second Vice President Manaf Mohamed was named the Director of Cricket Operations by the USACA Board, when it met on April 26, 2008.

A CEO Recruiting Committee was appointed by the board, with Gladstone Dainty as Chairman and September 1, 2008 was established as the deadline for the appointment of USACA's CEO. Similarly, the board also created an Operations Committee with a view to examine proposals and other financial approaches to USACA. President Gladstone Dainty will preside over this committee as well. The two committees have not yet met, the memo informed.

As was reported on this website last week, John Thickett, the Treasurer, has posted all prior year USACA tax filings to the USACA website and has provided all board members with a monthly financial report (April, May and June 2008).

However, the organization's Treasurer has not yet been able to gain control over the organization's bank account. This, the memo stated, has restricted the Treasurer's ability to carry out certain functions as required by the USACA constitution.

With respect to the minutes of the April 26 board meeting, the memo said that the minutes were prepared and approved by a majority of Directors and will be posted when the President authorizes the webmaster to do so.

A second meeting of the USACA board scheduled for July 12th, 2008 in New York, was cancelled on the evening prior to the meeting, with the President citing a lack of quorum. The memo also informed that the next meeting is planned for Saturday, August 9, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.

The ICC Conference

President Gladstone Dainty and John Aaron, USACA Secretary, attended the ICC Annual Conference in Dubai earlier this month, as the representatives of USACA. USACA's presence at the conference helped to "establish a level of confidence with those ICC officials with whom we had discussions, as well as our peers from other member countries," Mr. Aaron wrote in the memo.

"It is my opinion that our organization came away from the conference with the firm understanding that the ICC, primarily through its Americas Regional Development Office in Canada and the West Indies Cricket Board, would lend USACA whatever assistance is needed to further develop, promote and encourage the sport in the USA. The WICB's President Dr. Julian Hunte has pledged his commitment to helping USACA raise the standard of its national team through bi-lateral tournaments, coaching and organizational support for event planning and execution. The ICC's Global Development Manager Mr. Matthew Kennedy said that the resources of the Regional Development Office were at USACA's ready disposal."

Grants and Fundraising

On the subject of further grants from ICC, the memo noted that "USACA has the opportunity of acquiring larger sums of money from the ICC, starting in 2008, through that organization's revamped development funding plan. However, that plan is based on a number of criteria, including the implementation of an ICC audited adherence to a budget, membership head-counts, development programs put in place, appointment of a CEO, and other performance criteria. Much work is needed to prepare USACA for the new funding environment."

The memo also confirmed that USACA had received the 2008 ICC Associate grant of US$90,000 in addition to US$20,000 development funding. "Most of that money was spent preparing and allowing our team to participate in the WCL Division 5 tournament in Jersey."

U-15 and U-19

Referring to the selection of a team to participate in the ICC's Americas Under-15 Cup in Bermuda next month, the memo said that the "current method of selecting our national teams, including the appointment of selectors and team management, is seriously flawed and requires immediate action by the Board of Directors to establish a process and procedural protocols for the future."

The secretary informed that the Under-19 National tournament was postponed due to the unavailability of suitable grounds in Florida. Alternate venues in other USACA regions are now being considered.

Membership Issues

With respect to the leagues seeking membership of USACA, Mr. Aaron noted in the what's happening memo that "the Massachusetts Cricket League has not yet been readmitted as a member of USACA. Their omission depleted the certification of the Northeast Region as a bona-fide region, because there were less than the requisite three leagues within the region. In addition, several leagues are being investigated or denied membership in their regions. At least one league has appealed directly to the USACA board." These issues are expected to be dealt with at the next meeting of the board.

By Orin Davidson

Sparks are about to fly in a potential ugly showdown that can once again undermine the operations of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA).

At the center of the storm is recently re-elected USACA president Gladstone Dainty who dropped a bombshell by suspending longstanding New York coach Linden Fraser, indefinitely from all cricket activities related to the association.

The fireworks are a repercussion from the just concluded USACA Under-15 championships and the team selection, for which Fraser was one of three selectors named prior to the competition.

Following the team's selection on Sunday, after the series, to represent the United States at next month's International Cricket Council (ICC) Americas Under-15 series, Fraser said he received an email from Dainty informing him of the suspension.

Fraser, however is not taking it lying down and has vowed to challenge Dainty's action even if it means involving the world ruling body ICC.

The coach explained that he was accused by Dainty of releasing the team without approval, but Fraser explained that the USACA president is wrong on all counts.

In his email Dainty stated that Fraser released the team publicly without permission and should have known better.

"In my opinion your unauthorized action is damaging to our organization. I am therefore suspending you from all activities of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA)", Dainty wrote.

However, Fraser countered by stating that he did not release the team to the public, stating that the email with the squad was sent to USACA operations manager Manaf Mohamed and by error also went to a list which had only USACA officials including Board members and a few regional cricket officials.

"I was asked by Manaf Mohamed (USACA cricket operations official and second vice president) to send the team to him and by mistake it also went to a list that included the names of the other cricket people," the coach explained.

He added that as far as he knew they (selectors) were never told that they were selecting a team that had to be approved by anyone.

"Why then did Manaf not tell me to send the team to Dainty for approval, instead of sending it to him (Manaf)" questioned the coach.

Fraser also queried whether Dainty has the authority to suspend him without agreement from the USASA executive.

In his email Dainty said the final determination of the suspension would be subsequently determined by the USACA executive Board of Directors.

It is left to be seen the type of support Dainty will get for the ban as already one official has deemed the action unnecessary and unwarranted.

Fraser has warned that he will go all the way to ensure that Dainty is stopped in his tracks.

Several attempts by telephone to elicit a reaction from the USACA president were futile.

The coach explained the situation developed from a disagreement among the three selectors over the final composition of the U.S. team.

He explained that the recently appointed coach Anwer Khan, of Pakistan, who along with Fraser and Prem Suri comprised the panel, was out-voted on the inclusion of one player.

Fraser said Khan wanted the player to be included and subsequently refused to sign off on the final list that the former and Suri had decided on last Sunday.

Fraser said he feels that Khan along with Akhtar 'Chick' Masood, the USACA representative from Central East had a plan to include a number of their favorite players.

When the final team list of was eventually released by USACA it contained three changes to the original.

Fraser said New York batsman Qwesi Edmondson who had topscored for his team twice in the three matches they played in the competition and ending not out in the other, was one of the casualties.

Pranav Pradham of California and Herno Smith were the others.

"They (three) are all good players, Smith is the fastest bowler around and can bat too," the coach stated.

He disclosed that one of the players was crestfallen after learning he was removed from the squad.

Whether the issues are sorted out and team is allowed to travel to Bermuda or not, it is left to be seen.

The West Indies Cricket Board is planning to hold their regional ODI competition, the KFC Cup in USA, the Newsday newspaper in Trinidad reported yesterday.

If these plans come to fruition, Ft. Lauderdale in Florida will host the KFC Cup - the first such occasion that a regional ODI competition will travel overseas. The newspaper also reported that USA and Canada may compete in the tournament. All matches are likely to be played in USA, which marks a departure from the usual practice of playing all the early rounds on one island and saving the final three matches for another venue.

The KFC Cup, played in the ODI format has been around since 1972 and has been called variously as Gillette Cup, Red Stripe Bowl, and KFC Cup. The tournament usually features six Caribbean teams - Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, Windward Islands and one or two invitational teams.

USA took part in this tournament in 2000, it was called the Red Stripe Bowl that year, and it impressed with a win over Barbados by two wickets. Amjad Khan top-scored with 36 in a winning effort. Of course, USA did not leave an imprint and was never invited again. Canada took part in 1995 and in 2002.

Jamaica are the defending KFC Cup champions, and Lauderhill, also known as Jamaica Hill, will hope for a repeat performance. Talking about the prospects for the Broward County Stadium, Faoud Bacchus, former USA captain said, "I believe Lauderhill is strategically well-placed. We have all the facilities, hotels and attractions and it's only a short plane ride from West Indies." Bacchus, who played for West Indies in 19 Tests and 29 one-day internationals before moving to Florida in 1988, predicted that Lauderhill will be a major cricketing center.

Years later, a Caribbean tournament sponsored by an American company is all set to make his prediction come true.

 

Former Pakistan test player Faisal Iqbal could face disciplinary action by the Pakistan Cricket Board for appearing in a tournament in USA featuring players from the rebel Indian Cricket League.  Faisal's case is expected to be discussed today by the International Cricket Committee.

This latest news comes on the heels of recent reports that VVS Laxman and Piyush Chawla were told by BCCI not to play for Nottinghamshire and Hampshire respectively, since those county teams featured ICL players.

Faisal Iqbal played alongside ICL players Imran Farhat and Imran Nazir in the Pakistan All-Star team at the T20 invitational tournament in May.  The All-Star team captained by his uncle Javed Miandad, failed to progress to the finals in that event.  However, Faisal Iqbal had a decent tournament scoring 46 not out against the Canadians and 21 in another match against a team captained by Mohammad Azharuddin.

According to media reports, Faisal, who has played 21 Tests and 18 one-dayers for Pakistan, could face either a penalty or a ban.  Faisal, who is not centrally contracted, was quoted as saying, "West Indian player Shaun Findley as well as seven or eight other cricketers from Canada" were part of the private tournament held in Florida.

This might set a precedent for similar action by other boards as well.  Shabbir Ahmed (ICL player) participated in an invitational tournament in Michigan which also featured several other first class and international cricketers.

A cricket fan in the Midwest noted with amusement,"Cricket in USA is not without its share of controversy, but nobody in their wildest dreams expected the rivalry between IPL and ICL to reach USA!  This is beyond silly.  I played gully cricket with ICL players when I was growing up!  Will BCCI ban me from going to an IPL game?"

The USA Under-15 cricket team was announced by USACA on its website today. The team will travel to Bermuda to take part in the ICC-Americas Under-15 Championships to be held between August 2nd and August 9th, 2008.

USA is the defending ICC-Americas champion, having won the championship when it was last held in 2006. After Tropical Storm Ernesto circled Ft. Lauderdale and reduced that tournament to a one day 20/20 knockout format, USA adapted quickly to the new format defeating Bermuda for the gold.

This year, Team USA will be captained by Abhijit Joshi. Abhijit Joshi and Steven Taylor (named vice-captain) represented ICC-Americas in the Clico Under-15 World Cup held in the Caribbean earlier this year with great success.

The official team includes 3 boys who were not on a list that was published some days ago on DreamCricket.com. That list was hidden after it was brought to DreamCricket's attention by a cricket official that only the USACA Board could release the official list. The selectors who made the recommendations to USACA were Linden Fraser and Prem Suri (US National Selectors), and Anwer Khan (Coach of the 2008 National Under 15 team).

According to the official, "although the selectors may have selected players based on what they saw at the Inter-Zone tournament, factors such as availability and eligibility are considered before finalizing the list, which must always come from a USACA official."

[Note: DreamCricket.com is announcing FREE use of its indoor nets in New Jersey to this team should they want to practice indoors between now and August 2nd. Please write to frontfoot at dreamcricket.com should you wish to book the facility.]

The Under-15 cricket team (player profiles coming soon):

1. Abhijit Joshi - Captain
2. Steven Taylor - Vice Captain
3. Pranay Suri
4. Arsh Buch
5. Vikram Valluri
6. Krishneal Goel
7. Muhammad Mujtaba
8. Jason Fox
9. Kalim Ahmed
10. Andrew Ajodhi
11. Cameron Mirza
12. Steven Sawh
13. Waqas Shah
14. Chris Singh

Coach - Anwer Khan
Manager - Wesley King

 

By Mike Makin - A concerned parent 

 

A month in the life of Michigan Cricket Academy provides a vivid illustration of the highs and lows faced by young cricketers and their coaches, reinforcing many of the points made in Dreamcricket’s article on the first 100 days of the new USACA administration.

 

 

The Ups 

 

On the 18^th of June six MCA U-13 players flew from Detroit to San Francisco to participate in the National Junior Cricket Tournament, hosted by the California Cricket Association.  They were joined by players from the Greater Chicago Cricket Association, the Midwest Cricket Conference, a Dallas club, and the California Cricket Association, to form a tournament XI playing as the Midwest and Michigan Cricket Academies.

 

The team’s geographic diversity was matched by its range of ages and experience.  The composition of the side testifies vividly to the nature of American youth cricket: intense enthusiasm and dedication on the part of a small group of participants, with few match opportunities.  

 

The contrast with the sports widely available to children in the US is striking.  The youngest MMCA cricketer in last month’s tournament had played sixteen soccer league matches, but when Neil stepped on to the cricket ground in San Jose on the afternoon of 19^th June, he was making his competitive début as a cricketer.  Indeed, the same was also true of four older players.

 

Notwithstanding the challenges, MMCA, coached by Vasanth Krishnaswami of MCA and Shirish Joshi of GCCA, gave a good account of themselves, with major contributions from every player. 

 

MMCA’s tournament record was modest --  they lost their first match, against Northern California Cricket Association by seven wickets, lost to the eventual champions, California Cricket Association Purple, by 53 runs, and then beat CCA Green by eleven runs – but they played better in each successive match, and had many moments to savor. 

 

GCCA’s Parth Joshi was man-of-the-match in MMCA’s victory, scoring a fine twenty-two, which included some beautiful shots on the off side, taking two wickets in an over to help seal the win, and executing two excellent run outs; in the same match MCA’s Rohit Mogalayapalli, coming in later than usual, scored a handsome 33, while Midwest’s P. Pryank, moved up the order, scored an aggressive 31; off-spinner Vivek Joglekar (GCCA) took 3-23; the ground cricket from debutant Ryan Quinlan (MCA) was outstanding, as was his running between the wickets in a key partnership, and Neil Makin secured victory with a fine running catch at midwicket. 

 

Over the entire tournament Ani Mayasandra (MCA,) captained with maturity, while, in the first two matches, Gordon Makin (MCA) shared with Rohit Mogalayapalli in two fine opening stands, which could, with a bit more luck, have provided the basis for victories; Gordon Makin was also top wicket-taker for MMCA with tournament figures of 5-61 for his leg spin, while he and Rohit Mogalayapalli shared wicket keeping duties in the first two matches to good effect.  Jai Sura’s competitive début was crowned with a fine 15 in the second match, and Jaffer Shahabuddin went home to Dallas cherishing a nice caught-and-bowled among other accomplishments.  California’s Pratik Bhatt provided his temporary team mates with excellent support in the field throughout the tournament.

 

In other words, the entire XI, assisted by the rotational policies of coaches Krishnaswami and Joshi, made great developmental strides, and fully justified the efforts it took to put a tournament side together. 

 

The Downs 
 

MCA’s six, fired up by their California experiences, returned to Michigan with a predictable question on their lips: “When will our next match be?”  The answer, alas, is uncertain.

 

MCA is the only fully developed youth program in the state, so matches are hard to come by and require considerable commitment from every family.  For the younger players a cross-border series in Toronto in late August, when the Michigan teams will be coached by the Academy’s other head coach, Shyam Mayasandra, might be the next chance to hone match skills; in the mean time MCA’s older players will have some limited opportunities to play on senior sides in the Michigan Cricket Association’s leagues; and, of course, everyone will play in MCA’s own annual Labor Day tournament.  But that’s not a whole lot of matches to look forward to. 

 

All the same, the Academy, in its four years of existence, has gone from strength to strength, largely through the tireless efforts of its two head coaches, Krishnaswami and Mayasandra, who work entirely without compensation (another striking contrast, of course, to soccer, where coaches from across the world can make handsome livings out of the youth game). 

 

MCA has been assisted by generous local sponsors, but it has had no national support -- a reminder that the youth game remains a poor relation of the adult version and a dramatic contrast with other participatory team sports in the USA.  True, USACA’s home page has what appears to be a link entitled “Cricket Development: Junior Program”, but it opens nothing, while the link for “Academies” on another page opens an error page. 

 

Last week the national U-15 tournament took place in Chicago – as Dreamcricket noted, a sign of improvements on the national scene.  But reports indicated that organization left something to be desired and the view from Michigan is especially bleak: no tryouts were held in the state, even though the Great Lakes Cricket Conference has been prominent in USACA recently (Michigan’s other league, the Michigan Cricket Association, has apparently paid its USACA dues and is awaiting reinstatement).   

 

A gesture was, nonetheless, made by the Central East Region to MCA, which is not currently a USACA member: a few days before the U-15 tournament was due to begin, MCA coaches were informed that a C.E.R. selector would visit MCA practice.  Emails and phone calls went out to all Academy members, and a large number of players gathered at the Lyon Oaks Park ground (Wixom).  Practice began, the nets were very active; the selector, on his way to the ground, called a coach for directions and then … failed to appear.  Players, coaches, parents went home astonished and disappointed.  The contrast with other youth sports was, yet again, stunning.  Many MCA players have extensive experience of the challenging and usually well-run, open tryouts for soccer, basketball, baseball, and hockey – whether for clubs or for elite, highly selective programs.  Cricket, it seems, had let them down again.

 

In the next few days a flurry of emails and phone calls between Michigan and Chicago clarified little – “politics” was the word mentioned most often to explain what had happened.  When the pool of available youth cricketers is so small it seems particularly odd that selectors neglected MCA, while the enthusiastic players who expected to display their skills to a regional selector, even if, for many, it would simply have been a “learning experience”, were given another stimulus to choose a different sport. To cap it all, Michigan’s neglected players will have noted that the selectors, one of whom apparently decided en route not to turn up at MCA practice, put together a zonal team that seems to have lost every match at the tournament

 

If cricket is to thrive long-term in the United States, there surely have to be more highs and fewer lows for youth players; national organization must be better and more open; and the big fish in the small pond of US cricket might consider setting aside personal issues for the benefit of the game.

 

Click on the links below for some photos:

 

MMCA team, with coach Vasanth Krishnaswami and team family members Neill Quinlan, Derek Fish, and Michael Makin

 

Lunch on the first day

 

MMCA openers Gordon Makin and Rohit Mogalayapalli take the field at the start of the first match

 

Gordon Makin batting against NCCA

 

P. Pryank looks to get on top of the bowling

 

Rohit Mogalayapalli goes after the CCA Green bowling

 

Parth Joshi, man-of-the-match against CCA Green, challenges the batsmen

 

Parth Joshi attacks the bowling

 

Parth Joshi, excellent stroke maker

 

MMCA Captain Ani Mayasandra fires it in

 

Debutant Ryan Quinlan at the crease

 

Neil Makin bowling against CCA Green

 

Gordon Makin, top wicket-taker for MMCA

 

Gordon Makin’s leg spin

 

MMCA’s youngest player, Neil Makin, is chaired off the field by captain Ani Mayasandra, after ending the match against CCA Green with a fine running catch at midwicket

 

Debutant Jai Sura at the crease

 

Last week marked the 100th day of the election of the current USACA administration. Although new USACA administration was not expected to fire away on all engines immediately, there have been a few outward signs of progress - the national tournaments have all been announced (some have been held) and efforts by grassroots volunteers at the school level have borne fruit in California and New York.

From a strategy standpoint, those who were expecting fast and proactive steps must rightly be a bit disappointed. Because progress has been somewhat slow - like watching an iceberg melt.

Here is a quick report card starting with the positives:

As expected, $110K in annual ICC funding has been reinstated and USA stands to gain from increased development funding that ICC has announced for countries with a robust cricket program. Manaf Mohammed, Second VP, has taken over cricket operations and the national tournament schedule was announced ahead of time, a departure from last-minute scheduling surprises of the past. Nabeel Ahmed, the First VP, has been a constant presence at cricket events, sometimes helping the organizers from his own resources, as in the case of the forthcoming Night Cricket tournament in Chicago. His show of support has rejuvenated the organizers and participants alike. The newly constituted regional boards have infused more vitality in the regions. For instance, the Western Region has undertaken various initiatives both on and off the field including a planned junior tour of England. John Thickett and John Aaron, Treasurer and Secretary respectively, have done their bit to improve transparency - the USACA website now has sections for financial information and meeting minutes although recent minutes remain unpublished. Slow-going in some areas However, in the key areas of fund-raising and cricket development, progress has been lackluster. Here is the status of some of the election promises- Fund-raising: In a position paper titled "USACA Path to Success" published ahead of the April election, Gladstone Dainty wrote "During the first year, we will budget $25,000 for each Region." He promised that USACA would "contribute $3 for every $2 raised by the Regional Entities for the development of cricket in each Region. Matching funds to Regions would be limited to the first $10,000 raised." One regional administrator, speaking on the condition of anonymity told DreamCricket.com, "We have not seen the money yet and this is putting tremendous pressure on the region and leagues. Players end up paying their own tickets to tournaments. The problem is that not all of our best players can afford to pay for their travel. Cricket activities have gone up but we need resources to support these activities." Absent a clear roadmap to secure funding through improved marketing efforts, USACA would continue to rely on meager ICC life-support and donations of the many volunteer-organizers, Dainty himself being among the more generous contributors. Even if such generosity is commendable, it is only a stop-gap measure. Hiring a CEO: USACA has said that it plans to hire a CEO. About the plan for hiring a CEO, Dainty wrote "funding will be secured from various sources including membership dues, sponsorship, grants and tax deductible contributions." CEO hiring was put off until September and progress on this is eagerly awaited. Reuniting the USA cricket fraternity: WICB chief Dr. Julian Hunte, ahead of the USACA election, was hopeful that the current regime will act promptly in reuniting the USA cricket fraternity by inviting non-member leagues into the USACA fold. Progress on that front too has been slow. DreamCricket has spoken to four such leagues that are waiting to be reinstated and we estimate that at least 10 other leagues could be convinced to join the USACA fold. Not only will greater participation in USACA aid grassroots cricket development, it will also generate incremental membership revenue. Decisions on membership should be fast-tracked and not have to wait for board meetings. Also, membership criteria should be reviewed and, at the minimum, be outside the purview of the regions. That is because the regions have every incentive to manipulate membership to their advantage. Cricket development - The aspiring youth cricketers Although, USA cricketers' dreams of qualifying for the 2011 World Cup have now been put to rest, the real silver lining has been youth cricket. When it comes to junior cricket, progress in the boardroom has not kept pace with real progress on the field. These youngsters have shown that they are the real deal - and here is where the board's attention is most needed. Two USA cricketers,Abhijit Joshi and Steven Taylor, excelled as part of a combined ICC Americas team at the recently concluded Clico U-15 World Cup in the Caribbean. Abhijit hit 4 consecutive fifties in the tournament. With their successful campaign, the two lads continued USA's recent record at international tournaments - USA had won the ICC Americas Under-15 Tournament in 2006 and put up some great performances at the last edition of the ICC U19 World Cup. Even in domestic cricket, the energy at junior level has remained high. The National Junior championship matches in California have reaffirmed the giant strides being made by the next generation of cricketers. An inter-zone junior tournament this past weekend in Chicago too has shown that there is a groundswell of interest from youth cricketers. A recent international coaching program run by DreamCricket.com was attended by over 20 youngsters. "USA could be the place to invest some time and money if Twenty 20 is to take a grip around the world", said Ian Pont, at the end of his first fast bowling camp at the DreamCricket Academy. "I've seen some raw talent worth developing but there's a serious lack of formal coaching at present. The lads are starved of quality support but they are keen, knowledgeable and willing to learn." Tamil Nadu Junior Cricket Coach Bharath Kumar, speaking after his coaching stint in New Jersey said, "The enthusiasm of these kids is infectious. I have no doubt that USA will have a solid team in the near future if these kids stay motivated and get the support they deserve." The two coaches, who came from England and India were quick to note that having the raw talent does not equate to a national program. That takes "the spark of money and time to create an atmosphere that cricket can thrive in and the desire to create something new and exciting," Ian Pont, a Level IV international coach said. Bharath said he was puzzled about the frequent complaints about about lack of quality wickets in USA. "I agree that the grounds are not comparable to England. But I think that is only a small part of the problem. If you look at India, not all first class venues had natural turf pitches and even as recently as the nineties, Ranji matches were played on matting wickets." Talking about local weather, he said "I am quite impressed with the DreamCricket facility, which is an all-weather facility. Only a handful of Indian cities have such a facility." Bharath said the real problem was that the cricketers needed a nurturing environment where their commitment to cricket would not go to waste. "What USA is lacking is perhaps a system that rewards these kids' cricketing abilities. The simple question on every kid's mind is - I look at Tendulkar or Dhoni and I will motivate myself to play great cricket, like my friends who play tennis. But what will that get me in terms of international exposure? Will it help me secure a scholarship for college?". Cricket administrators should ensure that the young cricketers have the same opportunities as their peers in other sports, Bharath noted. The way forward If USA wants to make a mark on the world stage, it has a better chance of doing so at the 2012 U-19 World Cup in Canada and the 2012 Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. But USACA must formulate a strategy and a long-range plan for a successful campaign in these two tournaments. Hemant Buch, who has organized the national junior tournament for three years said, "I agree that to drive youth cricket forward, we need a solid national youth development program. I wish we had the funds for this." Chidamber Joshi, who played a key role in organizing the inter-zone tournament said,"I firmly believe that there is a need for National Cricket Academy. To the academy, we need to identify the top 25 in each of U-15, U-19 and U-25 (or open) levels nationally and adopt year-round, sustained programs - such as high Performance training, sustained home and away tournaments with neighboring countries and beyond. It is just not sufficient to conduct tournaments and believe that they will pave the way for the future - that is just a small and needed step towards the bigger and visionary goal." In fact, Dainty too has recognized the need a national approach in his white paper when he wrote "The national body will aggressively plan and establish training and development programs to be administered by the regions." Progress on this important goal too is eagerly awaited. Domestic tournaments - Criteria Another much awaited development is a harmonization of eligibility criteria for the national tournaments. "The constant shifting of eligibility criteria, and in some instances the tournament rules themselves, are aspects of USA cricket that we need to change as a priority," one administrator said. Selection criteria too need to be made more transparent and harmonized across the regions, he noted. Next 100 days Cricket's growth potential in USA is undeniable, and everybody from Allen Stanford to Lalit Modi have painted their vision for USA cricket. But realization of this potential needs strategic planning, management and infrastructure - and intertwined with these factors is funding. It is hoped that the President and his board will deliver on its many promises in the days to come. Recognizing the young cricketers who will put USA cricket on the world map The future USA team will most likely include these names - Gregory Sewdial, Abhijit Joshi, Steve Taylor, Akeem Dodson, Dominic Audain, Mohammad Rehman, Saminda Siriwardena, Ravi Timbawala, Mital Patel, Brandon Dunbar, Varun Vallur, Vaibhav Nayar, Cameron Mirza, Akash Jagannathan, Hemant Punoo, Abhemanyu Rajp, Dunae Nathanial, Sumon Bari, Anil Deopersaud, Balaji Giridharan, Mihir Deo, Arsh Buch, Pranav Pradhan, Rishi Patel, Raman Nelakanti, Roshan Varadarajan, Sunil Deopersaud, Saurabh Deo, Alex Kirton,Kapil Talwalkar,Adhiraj Watave, Jacques Gerber, Kwiese Edmondson, G Domaille, Ani Mayasandra, Adithya Nagaraja, Jodhbir Singh, Pranay Suri, Jason Fox, Krish Goel, Kalim Ahmed, Vikram Valluri, W Jamil, Herno Smith, Steven Sawh, Andrey Ajodhi, and Salman Ahmed. At the Under-13 level, Mohak Buch, Hersh Solanki, Neil Tagare, Abhimanyu Vaidyanathan, Akhil Ghirnikar, Sandeep Padedda, Arun Chakravorty, Immanuel Amirtharaj, Mihir Athavale. If you know of other promising young cricketers whose names are missing, please alert us by writing to frontfoot @ dreamcricket.com.

''America Can Provide Next Twenty 20 Playground''

With the completion of the inaugural session of the DreamCricket Academy, DreamCricket.com has taken