The USA U19 made quick work of Bermuda by dismissing them for just 50 and getting those runs without losing a wicket and doing so before the rains arrived. They have now qualified for the next round on the road to the ICC U19 World Cup in 2012.
USA U19 has had a dominant week with ball and bat. When they have batted first (once against Argentina) they have put up an imposing total. When they have bowled first, they have gone through the top order like sharp knife through warm butter with spinners mopping up the tail with regularity. The catching has been decent enough that they have not let any batsman off who has subsequently scored. They fully deserve to go through to the next round in Ireland and have a real chance to qualify for the 2012 U19 World Cup if current form and talent is any indication.
There is one thing to settle which is the bragging rights for ICC Americas U19 with their arch-rivals, Canada. That match is on Saturday in the stadium -- a perfect setting for the finale. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate. It will be a very good test for where US U19 cricket is at this stage relative to Canada despite Canada missing their top three U19 players who are with the senior side at the moment. The US side appears to have the momentum and the edge but that is why they play the game.
One comment about the other sides in this ICC Americas U19 tournament. These teams have been very disappointing, particularly Bermuda which is well funded and has the best of resources and should be expected to fare better, much better. For perspective, the US NWR U19 team has not lost to US SWR U19s in the last year (they have played twice) despite the four bowlers from SWR U19 (Salman, Shahid, Gurpreet, Abdulghani) being dominant bowlers for US in this tournament. That speaks to the depth that US cricket has, particularly in the west coast.
Showing posts with label ICC Americas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ICC Americas. Show all posts
February 11, 2011
February 8, 2011
USA U19 impresses with big wins against Argentina, Bahamas and Cayman Island
Match 1: USA vs Argentina: The land of Maradona is not known for its cricket and it showed when the Argentinian U19s played the USA U19 in the first match of the 2011 ICC Americas U19 Tournament. They were comprehensively beaten in all aspects of the game. The USA openers, Taylor and Mirza, got big scores including a maiden U19 hundred by Mizra, against what appeared to be mostly inept bowling with Ahmad completing the battering to post a 300+ score. The Argentinians in reply were no match whatsoever having been bundled out for 30 odd.
Match 2: USA vs Bahamas: While admittedly stronger than Argentina, Bahamas struggled to put up a half decent score and lost most of their wickets against the second-line bowlers of USA. USA polished of the total while losing Taylor who perished attempting to polish off the total in one swing.
Match 3: USA vs Cayman Islands. Once USA got rid of their star batsman, Sacha De Alwis, it was never competitive as Cayman was dismissed for 40 and a helmet-less Taylor got the runs in a hurry while Babar played second fiddle.
Winning against minnows is expected but it must be said that USA has put them away with ease and helped themselves to the most favorable NRR in case rain plays spoil sport. They play a disappointing Bermuda side on Friday and arch rivals Canada on Saturday. A win against either of these teams should assure them of a trip to Ireland for the global qualifiers although a win against Bermuda would be preferred and more likely.
Team selection continues to confound. Off-spinning all-rounder Pranay Suri was in the XI only to be scratched at the last minute for a pacer, ostensibly because of the "conditions." As it turns out, the conditions favored the spinners as much as the pacers, if not more, making the scratch decision drip with bias and smell bad. But there is plenty of deodorant to go around so everything looks good and smells good.
Match 2: USA vs Bahamas: While admittedly stronger than Argentina, Bahamas struggled to put up a half decent score and lost most of their wickets against the second-line bowlers of USA. USA polished of the total while losing Taylor who perished attempting to polish off the total in one swing.
Match 3: USA vs Cayman Islands. Once USA got rid of their star batsman, Sacha De Alwis, it was never competitive as Cayman was dismissed for 40 and a helmet-less Taylor got the runs in a hurry while Babar played second fiddle.
Winning against minnows is expected but it must be said that USA has put them away with ease and helped themselves to the most favorable NRR in case rain plays spoil sport. They play a disappointing Bermuda side on Friday and arch rivals Canada on Saturday. A win against either of these teams should assure them of a trip to Ireland for the global qualifiers although a win against Bermuda would be preferred and more likely.
Team selection continues to confound. Off-spinning all-rounder Pranay Suri was in the XI only to be scratched at the last minute for a pacer, ostensibly because of the "conditions." As it turns out, the conditions favored the spinners as much as the pacers, if not more, making the scratch decision drip with bias and smell bad. But there is plenty of deodorant to go around so everything looks good and smells good.
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.
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