Radiant Info T20 Cricket 2010: All-Stars set to dazzle with on-field pyrotechnics

openingbat — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:55:00 GMT

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The Atlantic All-Stars are not only the youngest team in the tournament, they are the most lethal. At the team's core are five players from the super-talented South Gujarat Cricket Club. When you take that already strong foundation and add to it players with bios that include playing for the nation or for their region, you end up with a formidable outfit.

The team's manager Sri Garimella told DreamCricket.com that the All-Stars have all the ingredients to destroy their opposition. He said: "what we have in our team is precisely what T20 needs - a strong infusion of extra-talent, extra-effort and extra-energy. We need cricketers who can fire almost on-demand and can adjust to match situation fast."

"The SGCC players in our team are known for their match-winning attributes - it is not a coincidence that they are consistently among the best performers in this region. From that base, we have attempted to add players who are game-changers. In terms of sheer excitement, our team will be hard to match," Garimella added.

The All-Stars are -

Adrian Gordon (23) - At the ICC WCL Division IV tournament in Italy, USA fast bowler Adrian Gordon (picture at right) finished tied for second on the team with 10 wickets and had the best average at 11.80 runs per wicket and stepped up in a big way when Timroy Allen went down with an injury.

Seven of those wickets came from the final two games - including a scorching 4 for 35 that was chiefly responsible for wrecking Italy in the championship match.

Speaking about that spell, his captain Steve Massiah said: "I think what’s the key ingredient with young Gordon is his willingness and his eagerness to learn,” said Massiah. “I think that will take him a very far way. Especially today I thought he bowled an exceptional spell. His first spell, it’s one of the better old ball spells that I’ve seen in a very long time. I thought he was pacy, he was very accurate.”

A student of NYU-Poly, Adrian represented Antigua at U-15 and U-19 levels and was coached by Andy Roberts and Adam Stanford in his youth. After joining the Atlantic Region squad in 2009, Adrian's elevation to USA was rapid - he represented USA in three tournaments this year. He recently trained with fast-bowling coach Ian Pont at DreamCricket Academy where Pont reserved special praise for Adrian's speed and focus. Pont's advice to Gordon was simple: "stun the batsmen with pace, then rip those stumps up."

Rushi Amin (25) - Rushi Amin is an extremely capable left-handed batsman and swing bowler. His all-round prowess and consistent performances earned him a spot on the Atlantic Region team in 2009 where he awaits his big moment. Meanwhile, he continues to excel within the region. This season, Rushi has provided the bedrock for the rebuilding of the Sayreville Gladiators outfit in both the Garden State and Millennium Cricket Leagues.

His contributions of 222 runs (including two 50s) with the bat and 12 wickets (at an average of 18.83) with the ball have played a role in Gladiators' progress to the semi-final of GSCL. In MCL, he has 254 runs from 9 innings and 17 wickets at an average of 11.94.

Srinivasa Santhanam (26) - Flying in from Portland, OR, especially for this tournament, Srinivasa has been part of the North West regional squad for three years, where he opens both batting and bowling. A right handed batsman and a medium pace bowler, Srinivasa represented Tamil Nadu at the U-13, U-16 and U-19 levels.

Srinivasa represented Santhome at the school level and between 2001 and 2005, he played for and captained the BITS Pilani university team..

Srinviasa is a recipient of the prestigious Sriraman and Somasundaram endowments from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association. Playing for the RBI in TNCA Div II as a high-school student, Srinivasa's scored a double century in a 3-day match and took 4 wickets for 16 with his bowling.

Regis Burton (19) - After he was born in the Bronx, Burton’s parents took him and his brother back to their native Antigua when he was only a few months old. He grew up in the tiny village of Lightfoot where initially he enjoyed soccer and tennis before his passion for cricket took over.

At the end of the three-day Digicel Cricket Coaching Clinic in August 2007 at Falmouth Cricket Ground in St. John’s, Antigua, Burton was given the clinic’s Most Outstanding Batsman award. According to a press release from the WICB, the award was decided by Kenny Benjamin, Keith Arthurton, Lance Gibbs, Chris Gayle and Ravi Rampaul, who all coached the clinic and observed the youngsters during training sessions on the first two days and matches on the final day. In 2008, Burton was named captain of the Antigua U-19 side in the 2008 Sir Garfield Sobers International Schools Cricket Tournament held in July in Barbados.

When Burton finally returned to USA, he got involved in the New York cricket scene after being put into contact with Ricky Kissoon, the captain of Rising Stars CC in the Eastern American Cricket Association. In the ICC U19 World Cup Qualifier in Canada, Burton scored 126 runs at 21.00 in seven matches, including a high score of 52 against Papua New Guinea. With the ball, he took four wickets and had an impressive 4.12 economy rate, tying up one end while opening the bowling for Team USA. He also enhanced his reputation as one of the best fielders on the team with three catches, including the superlative effort against Afghanistan.

Priyesh Shah - Priyesh Shah, who plays for SGCC in the Cricket League of NJ, is a right-handed opening batsman. Priyesh played for Maharashtra at the U-16 level. In CLNJ, he is the top batsman this season with 568 runs including a highest of 153. His average for the season is 51.64.

SGCC has 4 other players in the All-Stars team including former Atlantic Region player - Hiten Patel, left arm spinner Harshit Patel, leg-spinner and middle-order batsman Jaimin Goswami, and Vishal Patel.

Also on the Atlantic All-Stars squad is the USA U-19 Second All-American cricketer and 2008 Best US Cricketer at the Radiant Info T20 -Cameron Mirza who is returning from a stint with Brentwood CC in England. The Atlantic Region U-19 speedster Jasdeep Singh is also part of the squad. A more complete roster will be uploaded to RadiantInfoT20.com in the coming days.

[Adrian Gordon and Regis Burton pics - courtesy of ICC]

USA Cricketer : Adrian Gordon, Atlantic All-Stars

Radiant Info T20 Cricket 2010: All-Stars set to dazzle with on-field pyrotechnics