It was sunny and warm in Plano, Texas the weekend of June 18/19 which was supposed to be the site of USACA's first T20 tournament. Thanks to extraordinary changes effected by Munaf Mohammed, the USACA operations czar, the tournament was moved abruptly to New York. Reasons for this sudden venue change were never clearly explained but clarity has never been the strong suit of the always-secretive USACA of the last decade. One vacuous explanation was that hotel rates were too high ($90/night with a hot Texas breakfast included) but at least they didn't need a bullet-proof cashier window like the ones in East Orange, NJ where our finest cricketers are lodging.
The first day of the tournament (on Friday) was washed out and the picture of a puddle-ridden field with grass high enough to hide a cricket ball framed the bungling that USACA routinely seems to get away with.
There was some action on Saturday but only after the brave among the cricketers proceeded to remove pieces of glass (that once cradled cheap beer) all over the alternate not-so-puddled cricket field. Think about sliding to stop a boundary and instead cutting yourself silly. It was confusing as well to follow these matches from afar as none of the changes to the tournament format were announced by USACA on their website. But for Dreamcricket's live coverage, it would have impossible to know who was playing who, when and where even if you lived in NJ.
Four ~15-over "group" matches were played Saturday (CER bt NWR, NYR bt SER, SWR bt CWR, NWR bt SWR) while four more "group" matches were played on Sunday (NER bt SER, ATL bt NYR, CWR bt CER, ATL bt NER). The teams with the best records in the Western and Eastern conferences played the final (a 12 over per side affair) and the Atlantic region came away winners.
The selectors (yes, all of them) watched the rain, the glass picking, and the cricket to soon select a team that will play first against its Americas peers in Florida in July. Assuming the US do well, they will go to the UAE to play against other wannabes to gain the right to be on the field at the World Cup T20 tournament.
Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cricket. Show all posts
February 17, 2011
USA U19 Performance Review
It is hard to argue with success. It is hard to argue with winning. USA U19 went 5-0 and except for the Canada match, they overwhelmed the others sides. Except for Canada, the other sides as it turned out were not in the same league as USA. Should be noted that Canada were without the services of three of the U19s who are in India with the seniors and getting all the experience of playing the very best in the world. They will be stronger when USA sees them again in Ireland in the global qualifiers. None of this should take away from the US performance which we should all be proud of especially the young men who were part of the side. But it would be a mistake to get carried away and over-estimate our side and under-estimate the opposition in the process, as we move forward in the qualifying phase towards the 2012 U19 World Cup.
So lets look at the US squad's performance objectively, at least as objectively as we can.
So lets look at the US squad's performance objectively, at least as objectively as we can.
- Their fast bowling consisting of Salman, Hamad and Mital Patel was quite successful but I only see Hamad as having the ability and experience to be a true strike bowler. He has ability to raise his game as the opposition gets better. It is often the case that really good outswinging bowlers like Hamad will often miss the edge of lesser batsmen. Salman is improving rapidly but I dont see him at the same level as yet as Hamad. Mital Patel bowled surprisingly well but he appears to be a confidence bowler -- if his loose deliveries are dispatched with ease, he may struggle.
- Their slow bowling is mediocre. Might sound harsh but the reality is that Shayan and Gurpreet are not the sort of bowlers who will trouble good batsmen. While Shayan may be effective from an economy rate standpoint, Gurpreet bowls far too many loose deliveries every over for a spinner. Neither of them stood out in the Western Conference U19 matches. In fact, Viraj Sehgal of SWR was a more effective slow bowler who may not have caught the fancy of the selectors in the December trials. The fact that Pranay Suri who has been dominant slow bowler in U19 matches out West has been mostly ignored as a bowler is a shocker to those who have seen him in action. He needs to be shown faith so that he can bowl with confidence and deliver the goods.
- Their top-order batting consisting of Taylor, Mirza and Joshi is one where it will click when it is their day but it won't be their day when the opposition bowls enough wicket-taking deliveries. Taylor is flamboyant but he is also reckless. Mirza appears solid but I am not convinced that he can be patient when the going gets tough. Joshi is a talented batsman but he tends to throw his wicket far too often to loose shots, something he needs to work on.
- The middle order batting consisting of Babar, Jodha and Suri has the problem that they are inherently attacking batsmen who take chances. When it comes off, it is fun to watch as runs come in a hurry. When it doesn't, the batting will be in disarray.
- Part of the strength of the US team is its all-rounders -- Salman and Hamad. Both are batsmen who are gritty, put a price on their wicket and can wield the long handle very effectively when needed. It shouldn't be lost that Hamad took the USA score from 121 to 143 in the Canada match in the company of the #10 batsman, Mital. Those 22 runs ultimately were the difference between the two sides.
- Hard to say that US boasts a fine fielding side. It appears average with a good upside if trained by the likes of Robin Singh. Several catches were put down, some easy, but it never cost the US too much. This will not continue to be the case in Ireland and beyond. Taylor is an okay wicket keeper -- not bad but not great. And the fact that he opens the batting means that the side needs a true wicket keeper so that Taylor can focus on his batting up top.
- In the 14, Trevor Singh is a good upcoming batsman but he is not yet ready for U19 level cricket when there are better options in the reserves. The two pacers, Kalim and Waleed, are unlikely to get a game given that in addition to the fast bowlers in the 11, the likes of Jodhbir and Joshi can bowl effective medium pace. So having both these pacers in the 14 is a waste.
- In the reserves, Akash should find a place in the playing 11 especially against good opposition on sporting tracks. He is a technically-strong and dependable batsman and he also keeps wickets regularly for his A division Northern California league side. Krish is also a player who deserves a close look as he is a good batsman and a good off spinner. Both of them did quite well in the Western Conference U19 matches and the December trials which should bode well. In fact, the NWR side that they played for and that Suri captained easily handled the SWR bowling side which is effectively the US bowling side in 2010.
Now a look at the coach, support staff and selectors.
- I like Robin Singh as coach. His demeanor is just right. He does not get carried away and he is not stingy when praise is due. Hope he returns.
- I do not like the selection committee. Sew Shivnarine, an experienced top-class cricketer, tends to dominate the committee with his strong views, some his own and some maybe whispered into his ear. He ignores statistics and recent performances and also seems to ignore what Abrar Ahmed and Sunny Khan, the other selectors, may have to say. He may feel, and arguably so, that that they haven't played enough cricket to be selectors. But that shouldn't mean that he has full and total control of picking the 14 and possibly the 11. Let us not forget that his performance as coach in New Zealand (U19 WC 2010) was disastrous. Not that they lost most of their matches (they finished 15 out of 16), but the team did not appear to play for him as the tournament progressed. That is not good.
- I am also against support staff like physio and manager being USACA board members or closely connected with USACA administration. Far too much conflict of interest. Masood, USACA Board Rep for CER, is a physiotherapist by training but having him in the mix can make things complicated. There is evidence that it has. Not sure about what influence manager King had on the side. And having Sew around would have made Robin's job that much harder as Sew happens to the ex-coach who likely thought he was going to get the job again until Robin was given it.
The US side can finish in the top six in Ireland and should do so given the other nine countries in the mix. But the goal should be to be in the top 12 in the U19 World Cup in 2012. Anything less should be considered a disappointment. To achieve the goal of top 12, merit and performance should be the guide, not power politics that we have seen far too often in the US to our own detriment.
January 31, 2011
Preview of the 2011 Edition of the ICC Americas U-19 Cricket Championship
The Fort Lauderdale area in Florida will host the 2011 edition of the U19 ICC Americas Championship. Six countries are participating including Argentina, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, and hosts USA. Top two finishers go on to the ICC U19 Global Qualifiers Championship in the summer in Ireland where two teams each from other regions of the world play against each other and the top six go to the ICC U19 World Cup to be held in 2012.
The USA U19 team was recently announced along with the surprise announcement that Robin Singh (who represented India mostly in ODI cricket) will be the coach. While Robin Singh has a very good track record as an international coach and his worth ethic as a player was second to none in the Indian teams he played on, his appointment was to a position that no one knew was open except in the smoky back rooms at USACA HQ. As they say, business as usual at USACA.
In the announced team, Abhijit Joshi has been appointed captain with Stephen Taylor appointed vice-captain. The batsmen are Steve Taylor, Abhijit Joshi, Fahad Babar, Jodha Singh, Trevor Singh, and Cameron Mirza. The all-rounders are Pranay Suri, Salman Ahmed, Hamad Shahid, Gurpreet Sandhu, and Mital Patel. The bowlers are Shayan Abdulghani, Kalim Ahmed and Walid Karimullah. The only wicket keeper on the team is Stephen Taylor who also opens the innings when batting. Four of the US players were part of the 2010 U19 World Cup campaign - Joshi, Taylor, Shahid, and Ahmed.
The USA team starts the tournament against Argentina on Monday February 7, followed by Cayman Islands and Bahamas on successive days. Thursday is a rest day for all teams. Then USA plays what appear to be two crucial matches, back to back, against Bermuda and Canada.
One concern for the USA team is the lack of batting depth. Unless Steve Taylor, Abhijit Joshi, Fahad Babar and Jodha Singh perform at a peak level, US will become overly dependent on the all rounders to post winnable scores or chase large totals. This may not matter against the weaker opponents but is a real concern against strong teams like Bermuda and Canada. The bowling department is perhaps the strongest with Hamad Shahid being a true strike pacer and Pranay whose off spin will pose problems for technically deficient batsmen. Both of these bowlers should be supported well by the likes of Salman Ahmed and Shayan Abdulghani. The fielding strength is an unknown as most of the players are not noted for being outstanding fielders or catchers. The lack of a backup wicket-keeper may become an issue as the tournament progresses as Stephen Taylor, who recently recovered from traffic accident-related injuries, will be doubling as an opening bat and keeper -- a demanding double role.
The Bermuda team led by Joshua Gilbert is a young one but has the benefit of five players who have played as part of the the national senior side in WCL Division 2 in the past year. While captain Gilbert has been quite confident of finishing at the top, their Australian coach, David Moore, has been somewhat more guarded on the team's chances. This time of year being cricket off-season in Bermuda has meant that the team has been short of match practice. Joshua Gilbert, Greg Maybury, Kamau Leverock and Kevon Fubler are players to watch from this side as they try to dethrone Canada as the reigning ICC Americas U19 champions.
The Canadian team led by Kesavan Juvarajan is also a young team with Riyankhan Pathan and Manny Aulakh returning from their reasonably successful 2010 U19 World Cup campaign. They will surely miss Hiral Patel, Parth Desai, and Nitish Kumar, who are all part of the senior team which is now in India for the ICC 2011 World Cup. However, the U19s spent the past week in Trinidad and Tobago playing four matches as part of their preparation and should be expected to be ready to defend their throne.
USA should do well in home conditions but lack of preparation as a unit with the recently-arrived new coach and potential lack of batting depth would need to be overcome for a successful campaign. The team should benefit from the fact that its first three matches are against traditionally weaker teams which could help it build momentum. It may well come down to the outcome of the last match of the tournament when traditional rivals, Canada and USA, play each other that determines the top two teams that head across the Atlantic to Ireland this summer.
Weather forecast for the coming week in the Fort Lauderdale area starts of sunny and warm and then cools down with a few showers around as the week progresses. Still that should be good enough weather for exciting cricket by the cricket stars of tomorrow in these parts of the world.
The USA U19 team was recently announced along with the surprise announcement that Robin Singh (who represented India mostly in ODI cricket) will be the coach. While Robin Singh has a very good track record as an international coach and his worth ethic as a player was second to none in the Indian teams he played on, his appointment was to a position that no one knew was open except in the smoky back rooms at USACA HQ. As they say, business as usual at USACA.
In the announced team, Abhijit Joshi has been appointed captain with Stephen Taylor appointed vice-captain. The batsmen are Steve Taylor, Abhijit Joshi, Fahad Babar, Jodha Singh, Trevor Singh, and Cameron Mirza. The all-rounders are Pranay Suri, Salman Ahmed, Hamad Shahid, Gurpreet Sandhu, and Mital Patel. The bowlers are Shayan Abdulghani, Kalim Ahmed and Walid Karimullah. The only wicket keeper on the team is Stephen Taylor who also opens the innings when batting. Four of the US players were part of the 2010 U19 World Cup campaign - Joshi, Taylor, Shahid, and Ahmed.
The USA team starts the tournament against Argentina on Monday February 7, followed by Cayman Islands and Bahamas on successive days. Thursday is a rest day for all teams. Then USA plays what appear to be two crucial matches, back to back, against Bermuda and Canada.
One concern for the USA team is the lack of batting depth. Unless Steve Taylor, Abhijit Joshi, Fahad Babar and Jodha Singh perform at a peak level, US will become overly dependent on the all rounders to post winnable scores or chase large totals. This may not matter against the weaker opponents but is a real concern against strong teams like Bermuda and Canada. The bowling department is perhaps the strongest with Hamad Shahid being a true strike pacer and Pranay whose off spin will pose problems for technically deficient batsmen. Both of these bowlers should be supported well by the likes of Salman Ahmed and Shayan Abdulghani. The fielding strength is an unknown as most of the players are not noted for being outstanding fielders or catchers. The lack of a backup wicket-keeper may become an issue as the tournament progresses as Stephen Taylor, who recently recovered from traffic accident-related injuries, will be doubling as an opening bat and keeper -- a demanding double role.
The Bermuda team led by Joshua Gilbert is a young one but has the benefit of five players who have played as part of the the national senior side in WCL Division 2 in the past year. While captain Gilbert has been quite confident of finishing at the top, their Australian coach, David Moore, has been somewhat more guarded on the team's chances. This time of year being cricket off-season in Bermuda has meant that the team has been short of match practice. Joshua Gilbert, Greg Maybury, Kamau Leverock and Kevon Fubler are players to watch from this side as they try to dethrone Canada as the reigning ICC Americas U19 champions.
The Canadian team led by Kesavan Juvarajan is also a young team with Riyankhan Pathan and Manny Aulakh returning from their reasonably successful 2010 U19 World Cup campaign. They will surely miss Hiral Patel, Parth Desai, and Nitish Kumar, who are all part of the senior team which is now in India for the ICC 2011 World Cup. However, the U19s spent the past week in Trinidad and Tobago playing four matches as part of their preparation and should be expected to be ready to defend their throne.
USA should do well in home conditions but lack of preparation as a unit with the recently-arrived new coach and potential lack of batting depth would need to be overcome for a successful campaign. The team should benefit from the fact that its first three matches are against traditionally weaker teams which could help it build momentum. It may well come down to the outcome of the last match of the tournament when traditional rivals, Canada and USA, play each other that determines the top two teams that head across the Atlantic to Ireland this summer.
Weather forecast for the coming week in the Fort Lauderdale area starts of sunny and warm and then cools down with a few showers around as the week progresses. Still that should be good enough weather for exciting cricket by the cricket stars of tomorrow in these parts of the world.
January 27, 2011
2011 U19 Team Selection - Business as Usual at USACA
The usual mix of deserving players and privileged players make up the U19 National side for the crucial qualifiers in February. Unless US finishes in the top two in these qualifiers with reigning champions Canada and a strong Bermuda team also in the reckoning, their quest for being part of the 2012 U19 World Cup will be over.
From the Western Conference, the South-West Region boasts four players in the fourteen including one whose batting and bowling performances were decidedly sub-par in the Western Conference matches and in the aborted National Championships. The North-West Region which easily won the Western Conference Championship and was unbeaten in the aborted National Championships only has two players to show for its undefeated record. The Central-East Region which did not even qualify for the National Championships has two players and the Central-West region has no representation.
From the Eastern Conference, the Atlantic Region has three players including one who was not even in the list of 21 players invited for the trials. The New York region has two players, neither of whom appeared to have any notable performances in the Eastern Conference tournament. The South-East Region has only one player despite qualifying for the national championships.
To call this the best of the nation's U19 would be hard to defend. What one could settle for is that there are about six players who clearly deserve to be in the side and about four players who clearly are privileged and thus find themselves in the side. What should concern us is that both Bermuda and Canada youth programmes have progressed significantly in the last couple of years and their sides would be very competitive in the fight for the top two spots in the ICC U19 Americas Tournament in two weeks. Unless the deserving US players perform at a peak level, US could well find itself out of contention for the ICC U19 World Cup in 2012 as early as February 2011.
A bit about how to be a privileged player from what I have been able to glean from talking to various folks across the country. It helps to be from the right region -- one whose regional representative is aligned with the power base at USACA, currently spelt "Dainty." It helps even more to be from the right league in any region so that you can trade your vote in the upcoming USACA elections for a spot for your beloved player in the national team and a blazer to boot. It really helps if you are successful in forming your own league and having it approved by USACA only because you want your offsprings to play on national teams. That makes "vote for spot" principle quite easy to implement. This is much more common than you and I think.
Now a bit about how to be a deserving player in the mix. It is harder than you think especially if you are from a region or a league that the current power base at USACA happens to dislike. The NWR is a classic example of this where they find themselves at odds with the current USACA power base so they are lucky to even have two players in the side, both deserving. (In the senior side, they have a sum total of 0 despite having won the national championships.)
Now many of you might wonder how the selectors play into this. Well they play into this as much as the average puppet plays into its performance. Their strings are pulled by the region they belong to but the real selection is done by USACA top management where region and league allegiances, voting ramifications, assorted quid pro quos are fully and duly considered. In that way, USACA is quite thorough and rarely makes mistakes.
So when the national side lays an egg like the senior side has been seen to do on a couple of occassions in the last week, don't blame the team or team managament. Blame the deal makers at USACA who probably care much less about on-the-field performances and much more about staying in power and having an occassional dip into the coffers from your and my dues as well as ICC's handouts for a trip here and an outing there. Also blame the parochial league management and dysfunctional regional managements across this land who will also do anything to stay in power and at times gain privilege for their offsprings and their friends at the expense of the rest.
As Eisenhower once said "A people (aka USACA) that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
Lets hope the "soon" is sooner than later and not never.
From the Western Conference, the South-West Region boasts four players in the fourteen including one whose batting and bowling performances were decidedly sub-par in the Western Conference matches and in the aborted National Championships. The North-West Region which easily won the Western Conference Championship and was unbeaten in the aborted National Championships only has two players to show for its undefeated record. The Central-East Region which did not even qualify for the National Championships has two players and the Central-West region has no representation.
From the Eastern Conference, the Atlantic Region has three players including one who was not even in the list of 21 players invited for the trials. The New York region has two players, neither of whom appeared to have any notable performances in the Eastern Conference tournament. The South-East Region has only one player despite qualifying for the national championships.
To call this the best of the nation's U19 would be hard to defend. What one could settle for is that there are about six players who clearly deserve to be in the side and about four players who clearly are privileged and thus find themselves in the side. What should concern us is that both Bermuda and Canada youth programmes have progressed significantly in the last couple of years and their sides would be very competitive in the fight for the top two spots in the ICC U19 Americas Tournament in two weeks. Unless the deserving US players perform at a peak level, US could well find itself out of contention for the ICC U19 World Cup in 2012 as early as February 2011.
A bit about how to be a privileged player from what I have been able to glean from talking to various folks across the country. It helps to be from the right region -- one whose regional representative is aligned with the power base at USACA, currently spelt "Dainty." It helps even more to be from the right league in any region so that you can trade your vote in the upcoming USACA elections for a spot for your beloved player in the national team and a blazer to boot. It really helps if you are successful in forming your own league and having it approved by USACA only because you want your offsprings to play on national teams. That makes "vote for spot" principle quite easy to implement. This is much more common than you and I think.
Now a bit about how to be a deserving player in the mix. It is harder than you think especially if you are from a region or a league that the current power base at USACA happens to dislike. The NWR is a classic example of this where they find themselves at odds with the current USACA power base so they are lucky to even have two players in the side, both deserving. (In the senior side, they have a sum total of 0 despite having won the national championships.)
Now many of you might wonder how the selectors play into this. Well they play into this as much as the average puppet plays into its performance. Their strings are pulled by the region they belong to but the real selection is done by USACA top management where region and league allegiances, voting ramifications, assorted quid pro quos are fully and duly considered. In that way, USACA is quite thorough and rarely makes mistakes.
So when the national side lays an egg like the senior side has been seen to do on a couple of occassions in the last week, don't blame the team or team managament. Blame the deal makers at USACA who probably care much less about on-the-field performances and much more about staying in power and having an occassional dip into the coffers from your and my dues as well as ICC's handouts for a trip here and an outing there. Also blame the parochial league management and dysfunctional regional managements across this land who will also do anything to stay in power and at times gain privilege for their offsprings and their friends at the expense of the rest.
As Eisenhower once said "A people (aka USACA) that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both."
Lets hope the "soon" is sooner than later and not never.
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