USA's senior and Under-19 teams are scheduled to compete in several major tournaments over the next five months. However, USACA is currently struggling to figure out the best way to prepare them.

USACA is planning on having its National Championship in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from November 13 to 15. The tournament was originally scheduled to take place from October 9 to 11 in Houston, Texas, but officials wanted to move the event to Florida to give players competing for spots on the national teams the opportunity to play on turf pitches, as opposed to the matting wickets used in Houston and around most of the country.

Continue reading "Problems hamper USA preparations"

The most talented young players in Associate and Affiliate cricket gather in Toronto this week in an attempt to qualify for the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, staged in New Zealand.

While the opportunity of competing against the best young squads from larger nations, such as Australia and India, is at the forefront of the players' ambitions, the tournament gives them a chance to impress and perhaps even press for a place in the senior team. Ireland's Paul Stirling, a highly regarded left-hander, turns 19 September 3 and displayed his potential during his senior side's three-run defeat to England on Thursday, cracking 30 from 26.

Click here for the full story.

Although Don Lockerbie, the USA Cricket Association's CEO, has outlined ambitious plans for the game in the country, some locals in Florida are less than impressed that the USA's first purpose-built stadium has yet to stage a major match, more than two years after it was opened.

Continue reading "Unrest at Florida's cricketing 'white elephant'"

The inaugural season of the American Premier League, which was set to take place in Staten Island, New York, in October this year, has had to be postponed, and it is now very doubtful if the project will see the light of day.

According to the league chairman, Jay Mir, a full and detailed proposal for the competition was sent to the USA Cricket Association six weeks ago as part of an application to gain official sanctioning, but no reply has been forthcoming.

Sir Richard Hadlee, the APL executive consultant, said: "We have done what we were asked to do by preparing and sending a proposal to have our event supported and sanctioned and as we have not had any official responses, time has run out for the October tournament. We are hopeful of continuing dialogue in the future."

However, Cricinfo has learned there were major concerns with the size of the proposed venue, a baseball field in Staten Island. The recent announcement that USACA is exploring plans to launch its own Twenty20 tournament also makes the future of the APL highly dubious.

Will Luke

Cricket rarely makes the pages of the New York Times, and if it does, it's usually related to the global game, not the sport in the United States. But today is the exception, with a wide-ranging piece on the power cricket can do for good.

Police Officer Jeff Thomson from the NYPD first got in contact with us a couple of weeks ago, and since then his force have staged a family day to launch their season.

But it is cricket's global appeal that can forge ties locally. With the game so popular in south asia and the Caribbean, those two communities in New York who sometimes struggle to integrate are given a vehicle to do just that.

“The Muslim community is not a community we had great outreach to in the past,” said Deputy Inspector Amin Kosseim, who runs special projects for the department’s Community Affairs Bureau.

And so the police decided to experiment with cricket, a game with a huge following across the Caribbean and South Asia. The response has cut across community lines. Tuesday’s opening match pitted the SuperStars — made up largely of players from Guyana — against the KnightRiders, a predominantly Pakistani team.

The NYPD have also had to make other adaptations to fit New York conditions.

For example, a strip of rolled and immaculately trimmed grass is normally used as the playing surface on which a ball bounces before it is struck by a batsman. But that strip is expensive and rare in this country. So the league’s matches, played at Spring Creek Park in Brooklyn and Kissena Park in Queens, use a substitute: a heavy, fibrous mat that is staked to the ground before a game.

At a SuperStars training session recently in Baisley Pond Park, youngsters on a neighboring basketball court looked on askance as the team carried the mat from a metal locker and used mallets to secure it to the damp earth. The bounce, according to the team’s coach, Ajaz Asgarally, was satisfactory.

It remains to be seen if the Police Department is able to nurture cricket talent in the way that other law enforcement agencies have. According to Keith A. P. Sandiford, a professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba who has written extensively on cricket, a police boys club established in Barbados to keep wayward boys off the streets once showcased the talents of a young Garfield Sobers.

Read the full piece and leave your comments below.

The United Arab Emirates will host the ICC World Twenty20 2010 Qualifier later this year. The event, which is currently scheduled to take place in late October, will also be expanded from its previous staging, in Ireland in 2008.

In addition to featuring the six Associate and Affiliate teams with ODI status - Ireland, Canada, Kenya, the Netherlands, Afghanistan and Scotland - it will also include the host team and the United States of America (USA).

The top two sides from the tournament will go forward to join the 10 ICC Full Members in next year's main event, set to take place in the West Indies in April and May at three locations - Barbados, Guyana and St Lucia.

These decisions were made by the ICC Development Committee, which has been meeting this week in Dubai.

"I am thrilled that the ICC Development Committee has again taken an expansive and innovative approach to promoting our great sport by inviting the UAE and USA to join the top six Associate and Affiliate teams at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier later this year," said ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat. "The committee has given the chance for the top six Associate and Affiliate teams to qualify for the ICC World Twenty20, something they had the chance to do in the equivalent event in Ireland last year, while, at the same time, creating two additional invitational slots for this event."

The ICC has thrown the USA an unexpected lifeline by inviting them to take part in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers in the UAE later this year.

After several years of infighting, including two periods where the USA Cricket Association was actually suspended by the ICC, the team currently languishes in the lower regions of world cricket.

Continue reading "USA fast-tracked into global big time"

Inzamam-ul-Haq and up to seven disaffected members of the Lahore Badshahs ICL franchise are in discussions with an American entrepreneur who hopes to establish an international Twenty20 tournament in New York City.

Click here to read the full story.

The USA rarely receives much publicity in the papers' sport sections. Every now and then, however, it makes an appearance, often owing to the plucky efforts of a group of fans. Or, in this case, a group of college students attempting to create their own tournament.

With only a few weeks’ notice, the five teams did what many college students do this time of year: they packed their sunscreen and headed to Florida. Nearly 60 players drove or flew at their own expense to the lush cricket pitches of Central Broward Regional Park. They played Twenty20, a version of cricket in which many stuffy traditions are left behind and matches are completed in about three hours instead of taking up to five days. The only custom-built cricket stadium in the United States stands in this park, but securing the 5,000-seat facility was far too rich a luxury for the tournament’s shoestring budget. Competing on the park’s manicured fields was already an upgrade over the converted soccer fields and tennis courts the players were used to.

“I wanted them to see the stadium to know what they are playing for,” said Lloyd Jodah, the founder and president of American College Cricket. “That is where we want to be next year.”

The idea for the college tournament came to him last year as he campaigned to have cricket included in the Olympics. Standing on Wall Street with a cricket bat in one hand and petitions in the other, Jodah, 50, an immigrant from Guyana who works selling health club memberships, met Kalpesh Patel, a Jamaican business student from the University of Miami.

Once Jodah heard how difficult it was for college cricketers to find regular games, he began toying with the idea of a nationwide organization for collegiate clubs and founded American College Cricket. He made a group on Facebook as a way to reach out to players.

“We always had the desire to play, but there was no real framework for us to get involved,” Patel said. “So this idea gave us the push to get involved with the most competitive form of the game.”

The New York Times has the full story.

DIRECTV has secured broadcast rights in the USA for all ICC and IPL tournaments. These rights include events such as the 2009 World Twenty20 in England, the 2009 and 2010 IPL tournaments and the 2011 World Cup.

While the intentions of the USA Cricket Association might be genuine, it hardly sets out to help itself.

Last weekend’s annual meeting was arguably one of its most important given that the ICC’s patience with the ongoing lack of transparency and failure to appoint of CEO is well documented. A reasonable person might expect that stakeholders would be kept in the loop. And yet for several days around the meeting the USACA website was down and while it has now resurfaced, it has nothing about the meeting other than a feeble month-old message advertising the date and location.

Thousands of clubs manage to run small sites so it is utterly unacceptable that a board receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars from the ICC in grants cannot manage to run a simple website. It’s been the case for several years and despite lots of bullish promises, nothing has changed.

Critics point out, with increasing justification, how on earth can an executive who continuously fail to do the basics with any degree of professionalism be trusted to look after the interests of the cricket fraternity in the USA.

Gladstone Dainty, the president of the USACA, told the association’s annual general meeting in New York that there was no truth the ICC were reviewing the operation of USACA and that there was any question of another suspension.

Dainty, speaking under the watchful eyes of Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, and IS Bindra, the ICC’s special advisor, insisted the the ICC was “happy we are all getting along” and that there was a general air of stability.

Continue reading "Dainty upbeat about USA's future"

ICC president Haroon Lorgat and special advisor IS Bindra will meet with USA Cricket Association officials in New York later this month.

The visit is the first by any senior ICC official since the board returned from its second suspension following elections last March. The USACA president, Gladstone Dainty, was re-elected despite being seen by many as the major block to progress within the country, and he has continued to court controversy with rumours growing that the USA could even be suspended again after months of inaction.

Continue reading "ICC big guns head to New York"

The USA Cricket Association is seeking a CEO. Please visit their website at www.usaca.org for details.

The Hawaii Premier League (HPL) was successfully launched as Hawaii’s first Twenty20
competition in October. The league is scheduled to hold tournaments twice annually each November and May. The first three teams were comprised of all-star cricket players from Oahu and Maui. The three teams wore different coloured uniforms and were named the Master Batters, Spitting Cobras and Terminators. The tournament has plans to expand to include mainland cricket teams in 2009 before expanding further to include international teams from Asia and Oceania. The plan is to expand the Hawaii Premier League into an international competition, in a tournament structure beginning in May 2010.

The month-long competition in October featured several close matches and after six matches all three teams were level with two wins and two defeats. The Spitting Cobras and Master Batters made the Grand Final by virtue of securing the most bonus points. The Grand Final went to the
Spitting Cobras who batted first and amassed 160 runs including 99 runs from 47 balls by Mark Berwick. The Master Batters got off to a promising start however were held to 127 runs.

For more information contact Mark Berwick at Honolulu Cricket Club or check out the website.

USA beat Cayman Islands in a rain-interrupted match to clinch the ICC Americas Division 1

In a rain-interrupted match at Brian Piccolo Park, USA clinched the title with an 87-run win Cayman Islands, thus finishing their campaign unbeaten. A commanding opening stand of 194 between Sushil Nadkarni and Carl Wright put the USA firmly in the driving seat, with Wright going on to make a brilliant 112 from 105 balls. Nadkarni, the player of the tournament, made 84 from 103 balls with 10 fours. Kevon Bazil bowled well in difficult conditions to take 4 for 75 as USA reached 289 for 6 in 49 overs.
Rain interruptions curtailed Cayman Islands' response and the match was eventually called to a halt with them struggling on 65 for 4 in the 24th over.

Click here for the final-day match reports along with quotes from Steve Massiah.

The Indian board has received an offer of help from the unlikeliest of sources – a small city in New Jersey. Edison, whose population is about one third Indians and is home to five clubs, had offered land to the BCCI if it wants to build a cricket stadium.

Jun H Choi, the mayor, made the offer to BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla, who was in New York as part of the official Indian delegation to the United Nations. A more formal proposal is now being drawn up. Choi is reported to believed that such a partnership would bring in considerable revenue and business.

Results went according to the script on the second day of the ICC Americas Division 1 tournament as USA, Bermuda and Canada registered comfortable victories

At Brian Piccolo Park another fine innings from Hamish Barton steered Argentina to a respectable 200 for 9 against USA, but that was put into perspective by Sushil Nadkarni, who struck his second century in two days. Nadkarni hit 109 off 116 balls as USA cantered home with 12 overs to spare. Argentina's day didn't improve when Barton picked up an ankle injury and he is in doubt for the next match against Cayman Islands.

"We played well against determined opposition and did the job we set out to do," Imran Khan, the USA manager, said. "While our batting - and especially Sushil - is looking good, we have work to do on being more disciplined in the field, and especially not gifting the opposition with bowling extras."

Canada had a less stressful match than yesterday, when they almost slipped up against Argentina, easing to a 206-run victory against Cayman Islands. At Central Broward Regional Park, they racked up an impressive 298 for 9. Opener Sandeep Jyoti top-scored with a stylish 88 off 129 balls, while further half-centuries came from Zubin Surkari and Qaiser Ali.

Cayman Islands' chase began poorly when they lost a wicket first ball and the innings never recovered, eventually folding for 92 in under 33 overs. Khurram Chohan took 3 for 34 and Zahid Hussain claimed 3 for 11

"We set ourselves goals today and I believe we achieved almost all of them," Canada captain, Umar Bhatti, said. "The team performed tremendously well today, all three departments were up to scratch, and it was a huge improvement from yesterday."

On the main stadium field at Central Broward Regional Park, Bermuda were predictably too strong for Suriname and notched a commanding 224-run win. Lionel Cann's 97-ball 101 led Bermuda to 290 for 3 and he was helped by Stephen Outerbridge's 62, plus a half century from captain Irving Romaine.

In reply, left-arm spinner Delyone Borden proved too much the Suriname batsmen, taking 6 for 17 from his 10 overs as the minnows were bundled out for 66, having been skittled for 60 in their opening match.

Bermuda's coach, Gus Logie, was pleased with how his team are progressing. "Today was all about building on yesterday's effort, and we did that strongly," he said. "It was also good to continue building confidence for the tough games ahead. We are constantly looking for self-improvement and today we got that, also our attitude and approach towards the game was very business-like, which was important."

Cricinfo has been told that an executive meeting of the USA Cricket Association was held on November 8 at which job specification for the new post of chief executive was agreed.

As with so much involving the USACA, there is no official announcement of the outcome of the meeting, or even that it was scheduled. Despite this, the column published at the end of last week did produce a couple of terse emails suggesting we check our facts before claiming that the executive hadn’t met … despite the fact that few emails to the association ever get as much as an acknowledgement.

So, for the sake of clarity, some seven months after elections, the new executive has finally met. Publication of the minutes are awaited with interest.

The USACA was due to have made the appointment of the chief executive by October 1, so it is already some way behind the agreed deadline.

Patience is running out in the international community with the continuing failure of the USA Cricket Association to fulfill obligations which followed the implementation of a new constitution and fresh elections in March.

In those elections, Gladstone Dainty, who many hold responsible for the tattered reputation of the USACA and its suspension from the ICC in 2006, was surprisingly re-elected as president, although almost all of those most closely linked with him were booted out of office. Hopes the new members of the executive would be able to bring order to the USACA have already disappeared.

Despite a brief charm offensive in the weeks ahead of the March elections, the hallmarks of the old regime - a lack of accountability, a virtual media blackout, poorly-organised events - have resurfaced since. The new executive has not met and attempts to convene meetings have proved fruitless. The next one is scheduled for November but few believe it will actually happen.

Three-and-a-half years ago Malcolm Speed, at the time the CEO of the ICC, said "the governance of USACA appears to have reached a level that is dysfunctional". There is a suspicion that things are rapidly approaching that state again.

However, while for now the ICC has remained silent on the matter, its policy being that a democratically-elected board has to get its own house in order, the USACA has failed to fulfil a major commitment, namely to appoint a full-time chief executive by October 1. At that date, the terms of employment had not even been agreed as that can only be done at an executive meeting. Rumours abound that one of those voted out in March could be parachuted in to strengthen Dainty's position.

While it might suit Dainty to let things rumble on, it is unlikely the ICC will be so relaxed. The lack of appointing the CEO could mean at the least all funding to the USACA will be cut off - that is in the ICC's own rules for Associates - and with the increases due next year and additional high-performance grants, that will runs into hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, given Dainty and the USACA's poor track record, it is possible that another suspension could be on the cards.

Yet again, Dainty's lack of action and poor control is risking vital funding and the USA's international credibility and exposure. Those who voted for him last March should be asking themselves why they did so when it was pretty obvious this old leopard was not about to change his spots. Not only that, those members of regions that voted for Dainty should be asking their representatives to explain why they acted as they did.

If people are waiting for the ICC to step in, by the time it does it will be too late. It is, again, down to stakeholders to act. To be precise, the non-Dainty-aligned executive has to insist on a meeting regardless of whether Dainty attends and to start grabbing the USACA by the scruff of the neck. They outnumber Dainty and now they need to turn their guns on him.

Continue reading "Groundhog day for dysfunctional USA board"

Canada and USA have been invited to take part in the as yet unsponsored West Indies domestic one-day tournament which starts on November 13 in Guyana.

The ICC Americas Division One tournament will be staged in Florida from November 24 to December 1, with the new Broward County stadium hosting some of the matches.

Argentina, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Suriname and USA will take part.

In the last competition in 2006 in Canada, Bermuda beat USA in the final.

While many hoped the USA Cricket Association elections last March would herald a new era of openness and progress, the reality is that it seems to have slumped back into its bad old ways with little communication between it and its stakeholders.

The most recent high-profile event, the USA Senior National Tournament, should have started on October 10 but nothing seems to have happened and nobody knows when and if it will happen.

USACA’s unexplained failure to appoint a new chief executive is also threatening to affect the amount of funding it receives from the ICC.

Cricket Council USA has announced that 31 teams have registered to take part in its $100,000 US T20 Cricket tournament which takes place next April in Florida.

The teams that have registered come from as far away as Canada, West Indies, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka and Australia, as well as from within the USA.

The Americas Region Division I is now confirmed to take place in Florida, November 24
December 1. Five matches will be played in the new stadium built for cricket in Broward County.
–
Six countries, Argentina, Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Suriname and the USA will
compete for the title. For Suriname, an affiliate, it will be their first appearance in Division I. The team earned the right to compete having won Division 2.

A new Twenty20 tournament is being launched in the USA and will feature teams from across the North East region.

The event, sponsored by dreamcricket.com, will feature 12 teams and runs from September 27 to October 18. The sides will be split into two groups with the top two in each progressing to semi-finals. The total prize money on offer is $10,000, of which $5000 will go to the winners.

The preliminary matches will be played on cricket grounds in Central NJ - Colonial Park, Weston Road-2, Edison Cricket Club ground and South Brunswick. The semis and the final will be played at Warinanco Cricket Park in Roselle, NJ.

Group A Tri-State Argonauts, Holmdel Hurricanes, NJ Royals, New York Knights, Edison Daredevils and Global Challengers

Group B North Jersey Renegades, Connecticut Patriots, Somerset Cavaliers, Mercer Warriors, Jersey Indians and Philadelphia Terminators

The itinerary for the international Tour of the Under-17 USA team to England has been finalized at last, and the tour will begin on August 14, 2008. The USA Team will be playing four 40-over and two 20-over matches during their visit.

Unfortunately, it proved to be impossible to schedule any matches with an English Under-15 team because of their already pre-arranged schedule, Hopefully, this will happen in 2009 and beyond, as the idea of U-15 cricket gets more established in world cricket circles.

The USA team contains several players who have already proved themselves in international competition. Among them are Akash Jaganathan, Jason Fox, who is an accomplished batsman, bowler, and keeper from Kansas; Pranay Suri, who captained the Western region team which won the US National championship.and who also performed extremely well in the recently concluded Americas U-15 championship in Bermuda.

Other squad members include: Vinay Suri, an opening bowler who is also a top-order batsman on the winning squad in the US U19 national tournament; Alok Mehta, a bowler who won the Man-of-the-Match award during the recently concluded US Junior National tournament in California; Adhiraj Watave, a talented all-rounder who is the youngest player on the team; Deep Sathe, a legspin bowler who has taken five wickets a few times in youth games and is also extremely strong batsman with the bat.

Chanakya Lokam is an opening batsman who played in the U15 Nationals and has been training in India. Gaurav Ambekar is a combative batsman who punishes the ball often; and Navneet Wariach is a consistent offspin bowler and a utility batsman. All in all, this is a team with all the skills and experience that has earned top honours for USA junior squads for the past three years in international matches, and it is expected to prove as much in its tour of England. The team arrives on August 14 in England, and returns to the USA on August 23.



Tour itinerary

August 15 40-over fixture v Treeton CC

August 17 20-over fixture v Treeton CC

August 19 40-over fixture v Anston CC

August 20 40-over fixture v Sheffield United

August 21 20-over fixture v Anston CC

August 22 20-over fixture v Killamarsh CC

Canada have won the Under-15 Americas Cricket Championship in Bermuda after completing the tournament with an unbeaten record.

Canada were run closest by Bermuda who reduced them to 85 for 6 chasing 168 in their penultimate match, but an unbeaten 44 from Bryan Henry ensured they squeezed home with three balls in hand.

“Grassroots development through talent identification and development programs instituted in the winter of 2007-2008, helped put together a strong team which has taken Canada to this pinnacle and promises to be an indicator of things to come for Canadian cricket,” Atul Ahuja, Cricket Canada’s chief executive, told Cricinfo.

“Cricket Canada has a stated goal to win the Under-19 World Cup that Canada will host in 2012. Many players that were part of the winning team today could well be part of that squad. Programs are being put in place to develop this talent pool to help Canada achieve this goal.”

Florida is to embark on an ambitious plan to build a state of the art ground in the Boca Raton and Delray Beach area by November.

The plans are bankrolled by Cricket Council USA (CCUSA) - a management organisation in charge of cricket in Florida - and come on the back of a successful Twenty20 tournament held on July 4.

Click here for the full story.

The New York City Police Department had an impressive opening to its inaugural youth cricket Twenty20 program at the Gateway Plaza Cricket Ground, in Brooklyn, New York. dreamcricket.com has the full story.

It is being reported in the Caribbean that the KFC Cup, the region's premier limited-overs competition, will he held in Florida.

Trinidad & Tobago's Newsday claimed that a senior West Indies board official said the event would be staged in Fort Lauderdale where a new purpose-built stadium has recently opened. The seating capacity is 5000 but there is room for more on grass banks.

In a further bid to attract local interest Canada and USA will be invited to participate. Canada played without any real distinction in 1995-96 and 2002-03 while USA took part in 2000-01 and scored a surprise win over Barbados.

The event has been brought forward to October because if held at its usual time it would clash with the multi-million dollar Stanford match against England.

KFC's sponsorship ends this year and the new sponsors are thought to be based in Florida and will bankroll the entire venture.

"I believe Lauderhill is strategically well-placed," Faoud Bacchus, the former West Indies Test player and USA captain, who now lives in Florida, told dreamcricket.com. "We have all the facilities, hotels and attractions and it's only a short plane ride from West Indies.

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Continue reading "Future bright beyond the Test world"

The USA National Junior Tournament got underway on Wednesday, and Dreamcricket.com has a full round-up of the action.

On the first day, USA Falcons won both their matches convincingly in the Under 15 category. In their first match, they inflicted a massive defeat on CCL by bowling them out for 52 runs in 19.2 overs and then reaching their target in 8.4 overs. In their second match against NCCA Mustangs, Falcons put up a whopping 148 runs in 25 overs and bowled out their rivals for 50 runs in 17 overs. J Gerber scored 15 not out and 54 for Falcons in these two matches. Brandon D took 4 for 10 against the Mustangs and Domaille took 3 for 19. Adithya Nagaraja claiming 2 for 14 and 3 for 8 respectively against CCL and NCCA.

WIth the likes of J Gerber, Abhijit Joshi and Steven Taylor (the last two played in the ICC Americas team) in the batting department and with the formidable bowling strength of Adithya Nagaraja and Brandon D, the Falcons are expected to pose the strongest challenge yet to CCA, who are the defending champions.

The saga of the Midwest Cricket Conference’s suspension of six players rumbles on with an announcement that it required the players to email the “management” expressing “unequivocal remorse” and giving an assurance that they will “not in future, violate any of the Rules and Regulations of the MCC”.

The six have been accused of playing for a rival Chicago league in a regional competition in May.

They were allowed to play in last weekend’s matches “in the spirit of getting on with game” but critics of the board’s action have been quick to point out that the regulations that were allegedly breached were only published on the eve of the competition.

Referring to the case of 15-year-old Abhijit Joshi, who last month represented the USA at the Clico International Under-15 event in the Caribbean, one local cricketer told Cricinfo that it was “preposterous and arrogant” to expect someone so young to give the statement expected by the MCC.

The lack of cohesion between the various regional organisations in the USA was highlighted by the decision of the Midwest Cricket Conference (MCC) to ban a 15-year-old, and five other adults, who represented a different region in the Central East Regional tournament.

Continue reading "USA star banned ... for playing cricket"

The USA Northwest Region's first-ever Under-19 tournament was played in the San Francisco Area over Memorial Day weekend, reports Deb K Das.

This event was unique, in that most of the 50-odd players were playing as teams against other U-19 league squads for the first time. The exception was the NCCA team, whose players had participated in USACA conducted U-19 nationals for the past two years; naturally, their experience made them favourites. The four leagues participating in the tournament were: Northern Califirnia Cricket Association (NCCA), California Cricket League (CCL), Bay Area Cricket Association (BACA) and the California Cricket Academy (CCA)

As per expectations, the NCCA team showed their experience to win all their games while pulling themselves out of trouble on a couple of occasions. The other teams shared the honors among them; each of the other leagues - CCA, CCL and BACA -- won one game each, and learnt a lot from this experience.

Continue reading "Inaugural NW tournament a success"

Mid Atlantic Cricket Conference won South East Regional Tournament convincingly, beating Florida by 210 runs thanks to Wasif Khawaja, who made 103 and was declared Man of the Match.

Click here for the full report from the MACC website.

The USACA has set a target of September 2008 for the hiring of a chief executive to oversee the running of the association.

The news comes in the light of new rules being considered by the ICC which will entitle the leading Associates to a considerable increase in funding that could run into more than a million dollars a year. While the USA is, because of its clash with the ICC, not ranked highly at the moment, many believe that could change with its recent reinstatement.

However, one of the conditions that has to be met to make a country eligible for the various grants is that it has to have a CEO. It's a chicken and egg situation, as most cannot afford a CEO without the additional income but cannot get the cash without a CEO.

Click here for the full story.

Bangladesh romped to a nine-wicket win over Malaysia in the third-place play-off in the CLICO International Under-15 tournament in Trinidad. Ireland defeated ICC Americas by two wickets to secure fifth place, while Netherlands thumped Kenya to take seventh.

Click here for the full report

John Campbell struck 112 for West Indies Under-15s in the CLICO International Under-15 Championship. Click here for the full report. Scorelines and cards for the other matches can be found below.

West Indies 237 (Campbell 112) beat Bangladesh 200 (Nelson 3-43) by 37 runs
Scorecard

Ireland 111 for 3 (Getkate 31*) beat Kenya 110 (Karim 46, Getkate 4-17) by seven wickets
Scorecard

Pakistan 332 for 5 (Naeem 90) beat Netherlands 102 (Worries 20, Gohar 3-32) by 230 runs
Scorecard

Malaysia 157 for 8 (Goonasagaran 33, Hazim 19*) beat Americas 156 (Joshi 64, Zahid 3-36) by two wickets
Scorecard

More than a year since they were suspended from international cricket, the USA have named their side for their comeback in the ICC World Cricket League Division Five which takes place in Jersey next month. The side will be captained by Steve Messiah, who led them during their last outing in August 2006.

Continue reading "USA name side for international comeback"

The first matches in New York’s Department of Education new cricket league got underway in Queens with teams from John Adams, Richmond Hill, Aviation and Newcomers High Schools.

Click here for more details and here for the latest results from the league.

An excellent piece in today's Daily Telegraph highlights the growing interest of cricket among schoolchildren in New York:

Impressed by numbers of white-clad young players in the city's parks at weekends, New York's Department of Education has set up a league, with about 600 state secondary school students playing. Announcing its decision, the department said New York was the first and only state school system in America to offer competitive cricket.

The United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) has been re-recognised as an Associate member of the ICC following their suspension in March 2007.

The USACA held their elections at the weekend when Gladstone Dainty - despite facing strong criticism over the past few years - was re-elected president, beating off the favourite, Ram Varadarajan, who was widely tipped for the post. The elections were a last-gasp effort for American cricket; without a formal constitution in place, the ICC would have had no other choice than to continue their suspension. With that particular condition met, the ICC's president, Ray Mali, was pleased to welcome the board back as an Associate member.

Click here for the full story and leave your comments below

In a result which won't exactly boost the the profile of US cricket internationally, Gladstone Dainty has been re-elected as president of the USA Cricket Association by three votes.

Dainty, who has overseen the almost catastrophic implosion of the USACA in recent years and under whose tenure the association was suspended from international cricket by the ICC, polled 18 of the 34 votes cast. Ram Varadarajan, who was widely expected to beat Dainty after running a slick campaign, polled 15 votes while Kamran Khan got 1.

It was not all good news for Dainty. Selwyn Ceasar, the much-criticised treasurer, was defeated by Varadarajan's running mate John Thickett by 18 votes to 16 while John Aaron beat Paul De Silva.

Nabeel Ahmed won the vote to be first vice-president by a large margin while Manaf Mohamed saw off Suresh Anne and Jefroy Morrishaw in the vote for the second vice-president.

The news will almost inevitably lead to claims that the ballot was not conducted fairly, but once the dust settles, the fact that Dainty has lost two of his closest allies will mean that his new board will have to be far more accountable that it has been in recent years when it has operated in almost complete secrecy. The presence of Aaron and Thickett could be enough to paper over the cracks which have ripped the USACA asunder.

It remains to be seen whether the investors and others boards who have been waiting on the sidelines, many of who have expressed reservations about dealing with Dainty, will now came forward.

This weekend’s USACA elections represent the last chance for stakeholders inside the country to end several years of massively self-destructive bickering and start rebuilding. The “last-chance saloon” tag has been used a number of times in connection with US cricket recently. This time it’s for real.

The main media attention, rightly, has been on the three-way race for the key role, that of USACA president. Over the last fortnight I have interviewed the gentlemen concerned and each of them has had an opportunity to put forward their vision for the future.

Outside the USA there is quiet but sincere interest in the outcome. The ICC, who in exasperation has suspended the US from the international community, is keen to see what the elections bring. There are those inside the US who see the ICC as either irrelevant to them or as being more in need of the USA than they are of it. Such views are utterly misguided. Without the ICC’s funding and, more importantly, recognition, the USA will become more of a cricketing backwater than Gibraltar or Thailand.

There are also commercial organisations waiting on the sidelines, as they have been for a year or more, with marketing and promotional deals that could bring millions of dollars into the US game for grassroots and national development.

The three candidates all have their strengths. Kamran Khan is well-known and respected as a player, coach and administrator; Ram Varadarajan is a self-made man with vision and a strong team behind him; Gladstone Dainty, the incumbent, has years of experience in office.

With respect to Khan, he seems to be the outsider. His campaign has been low profile and while he will attract some support, he does not appear to have enough broad appeal to win, although supporters of Varadarajan fear he might split the anti-Dainty vote.

Varadarajan ticks the right boxes, and while until a few months ago he was almost unknown outside Californian cricketing circles, his team has credibility and he is a man who outsiders could deal with. He also seems to have the passion and drive to turn things around.

It is hard to build a credible case for voting for Dainty. As USACA president he has overseen a period of chaos, international humiliation and squandered opportunity. Stakeholders have been ignored and kept in the dark, accusations of regional favouritism abound, and his board have operated in almost complete secrecy. There is almost nothing in the plus box. In fairness, Dainty still wants to finish the job and for that and his amazing ability to weather all kinds of storms, he deserves some credit.

But the real fear is that if Dainty wins then all that can be promised is more of the same. The deep rifts will remain, as will the international suspicion. And if USACA under his tenure has been unable to attract funding or support, why will anything change in the coming months?

For that reason, Varadarajan has to be the preferred candidate. The alternative is too depressing to contemplate.

On the eve of the USACA elections, the dirty-tricks brigade are at it. On the USACA’s new bulletin board, claims are being made that John Aaron, a candidate for the role of secretary, has deserted the Ram Varadarajan team and linked up with Kamran Khan.

Aaron himself was quick to scotch the suggestions. "I am sorry to disappoint those who would like to think that there is a split in the New Inning team, and at the same time I appreciate the flattering rumors allegedly made by at least two other independent candidates, that I have now hitched my wagon to their cause and candidacies,” he said. “For the record, my candidacy for Secretary of USACA and my decision to be associated with the New Inning team remains intact. I am not now, nor have I ever been a part of any other presumed slate, nor have I teamed up with any other candidate, as a means of being elected.”

With the much-anticipated elections to the USA Cricket Association's board of directors this weekend, in the last of three interviews with the candidates for the presidency, we talk to Gladstone Dainty, the incumbent.

Click here for the full interview

The much-anticipated elections to the USA Cricket Association's board of directors take place with many believing that they are the USA's last chance of salvaging their standing within the international community. Three candidates are challenging for the presidency. In the second of our interviews, we talk to Ram Varadarajan, whose slick campaign has attracted considerable attention.

Click here for the full Q&A

The much-anticipated elections to the USA Cricket Association's board of directors take place, with many believing that they are the USA's last chance of salvaging their standing within the international community. Three candidates are challenging for the presidency, and in the next ten days we will interview them all.

We start with Kamran Khan, who captained the USA and has been involved in the game as a player, coach and administrator for almost four decades. He was president of the board between 1999 and 2000.

Click here for the Q&A session

	© Cricinfo

Until last month, little was known about Varadarajan, but his announcement that he was ready to take on Dainty was supported by a PR offensive as slick as Dainty's was non existent.

"I had a sense of disappointment that there were not many ideas coming from USACA and I realised something had to be done to bring some energy and liveliness to the organisation."

One thing that Varadarajan's group is aware of is the perception that USACA is run in one corner of the country and is "irrelevant to the leagues and stakeholders". As a result, the candidates allied to him are from across the country and, crucially, people picked for their strengths and not because they are friends of his. "I wanted people with skills from across the USA.

"I believe that USACA is public service, and the president needs to believe he is the servant of the leagues and not its master. Currently USACA is operating as if it is the master and I want to change that. It needs to be more relevant."

Click here to read the full story

There are three candidates seeking to become the new USACA president in elections set to take place on March 29.

A list of all candidates for the various executive posts, including secretary, treasurer, and vice presidents, was announced by USACA after the vetting processes required under the new constitution were completed.

As expected, Gladstone Dainty will be seeking re-election as president, and he faces a strong challenge from Ram Varadarajan. A third candidate, Kamran Khan, is also standing.

The main battles for the other posts are between existing USACA officials and those who have lined up on Varadarajan's ticket.

Click here for a full list of candidates

The USACA elections take place on March 29, and Gladtone Dainty and his incumbents face a tough battle against an organised group headed by Ram Varadarajan.

While Dainty has been so low key as to be invisible - much the same could be said of USACA under his leadership - Varadarajan, who was born in India and emigrated to the USA in 1982, has been on a media offensive as well as launching a slick website outlining his vision.

Continue reading "Varadarajan poses a serious challenge"

The Tuscaloosa News in Florida reports on the new cricket stadium in Broward County.

The 5,000 blue stadium seats are in place. So are the special cameras embedded in the equipment to get close ups of the action. Then there is the exquisite field - emerald and manicured. But this $70 million park wasn't built for baseball or football - it's the first in the U.S. built primarily for cricket.

The sport, which enjoys worldwide popularity but has long struggled to gain an American following, has taken root in South Florida because of its large Caribbean population. Fans and officials say the stadium offers their community a chance to draw professional players, cultivate youth programs and attract new fans to the game.

"There's a tremendous awaking," said Chandradath Singh, a Broward County parks special projects coordinator. "And a major interest."

There will be a serious challenge to the existing Gladstone Dainty-led USA Cricket Association administration at next month's executive board elections.

Cricinfo has learned that a group of senior administrators is standing against the existing board and has already gained the backing of several regions. Sources suggest that they have the support of the majority of the regional presidents.

California's Ram Varadarajan is lined up to oppose Dainty as president. Varadarajan would not only bring his passion for cricket to the post but he has considerable business acumen as president and CEO of Arcot Systems, an authentication software company based in Sunnyvale, California. He is backed by John Aaron, a well-known and respected figure inside US cricket circles, as secretary and John Thickett as treasurer.

The group has already underlined its credentials by launching a slick website outlining who they are and what they stand for. This is in direct contrast to the moribund USACA site which has become almost legendary for its lack of any meaningful information to stakeholders.

"Our team is receiving endorsements every day from players, current and former administrations, and cricket lovers from across the length and breadth of the country," a statement on the new site says. "This outpouring of support is a clear indication that cricket enthusiasts across America see a complete break from the current USACA management as a necessary step for the game to flourish here."

The California Cricket Academy will run the USA’s first inter-school championship among Cupertino middle schools starting on February 27. In the first round there will be three middle schools but the organisers expect more middle and elementary schools to join the program in coming months. CCA launched school program last year by distributing cricket instruction material and cricket kits to about eight schools in Cupertino and neighboring schools. CCA graduates took up the challenge to start clubs in their respective schools and as a result now they are ready to start school championship program. The first phase of the program will be with hard tennis balls, but regular cricket equipment will be introduced in the second phase.

Visit www.calcricket.org to review Cupertino Interschool program details and results as they become available.

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

Click here for the full story.

The USA Cricket Association has announced the timeline for the election of its board of directors.

Nominations for executive board members open today (February 19) and close on February 26. All nominees will have background checks completed by March 7 and the final list of valid nominations will be circulated on March 8. The elections themselves will be held on Saturday, March 29 in Washington DC.

Sixteen schools in New York will embark on a pilot program for cricket starting in April. They will be participating in scheduled 20-over matches, for both boys and girls.

Tryouts for the games will take place between February 11 and 29.

For further information visit the New York City Public Schools Athletic League’s website at www.psal.org

A week after Cricinfo revealed that Chris Dehring, the independent third-party appointed by the ICC to oversee US cricket, was about to appoint an auditor to oversee the executive elections, there is still no official news on what is happening. The USACA website has not been updated in a month and several regional administrators we have spoken to are equally in the dark about the process. Meanwhile, regions continue to elect representatives to the board while those who have been mismanaging the USACA in recent years continue to adopt a policy of silence.

The USA Cricket Association elections are on hold, although this does not appear to have been conveyed to those involved in the process.

Chris Dehring, the independent third party appointed by the ICC to try to find a resolution to the ongoing struggle for control of the USACA, managed to get a new constitution approved but the elections that were meant to follow within 30 days have already become embroiled in controversy.

It is believed that Dehring will appoint an external independent auditor to oversee the elections and this means that they not take place until March at the earliest.

Since the announcement of the yes vote for the new constitution, the USACA has yet again not uttered a word in public. Some regions have held their elections while others appear to be uncertain how to proceed.

New York Region and Central West have already announced their regional board and their representatives to USACA.

Any lingering hopes that the approval of a new constitution would herald the dawn of a new era for US cricket have been ended by the conduct of the USACA executive over the last three weeks. Rather than a fresh approach, US stakeholders continue to be treated with disdain with elections being conducted once more in the complete secrecy which has been a hallmark of the association of late.

The USACA website carried the brief news that the constitution had been updated but nothing more has materialised since. Under that constitution elections have to be held within 30 days – ie by February 10 – and yet it is unclear what is happening.

Cricinfo has learned that many of the people who have been running the USACA during the last few chaotic years are offering themselves for re-election, including Gladstone Dainty, the reclusive president.

The wall of silence put up by the USACA ensures that however fair the process is, the elections are almost certain to be mired in controversy with various factions claiming to be the real representatives. That is only likely to lead to a return to exact situation which led to the ICC suspending the US in the first place.

Ahead of the Stanford 20/20, which gets underway this weekend, its billionaire benefactor and organise, Allen Stanford, is piling another $3.5m into promoting the tournament...in one town.

Fort Collins is the lucky recipient of "ads, parties, promotions, billboards, giveaways, clinics" in order to promote the game to an "audience more concerned with the Super Bowl and college basketball".

“I wanted to see if we could get a city in the U.S. that knew nothing about the sport to be cricket crazy,” Stanford said in a telephone interview.

“It’s so dadgum entertaining, it will be different from anything you’ve ever seen.”
20/20 Cricket, Stanford points out, is a faster paced version of the sport that can take two to three days to play in its original form.

Colorodaoan.com has more - as does the glitzily named yougottaseethis2020.com

Whatever people might think of the process, the USA Cricket Association finally has a democratically-approved new constitution. For all the abuse he has had to endure, Chris Dehring has done all that he can to ensure this has been implemented fairly, and for that he should be given tremendous credit. Making sense of such a divided and acrimonious mess probably made his troubles running a World Cup seem tame by comparison.

Now the fun starts. Already there are rumblings of discontent with accusations that many of the clubs who were eligible to vote did not exist in any real form. The easy way round that is for the USACA executive to release a list of which clubs voted - not how they did, but just their names. That will enable people to scrutinise the ones that sent in ballots and establish their credentials, and for club members who did not to ask their committees why they sat by and did nothing.

Fresh elections for the USACA board should now take place within 30 days, and that's where things get interesting. It's too early for any candidates to be named, but for the sake of US cricket from the top down, it has to be hoped that none of the executive who have, through their own dysfunctionality, made US cricket the pariah of the international family and who have caused untold harm within the country, will stand.

Continue reading "US board has to wipe the slate clean"

Cricinfo has learned that the new USA Cricket Association constitution has been approved by 74% of clubs which voted, although the turnout was disappointingly small.

Only 180 of the 677 clubs who could have voted did so, despite the deadline being extended. Of the votes received, more than a quarter, surprisingly high number, were rejected for a variety of technicalities. Of the ballots accepted, 97 voted yes and 34 no.

This now means that fresh elections have to be held within 30 days, although critics of the board are certain to be unhappy with way that the USACA has handled the process, especially the inordinate delay in announcing the results of a poll of less than 200 votes. Oddly, although Dehring released the results to the USACA, they were not immediately announced, as he requested, because Paul DaSilva, the secretary, wanted approval from his executive before he released them.

The news means that Chris Dehring, appointed by the ICC as an independent third party, has been able to hand over a democratically-approved constitution which will provide the basis of a new platform for the USACA to operate under. No more could have been asked of him.

It is, however, unlikely to be the end of the bitter rows which have blighted US cricket for several years. The low turnout will be used by critics of the current board to show the level of apathy among stakeholders and that, in effect, the approval came from less than 14% of the total clubs.

Nine days after the deadline for the approval of the USA Cricket Association deadline and the association’s website remains dead. Results, promised shortly after the original deadline of December 27, have not been posted. While a short delay is understandable, it defies logic that counting a relatively few votes can take so long. It makes Kenya’s presidential elections look the model of efficiency.

While the timing of the result is not crucial, what is does do is raise serious concerns that what should be a brave new world is , in fact, a continuation of the old, unaccountable, inefficient and flawed one.

Only by making the results public immediately and scheduling the board elections, which must be within 30 days of that announcement, will the USACA show that it is serious about change.

Three days have passed since the extended deadline expired on voting to approve the new USA Cricket Association constitution. We were promised a result on December 27 but Chris Dehring, the independent third party overseeing the process, agreed to a four-day extension after claims that some voting forms were sent out late.

The hope was that the dawning of a new era would mean an end to the USACA’s dismissive approach to stakeholders and the media. Sadly, the deadline has come and gone and the USACA remains silent. Let’s hope this is not a sign of things to come, but it’s not a promising start.

Unease over the ratification of the revised constitution of the USA Cricket Association grew with the last-minute extension of the deadline for voting from December 27 to December 31.

The move by Chris Dehring, the independent third party appointed by the ICC, was largely in response to claims that some voting forms were not sent out in time for them to give clubs the required period to consider how they wanted to vote.

There were claims circulating last week that some forms were only dispatched on December 12, giving less than a fortnight for them to be completed and returned and not the 21 days required. By giving an extra four days, Dehring should have ensured that particular bone of contention has been put to rest.

It seems likely that Dehring's intervention will ensure that the new constitution is passed and that fresh elections can be held as a result. However, it is also growing abundantly clear that if those elections return Gladstone Dainty, the existing chairman, and his much-maligned executive then even some of those who have backed the new constitution will refuse to work with the board.

As the deadline for voting for the new USA Cricket Association looms, Chris Dehring, the independent third party appointed to oversee the process, has drawn up a Q&A to help answer stakeholders’ queries.

Click here to download the PDF

Cuba will not be playing in the 2008 Stanford 20/20 because of a political embargo by the USA government, the competition's board of directors has announced. Click here for the full story.

Martin Williamson argues that there's a certain double irony about the USA's actions.

Cricket is thriving among the ex-pats in Houston, Texas. But, reports the Houston Chronicle, the future of the game could be threatened.

Junior cricket is again on the march in the USA. On the heels of the USA Under-17s tour of India, an Under-19s squad put together by the Texas Cricket Academy will be going to India as well.

Read the full story at Cricinfo where you can also leave your comments.

The ongoing drama that is the USA Cricket Association shows no sign of ending despite the hope expressed by Chris Dehring, the independent third party appointed to try to find a solution to the imbroglio.

Last Friday (November 30) Dehring wrote to stakeholders to advise them that after months of negotiations the new constitution had been released for ratification. He said: "I recommend this new constitution to you as a solid foundation to take US cricket forward."

But those hopes might come to nothing after a scathing attack on the new constitution by Atul Rai, the man who preceded Gladstone Dainty as the USACA president.

Click here for the full story

Fans and players hailing from Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa and the West Indies are finding common ground as immigrants in Houston through cricket.

"What the West Indian teams are working on here is more than just cricket — we're trying to leave a legacy of who we are in Houston," said a philosophical Eccles, a senior gas and oil refinery consultant and a Houston West Indies Cricket player on his days off. "We're making our voices heard with our play."

The robust amateur league of weekend warriors will celebrate its 21st championship title match today, weather permitting. The game is to start at 9 a.m. and will include the Memorial Cricket Club, a diverse mix of South Africans, South Asians, Zimbabweans and West Indians. MCC will take on the Houston Cougars Sports Club, a predominantly Pakistani team of doctors, engineers and gas station owners. Many of them graduated from the University of Houston. Hence, the name.

The winner doesn't get a cash prize — just a big trophy and bragging rights that last a year. During the championship match, the players will break for lunch, a time-honored tradition, and will sit down together for a meal that will consist of what has become the universal grub for most of the British commonwealth: Indian food.

"Cricket for me is my childhood passion, it is like a religion in India," said Yogesh Patel, 59, who is the league's current president and who arrived in Houston in the 1970s. "Back home, I would never have gotten the flavor of the Caribbean culture, I would never have gotten a chance to play with South Africans. Here, this is all possible."

Read the full story at the Houston Chronicle.

A cricket game in Florida ended when one of the players shot an opponent with a semi-automatic rifle.

The UPI agency reported that Devan Bascom shot Francis Singh in the abdomen after he was threatened him with a cricket bat following a heated argument in the match in Orlando. In a rather bizarre comment, police said that while Bascom appeared to be acting in self defence, the presence of a gun at a game was “unusual”.

"The shooter was defending himself from an attack with a cricket bat which is similar to a baseball bat, but it's flat," a spokesman said. "For this man to bring a firearm to a sporting event is odd but then again, he has the right to do so. He has a concealed weapons permit and if, in fact, he was protecting himself, he was authorized by law to do so."

Bascom was questioned by police but not arrested while Singh underwent an operation and was reported to be in a stable condition.

by Deb K Das

With less than the expected flourish of trumpets, a new constitution for the USA Cricket Association (USACA) was released by the board executive.

The first reactions to the document were lukewarm. At best, it was seen as an earnest effort to paper over some of the most obvious flaws in the old constitution, but in the process it inadvertently exposed some new problems. At worst, it failed to address some fundamental issues facing US cricket, and in so doing, it represented something of an anti-climax.

Continue reading "A subdued fanfare for new USA constitution"

A $70m park has opened in southern Florida – the most expensive new park in the state – including a 5,000 seater cricket ground, the first of its kind in the United States.

"It was just a vacant lot, nothing here," Bill Kristen, the county parks and recreation project manager, told sun-sentinel.com. "I think everybody realized the area had to be revitalised."

The Central Broward Regional Park opens officially tomorrow, where local residents will watch exhibition matches for football, cricket and American football

Cost overruns almost killed the project in 2006. The contractor sought as much as $15.3 million more than the $35.5 million the county originally agreed to pay for construction. But cost-saving alterations, such as building a vehicle storage garage underneath the bleachers, helped lower the cost overruns. The county in December agreed to pay the remaining $7.5 million, and work resumed. In total, the county paid about $70 million for land and construction, the most it has paid to open a park, said Bob Harbin, Broward park director.

Some black Americans opposed the park, saying it was too Caribbean-focused. And one housing development planned for north of the park, St. James Luxury Town Homes, was canceled because of the soft real estate market. Construction of Georgetown Homes has slowed for the same reason.

Read the full story (and watch a video of the park) at their website.

An argument between several Indian men during a match in Orlando, Florida, led to a shooting yesterday when one of the players, Francis Singh, was shot in the abdomen.

"The shooter was defending himself from an attack with a cricket bat which is similar to a baseball bat but it's flat," Orange County sheriff's Sgt. Spike Hopkins said. "For this man to bring a firearm to a sporting event is odd but then again, he has the right to do so. He has a concealed weapons permit and if, in fact, he was protecting himself, he was authorized by law to do so."

Winona State University are looking for new members according to Winona Daily News. The clichéd-riddled piece tries to make sense of this strange sport - "Matches are played on a circular field with a rectangular 'mound' in the middle - but if it appeals and you'd like to play, contact the paper directly.

One of the world's only gangster cricket teams – if not the only one – is heading to Australia soon for their latest tour. Find out more here

Cricinfo's USA correspondent Deb K Das reviews the so-called new USACA constitution and finds that it is all a bit familiar.

In yet another display of the obduracy that has become endemic to its activities, the USACA Cricket Association trotted out a so-called 'final' version of a constitution that ICC had requested over a year ago. In doing so, it managed to ignore one salient fact; a redraft of the old constitution had been prepared and submitted to USACA in December 2006.

Click here to read the full article and to give your views

After months of rumour and little information, signs of progress in the review of the USA Cricket Association's constitution have finally emerged.

In a letter to regional league presidents, John Aaron, the chairman of the USACA League Presidents Reconciliation Commission, has announced that a document will be sent out this week.

Click here for the full story

Silence continues to be the order of the day in the USA where it is proving impossible to find out how the review of the constitution is progressing.

Cricinfo has learned that the process has stalled, and it seems that is because the USA Cricket Association executive has thrown up a series of objections at the 11th hour. The exact nature of these is unknown, and the irony that the very body that tried to force through a new constitution earlier this year with almost no consultation is now stalling at the end of a lengthy and all-encompassing review is not lost on anyone.

With the review process now weeks behind schedule, it looks increasingly unlikely that national elections can be held by the end of November. That delay will mean that the USA’s long-awaited readmission to international cricket will be further stalled. Once more, grassroots cricketers suffer because of largely anonymous administrators' egos.

The few glimpses Cricinfo has had behind the scenes reveals increasing exasperation among many stakeholders at what they perceive as the relentless attempts of the existing USACA executive to remain in place regardless of the harm it does.

However, most stakeholders remain in the dark. The USACA refuses to comment on anything – it has still not ever admitted publicly that it has been suspended from the ICC – and the review group are equally silent. This is turning out to be a most private battle.

The USA is the world’s major democracy. The USACA, however, is about as open and accountable as the North Korean government.

It is emerging that the review of the USA Cricket Association's constitution, which is the first and most important step towards the USA being readmitted to the international arena, is not going according to plan.

The entire review has been shrouded in mystery since it was agreed on in June, but it now seems that there have been setbacks.

Cricinfo has learned that the USACA executive has raised objections to the findings of the review committee and has, according to one source, deliberately hampered the process.

Click here for the full report.

Hammy Reid, one of the few internationally qualified umpires in the USA, has been inducted into the United States Cricket Association’s (USACA) Hall of Fame. Dreamcricket.com have more:

Reid was made an honorary member of Unity Sports and Cultural Association of Boston, Massachusetts in 1994. In 1997, he sat and passed the West Indies Cricket Umpires Association Certifying Final Written, Oral and Practical examinations. In that same year he was selected as a USA representative umpire to officiate at an ICC Trophy Tournament in Malaysia. He was selected again in 2001 as a USA umpire at the ICC trophy tournament in Toronto, Canada. In 2002, Hammy officiated at the Second Americas Cricket Championships held in Argentina, and also at the ICC Americas Under-15 championships held at Disney World of Sports in Florida. In 2003 and 2004, Hammy officiated at the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) Regional Finals held in Houston and Dallas, Texas, respectfully. Currently, he is the longest serving USACUA cricket umpire at the ICC level in USA and has held the position of ICC match umpire for seven years. He continues to diligently serve cricket in the USA, and on July 9, 2006 he officiated in the West Indies XI vs. USA Select XI match at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, NY.

Will Luke

Is Twenty20 the catalyst to popularise cricket in the USA? Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, is excited at what the shortened format could do to cricket in the States.

Baseballs reigns supreme, of course, but cricket enjoys a thriving community in America. And the USA were once an Associate member of the ICC, before they were suspended in March (again) for failing to adopt a new constitution. But the current administration has done little to inspire confidence and the incumbent president, Gladstone Dainty, is blamed (not entirely fairly) for many of the problems.

Nevertheless, Twenty20 could provide a much-needed injection of enthusiasm to USA’s cricket community.

"I heard today about an article in one of the Washington papers that was talking about the phenomenon of Twenty20 cricket,” Speed said. "It has been televised in the USA and it's been televised in China, so it's the perfect vehicle for cricket to develop in new countries.

"We've said many times that we don't expect cricket to be a major sport in the USA, but it's already a niche sport in the USA in that there are already lots of Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans and West Indians who are there and they play cricket - we can build on that and Twenty20 is a great opportunity."

What are your thoughts? Is Twenty20 an adequate vehicle to promote the sport to borderline fans? Leave your comments below

Cricket’s popularity in the USA continues to rise, no more so than in New Jersey according to the Daily Record.

And cricket is fast emerging in this country, after lying dormant for some two centuries under the wraps of old Philadelphia money, snoozing behind the walls of the Merion Cricket Club, or across the tracks at Quaker-strong Haverford College, where young scholars have been "cricketing" since 1833. Cities have always seen their immigrant newcomers bring pastimes to U.S. playing fields. The first recognized, modern baseball game, descended from cricket and a game called "rounders," was played in 1846 at Hoboken's Elysian Fields. […]

"The unique thing about cricket is you bring so many different peoples from so many walks of life, so many nationalities, ethnicities, religions," said Rouse, whose novel "Sticky Wicket, Volume I -- Watkins at Bat" is a cricketing story set in the imaginary Fernwood, N.J., which Rouse modeled after a Cherry Hill or an Edison.
"These are people who ordinarily would not have much in common. But you mention cricket and they all can identify with it," said Rouse, a college educator.
Cricket's rise is not without conflict. There are more teams vying with one another for playing space, and thereafter vying for the same space -- called "the pitch" in cricket parlance -- with other more-common sports, such as soccer or softball.

overseas tour by a US junior side to a major Test-playing nation.

The US team was selected strictly on the basis of player performances in the 2007 US National Junior Championships. Three top players from the Under-13 national championship squads were selected to give them exposure for future leadership at the Under-15 level in 2008 and beyond. The rest were drawn from the top performers in the U-15 Nationals, and include players from all across the USA.

Click here for the full story.

It is almost three months since the various factions fighting for control of cricket in the USA met in Washington and, with Ken Gordon, at the time the chairman of the West Indies Cricket Association, mediating, thrashed out a deal to broker a solution.

Continue reading "The deafening silence worries US stakeholders"

USA lost their opening match in the Moin-ud-Dowlah Gold Cup in Hyderabad. In a match affected by rain, USA made 122 in 44.1 overs and Karnataka eased to a seven-wicket win with 20 overs to spare.

The US side have been given a warm welcome in the city and when rain prevented training they invited one of their opponents to a game of football which the USA won 8-1.

	Jeety Sandhu, of the Seattle Cricket Club © Seattle Times

Seattlites more used to baseball were introduced to the finer game recently, when Worcestershire's Over-50s toured the city.

The players, all over 50, matched up against Seattle Cricket Club on Wednesday for a five-hour-long event at Magnuson Park in Seattle. Worcestershire scored 135; Seattle scored 124.

There was also a break for a proper high tea in the afternoon — complete with little cucumber sandwiches, dainty cakes and, of course, tea — set up right on the playing field.

"It's a social event rather than a competitive one," said Bunti Sarai, president of the Seattle Cricket Club, which plays against British guests once every three or four years.

At the Seattle Cricket Club, formed in the 1960s as part of a competitive league from British Columbia, there are about 100 playing members ranging from 13 years old to 71.

Read the full story at the Seattle Times

The real impact of the USA's suspension from international cricket will hit home today when north of the border in Toronto the region's leading teams will meet to take part in the Americas Under-19 Qualifier.

The prize at stake is a place at the ICC U-19 World Cup in Malaysia next February and March. While hosts Canada will be joined by sides from Argentina, Bahamas, Bermuda and Cayman Islands, the USA's young players will be left at home dreaming of what might have been.

The USA were present at the last U-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka - on that occasion the ICC hierarchy commendably decided that it would be unfair to punish young players because of the governance issues affecting the national board . But this time there has been no such concession and so the U-19 side will miss out.

The sadness of this becomes more apparent when you listen to people involved in grassroots US cricket.

Last month, Hemant Buch, co-founder of the California Cricket Academy, told Cricinfo: "There will simply be more and more junior cricket in all parts of North America, and we should have several thousand first-class juniors ready to play competitive cricket by 2011."

When the various factions indulge in their next bout of self-obsessed squabbling for control of the USA Cricket Association, they would all so well to remember that the real victims of their conduct of recent years should be in Toronto preparing for the biggest week of their lives.

Chris Dehring, who headed the organising committee of the World Cup, has been named as the independent third party in attempts to resolve the dispute which led to the United States being suspended from international cricket by the ICC.

The two main factions - the official USA Cricket Association and a group of disgruntled league presidents - met in Washington in June where they agreed to put aside their differences and work towards finding a solution.

Continue reading "Dehring brings experience to US problem"

As recently as five years ago, no one would have given US junior cricket a chance to exist, let alone flourish in any meaningful sense.

Active US cricketers, it was argued, were mostly ex-pats from cricket-playing countries, too busy with their own game to expend energy on junior cricket development. The few juniors who could be found playing cricket were the younger brothers or sons of adult US cricketers, playing as 12th men or extras in senior league matches with little opportunity to display their all-round skills. There were no resources, it was argued, to develop junior cricket skills; no incentives offered to cricket clubs or leagues to develop youth cricket programs, and draconian eligibility rules set by the ICC which hindered overseas cricketers from representing the USA.

Continue reading "The future is bright thanks to US youngsters"

Is Richmond in the United States about to get its first cricket pitch?

Since she became mayor, Lawson said that in addition to the miniature golf course, the city has built a “chip and putt” course for beginning golfers and outdoor basketball courts.

“I have been happy to seen that many of our Hispanic residents have begun using the Lake Reba basketball courts,” she said. “I think the next thing we may do is create a field for playing cricket. We’ve had so many requests from cricket players. I never realized how many we have. That shows just how diverse our area has become.”

Via the Richmond Register.

Deb K Das

Adding yet one more event to the ever-expanding program of US junior cricket, an official team representing Australia is to make their first ever tour of the USA in late August.

The USA tour is a stopover for the Aussies, on their way back from the West Indies after a series of matches with their counterparts in the Caribbean. Several matches are scheduled with the top US junior teams in California, on a tight and demanding schedule. The event should also serve to verify the abilities of US youth cricketers when faced with serious international competition, and this would as a benchmark for the future.

The cricket world - or at least those running the game in countries from Australia to Zambia - assemble in London this week for their annual get-together. However, there will be a notable absentee. For the second time in three years, there will be no representation from the USA.

Continue reading "The last last-chance saloon"

More than 200 cricketers from all across North America, ranging in age from 10 to 15, are converging on Cupertino in the Bay Area for the largest cricket tournament to be staged on North American soil. There will be teams from Florida, the Atlantic Coast, Canada, the Bay Area and Los Angeles, each selected by "expert committees" applying standards that had to be fully documented and approved by the tournament committee before the tournament rosters would be finalised.

Click here for the full report

The USA may well be readmitted to the international fold after talks between the warring factions battling for control of the USA Cricket Association in Washington over the weekend.

The USA was suspended by the ICC in March after two rival groups claimed to be the rightful ones to run the game in the country. The ICC asked the West Indies board (WICB) to intervene and try to find a solution. Only when the WICB reported back that the dispute had been settled would a readmission be considered.

Ken Gordon, the WICB president, met with the USA Cricket Association and representatives of the regional league presidents and the two sides agreed to revise the review of the constitution so that all stakeholders could be consulted. There were deep concerns at the short time given by the USACA for examination and debate of the previous new constitution before it had to be approved.

While specifics are hard to come by, a statement said that "the USACA has agreed to the proposals for the way forward made by the ICC and will move promptly to remove all impediments to the lifting of the suspension from Associate Membership imposed by that body". Firm time lines have been fixed and these will be closely observed.

It is likely that Gordon will now report back to the ICC when it meets in London later this month and there seems no reason that the suspension should be lifted.

The Daily Telegraph reports that MCC is looking to establish a body called MCC America to help with coaching and coordinating the games development in the USA.

Although the news is a much-needed boost for the USA at a time its association has been suspended by the ICC following a disputed election and implementation of a questionable new constitution, there are toes likely to be trodden on.

Continue reading "MCC heads to the States"

American cricket has had a boost of a kind recently and there’s more good news in store. An all-star cast of West Indian players is heading to New York to play a celebrity match as part of a celebratory Caribbean Week in the city. Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge, Colin Croft and Larry Gomes are among those who will be turning out – although some may say they would be better served at Old Trafford this week.

Ken Gordon, the chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board, has agreed to meet with the two sides battling for control of US cricket in a bid to find an end to the row which has seen the USA suspended from the ICC.

The two factions - the USA Cricket Association, led by Gladstone Dainty, and the regional league presidents - have been asked to come together in Washington on the weekend of June 9-10.

Click here for the full story

Jersey will host the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 (WCL Div. 5) tournament in 2008.

The ICC’s decision follows a recent visit to the island by a development team to inspect the country’s suitability for promotion to Associate membership, which will be voted on at the ICC Annual Conference at Lord's in June.

Continue reading "Jersey to host WCL Division Five tournament"

While the row over who runs US cricket rumbles on, some good news from New York where the New York Times reports that the city will become the first school district in the country to recognise cricket as an official varsity sport.

As many as seven schools in Brooklyn and Queens have expressed interest in fielding teams when the Public Schools Athletic League launches the season in the spring, education officials said, and recent weekend clinics have drawn scores of students.

"When I saw the ad on the wall I said, 'Damn, I've got to be dreaming,' " said Avinash Sookhwa, a junior at John Adams High School in Queens who emigrated from Guyana in 2004. "It was a feeling like being down to the last point and the game is in your hands. All I wanted to do was play."

Nearly three months after the ICC charged West Indies with the responsibility of helping to resolve the bitter infighting which led to the USA Cricket Association being suspended from world cricket, Cricinfo can reveal that no progress has been made.

With the ICC's AGM due at the end of June, a mere six weeks offers scant time in which to make any headway into resolving the situation, leaving USA facing an indefinite period in international isolation.

Click here to read the full story.

Jersey will host the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 (WCL Div. 5) tournament in 2008, the ICC confirmed on Tuesday.

The decision follows a recent visit to the island by an ICC Development team to inspect the country's suitability for promotion to Associate membership, which will be voted on at the ICC Annual Conference at Lord's in June.

It’s not often that the mainstream US press takes much notice of cricket, but a feature in The New York Times this week bucks the trend. Some of the writing is fairly predictable, but it does off a few interesting insights.

Continue reading "Cricket's popularity growing in USA"

It is almost two months since the USA Cricket Association was suspended by the ICC and, as is so often the case in the USA, no information has been made available to the public.

The association's website, the only source of official news, has not been updated in more than two months and makes no mention of the ICC's decision. Cricinfo has asked senior USACA officials to comment but none have replied to such requests.

Continue reading "Resignations, recriminations and silence"

It comes as no surprise that the USACA were today suspended by the ICC for failing to meet the agreed deadlines. Read the full story, and this comment piece, and leave your comments and thoughts below.

Peter Whitehead is 12 years old, and president of his local cricket club. Following on from Gladstone Dainty's promise that "youth and female cricket programmes are the priorities of USACA," we print Peter's email and would welcome comments.

If you've had a similar experience to Peter, drop us an email

Dear Sir,

I am a 12 year old kid and the president of a youth cricket club in Mesa, Arizona, at Fremont Junior High. I would like to say that the USACA or the MLCUS has done nothing to help me start this club.

I started laying the foundations for this club in August 2005. I first contacted the USACA thinking that my national cricket association would be glad to help me. I first wrote to the president and the vice-president. After two weeks, the vice-president responded to me by saying that I should contact my local USACA representative. I then contacted the director in charge of Arizona. Two weeks later he told me that I should contact the California director. I then contacted the California director who after one week told me to contact the Arizona director. I contacted him again and he said that I should contact my local league, Arizona Cricket Association, but I got no response from them.

Continue reading "The struggle continues for youth cricket in USA"

	Dainty opens up © Getty Images

Gladstone Dainty, the USACA's president, has spoken to Martin Williamson and Will Luke in a comprehensive, wide-ranging interview. Read what he told us at Cricinfo and leave your opinions or thoughts in the comments below.

Your critics claim that under your tenure, the USACA has lurched from crisis to crisis, culminating in your suspension from the ICC. How would you respond to those attacks?
The efforts of outstanding individuals have been undermined long before my time. Political forces in and out of the organization have made bad calculations about the financial rewards of cricket in the USA.There are those who believe that it takes a few dollars to make many millions. This belief has been around for many years; it has undermined the efforts of many and drained our limited resources.

What would you consider to be your achievements?

Over the last three-and-a-half years our achievements have been many .We have:

Introduced Under-19 regional and national tournaments

Licensed Under-11, Under-13 and Under-15 national tournaments

Won the ICC Americas regional Under-19 tournament

Qualified for the ICC's 2006 Under-19 World Cup

Won the recent ICC Americas Under-15 tournament

Placed 2nd at the ICC Americas WCLQ series

It should be noted that the ICC Americas WCLQ series included Canada and Bermuda and the average age of the team was reduced to 25.6 years.

Atul Rai, a past president of the USACA, comments on why he feels the current process to elect a new constitution is not only unfair, but illegitimate. Read the story and leave your thoughts below.

The results are in, as reported on Cricinfo earlier, but it doesn't make for pretty reading:

The results of the proposed USA Cricket Association constitution ratification vote has been announced today with 70.03% (201 votes) of the responding member clubs agreeing to the proposal.

However, in total, only 287 votes were registered which amounts to just 43% of the 667 registered clubs the USACA has on their books, some way short of the mandatory 50% under which the existing constitution was formed.

Furthermore, only 12 days' notice was given for the clubs to vote on the new constitution, partly explaining the low turnout. It seems likely that another issue affecting USA cricket will be settled in the courts, just 8 days from the ICC's deadline: by March 1 they must have held new elections under a fresh constitution if they are to maintain its status as an Associate member.

Cricinfo sources indicate the Council of League Presidents are taking the issue to the courts in the next few days. What are your thoughts on this latest setback?

A row which has been brewing behind the scenes over the USA Cricket Association's proposed new constitution has spilled over into the public domain with the publication of an open letter from two regional directors slamming the changes.

Continue reading "Dissenters urge 'no' vote for new constitution"

The revelation that the USA Cricket Association had finally put forward a new constitution to its stakeholders was, on the face of it, a rare piece of good news in the murky world of domestic US cricket. But after a closer look, the news might not be as good as it seemed.

Continue reading "USA elections throw up glaring gaps"

After months of silence and less than five weeks before the ICC's final deadline for its implementation, the USA Cricket Association has finally circulated the proposed new constitution to its members for ratification.

Continue reading "Democracy ... USACA style"

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

Continue reading "A long way from home"

Contrary to reports at the weekend, it is highly unlikely that a planned one-day series between India and Australia in North America will be able to include matches in the USA. At present, there are no venues in the country approved by the ICC to host a one-day international. In fact, there are none even close to being recognised.

Continue reading "Stillborn in the USA"

There is now hardly anyone in USA cricket circles who believes that there ever was a Centrex deal negotiated by, and for, the USACA Cricket Association.

Reported on Cricinfo by a gentleman who proclaimed himself the USACA representative for media relations (an appointment, incidentally, which was never presented for approval of the USACA board of directors), the magic deal appears to be a case of smoke and mirrors, with no basis in fact or reality. There is no other explanation that can fit the facts at hand.

Continue reading "Smoke and mirrors inside the USA?"

The ongoing mystery over the marketing deal agreed by the USA Cricket Association and Centrex continues, with the USACA refusing to provide stakeholders or the media with any information.

Continue reading "Concern grows over marketing deal"

There is widespread confusion in US cricket circles over the almost secret marketing deal reportedly agreed last October between the USA Cricket Association and a company called Centrex. The deal, which was flagged in outline to Cricinfo before it was finalised, has reportedly been signed and a payment made to the USACA, and yet it has proved almost impossible to find any information about what it involves and how much money has changed hands now and is expected to in the coming years.

Continue reading "What has everyone got to hide?"

Once again, time is running out for the USA Cricket Association to live up to its basic responsibilities. And this time, there are not likely to be any further reprieves.

Continue reading "USA faces ongoing constitutional crisis"

The ICC executive, which met in Mumbai last week, received a request from the USA Cricket Association for an extension towards the fulfillment of National Body elections under a new constitution.

The original deadline for elections under a new constitution was November 30, 2006 and the board agreed to extend that deadline to March 2007, the time for the next ICC board meeting. However, it resolved to offer no further extensions.

The USA Cricket Association executive meeting in Florida on Saturday (October 7) is set to unveil an ambitious new partnership with an international sports marketing company.

The USACA is likely to enter into a joint venture with the company, and this body will be responsible for a number of aspects of cricket in the USA.

Click here for the full story

After more than a year of reports of more concrete links between the USA and the Caribbean being established, the city of Lauderhill in Florida has announced a deal with Falmouth in Jamaica to use the newly-constructed stadium in Trelawny to promote cricket in Jamaica and the USA.

The partnership was launched with a match between a USA Invitational XI and the Jamaican national team on September 30, which the Jamaica side won by 36 runs.

Click here for more.

After months of silence, the proposed new constitution has finally been unveilled. Deb K Das writes:

The long-awaited draft Constitution of the USA Cricket Association (USACA), under preparation for the past six months under cloak-and-dagger secrecy, is finally available on the USACA website for all to see. It remains to be seen whether it will be approved by USACA's member clubs - and if it is, whether it will really lead to a reform of US cricket, or end up as another road to nowhere.

Click here for the full story

For the first time in the team's history, the Jamaican Civic and Cultural Association of Rockland's All Stars will play in the final of the New York Commonwealth Cricket League (CCL) tournament later today.

"It's very, very exciting," said Dillon Coley, manager and a player of the Spring Valley-based team. He said the team reached this point because its members had worked hard together. Coley, 51, a native of Jamaica who started playing cricket when he was 12, moved to the United States in 1987.

Full story at The Journal News

Simon Worral, in the BBC’s From Our Own Correspondent radio programme, reports on the rise of cricket in America in which he watched the semi-final between Tropical Sports Club and North Atlanta.

Continue reading "Cricket in America on the rise"

Bermuda won the World Cricket League Americas Division 1 Championship for the first time. Canada has two previous wins and the USA won once. Bermuda took the title thank's to Canada's ten-wicket win over the USA last Saturday. The Cayman Islands beat Argentina on Saturday and this ensured they qualify for the Global Division 3 section of the World Cricket League in 2007.

Bermuda and Canada had already qualified for the Global World Cricket League (WCL) Division 1 as a result of their rankings in the 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland. WCL Division 1 is in Kenya in January 2007. The USA will be in WCL Global Division 3.

Bermuda ended the Americas championship with three wins and one no-result for a total of 14 points. USA were second (two wins, one loss, one no result for 10 points). Canada came third edging out Cayman Islands on net run-rate (difference betwen rate of a team scoring runs when batting, and conceding runs when bowling). Both teams had two wins and two losses. Argentina came last with five losses.

The player of the tournament was US captain Steve Massiah, who also won the batting award for his 283 runs in 4 matches. Ronald Ebanks (Cayman) took the bowling award for 10 wickets. Bermuda took the fielding prizes with Stephen Outerbridge (fielder) and Kwame Tucker (wicketkeeper) getting the honours. Regular Bermuda wicketkeeper Dean Minors had to return home due to an illness in the family.

Shabir Mohammed plundered 353 not out in a league game for his club side United Cricket Club in northern California on August 27. In all, Shabbir slammed 25 sixes and 40 fours, facing 156 deliveries. His hundred came up off 46 balls, his 200 off 94.

He went into the match with a season’s average of 18.60 and a best of 41.

His side amassed 630 in the 45-over match. In reply, Bay Area were bowled out for 181.

More details can be found on the 4th Umpire blog.

Mohammad Azharuddin, the former India captain and Rizwan-uz-Zaman turned out for a club side in Glendale Heights, Illinois, yesterday to raise money for flood victims in Gujarat, India.

The Federation of Indian Associations hosted the Peace Cup. Vice President Keerthi Ravoori of Chicago said the organization had two objectives: to strengthen relations between local Indians and Pakistanis, and to raise funds for the victims in Gujarat, India.

He said he hoped the match would spread excitement about cricket in the United States, particularly in the Midwest.

“This is the first time we’re hosting this cricket match, and we hope to bring harmony and better understandings within these two countries,” Ravoori said.

Full story at the Daily Herald

The United States cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Argentina on the third day of the Americas Championship at Maple Leaf CC in Toronto, Canada, and in doing so set up a potential championship decider with Bermuda on Friday.

Continue reading "USA set up Bermuda showdown"

Sudesh Dhaniram, former West Indies A-team batsman, smashed an unbeaten 257 on June 24, possibly the highest individual limited-overs innings in US cricket.

His innings was instrumental in Far Rockaway's massive 334-run victory over Lions in a 40-over clash in the Nassau Cricket League in Queens, New York.

The problems which blighted the USA Cricket Association last year might be about to resurface according to a report from Cricinfo's Deb K Das. It appears that the long-awaited constitutional review might not be all it seems after the intervention of one of the panel charged with the process.

She voted to junk the process of democratic elections for the USACA board and executive, and proposed instead that they should all be appointed by an expert panel to be named by USACA. This constitution would be submitted to the 35 presidents of the USACA member leagues for approval. There would be no vote of the USACA membership, and no elections for any USACA positions.

This would start the whole internal battle again, and Das wonders if the ICC would get involved.

Without decisive action on their part, USACA will continue on the same dysfunctional path that was first enunciated by Speed and Mani three years ago, and US cricket will continue to exist in its self-created doldrums.

Cricket is not a sport associated with American University, but at Stanford the game is on the up, with improving facilities and two teams being run. While the participants mainly comes from the large expat community, interest is high.

"I’ve been here for 14 years, so I’ve seen a huge difference from last year and having the grounds back to the year I came in. Unless you were really passionate about the game, you wouldn’t even know we had a cricket club here at Stanford — I had to dig around to find out how to get involved — and now we’re right out in the open, so really it’s a huge difference."

In an excellent (well, we would say that!) article, Cricinfo editor Sambit Bal has written about the claims that hosting ODIs in the USA will help promote the game there:

"Both the ICC and the West Indies Cricket Board have made pious-sounding statements about matches in the USA and Canada helping the spread of the game, and it is simply a false promise.

"A few years ago, when Jagmohan Dalmiya was taking cricket far and wide, I had felt a genuine surge of excitement. It was novel watching cricket matches in Singapore, Hong Kong and Canada. Some grounds were oddly shaped, the matches were thinly attended, and there were hardly any locals. But I supported the expansionist zeal, and hoped that cricket would catch on. I was naïve, and wrong."

The Arizona Republic reports on the upcoming season for the local expats, and gives an insight into cricket in America.

But on weekends from September to April, hundreds of devoted cricket players gather for competition, camaraderie and a recreational link to their native countries across the globe.

With 12 Valley teams, including the Scottsdale Cricket Club, and one in Tucson, the Arizona Cricket Association has close to 200 players representing more than a dozen cricket-playing nations. That includes Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.

They also make comparisons with baseball

Batsmen try to keep the ball from striking wickets, or wooden posts, and attempt to hit the ball off the field. A batsman scores six runs for hitting the ball over the boundary on a fly and four for rolling one out.

Despite those differences, cricket and baseball, as played by weekend warriors, share common traits in the intensity of the play and the sore arms and other injuries that can keep players in pain for days afterward.

Kothari describes twisted ankles, cuts and strained hamstrings that punctuate the six-hour matches.

"I've broken my thumb before," he said. Only the wicketkeeper wears a glove.

More here.

An intriguing tale from the USA of an expat from India who arrived six years ago and turned to one of the country’s homegrown sports – baseball.

When Amartya ''Marty" Ray, a cricketer from Calcutta, moved to Boston in 1998 to attend college, he didn't even know what a home run was. Today, at age 26, he is coordinator of fan and neighborhood services for the Red Sox.

"Growing up in India I knew baseball was a sport. 'I knew the Yankees were 'the best team. But I didn't even know what teams they played for. I didn't even know who the Red Sox were.

"The natural tendency was to compare it to cricket. 'My first thought was, 'This is odd. This is very odd.' The field has weird dimensions. The foul balls didn't make any sense to me. Then I thought, 'What's up with the gloves? They can't catch a ball with their bare hands?'"

The United States Cricket Association's conversion from the second tier - cricket's political outcast - to the mainstream looks to be gathering pace.

The USACA is about to be named as host of the Third Division of the ICC’s World Cup Qualifying Series slated for next year.

The USA Cricket Association is again under pressure, this time following the request to the ICC by the rival Major League Cricket to take control of the games Stateside. Cricinfo reports that the USACA has some tough questions to answer when the ICC meets later this month.

The USACA has adopted an approach of operating in virtual secrecy for some time, and it looks as if it had decided to deal with the ICC in the same way. If so, then it made a massive mistake. The ICC is highly professional, well organised, and holds the purse strings. Bluster and bull will not work.

Anyone who has followed US cricket in the last 18 months will be familiar with the shambles among those running the game there, with the USA Cricket Association slammed – and shunned – by the ICC and attempts to remove the executive quashed in court. Now Bernard Cameron, the man behind Major League Cricket, has written to the ICC requesting that his group be allowed to take control of the US game.

In his letter to the ICC, Cameron said:

"I remember the Gladstone Dainty [the USACA chairman] debacle, involving education, strategic development and promotion of cricket throughout the United States ten years ago. It certainly was a painful and bitter memory written in the annals of US cricket. Notwithstanding, that evil seems to befall us again and again."

The Winter Haven Club, in Florida, is looking for new players to join. More details at The Ledger

Vish Lekhram writes enthusiastically about the USA team who today head to Sri Lanka for the Under-19 World Cup:

Ordinarily in other sporting disciplines this would not be a very noteworthy event but because we Americans are viewed as the best at everything by the global population, this has added a lot of pressures on this cricket team to do as well as the other sporting disciplines, and are being compared to the US Olympic team that will participate in the Winter Games in a few weeks time. What an honor this team has bestowed on the USA's cricketing nation that is well represented by these strong, talented, and gifted young men!

We all expect the "boys," soon to be men to win the whole thing! Is this an unreasonable expectation? Are we being practical? Can this squad as talented as they are, beat the West Indies, South Africa, or Australia (they are grouped together in "D") to advance to the next round?

A much-needed boost for US cricket with the news that the Indian and Pakistan boards are looking at playing matches at neutral venues. Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan board, said:

Once again we would go to our governments for approval before finalising the venues but places like the United States and a few European countries are under consideration. We have offshore venues like Florida and New Jersey in the United States and some venues in the United Arab Emirates and we want to popularise cricket in these countries.

Given the ICC's view of the USA Cricket Association - one shared by most of the major countries who see the board as an embarrassment - this will increase the pressure on Gladstone Dainty, the embattled president, to stand down for a more internationally acceptable candidate. The alternative is for the USA to remain a cricketing backwater.

With the USA Cricket Association still doggedly determined to run cricket in the USA after it saw off the challenge from a rebel group of stakeholders, it has a new challenger - Major League Cricket.

A recent national event run by MLC in Florida was a success despite attempts by unknown parties, thought to support the USACA, to persuade and even intimidate sides to stay away. And now MLC has thrown down the gauntlet and started taking on the USACA head to head.

The contrast between the two could not be greater. MLC appears to be open, eager to speak to the media, and keen to host events and promote the game. The USACA has a history of CIA-like secrecy, shunning the media and, frankly, not doing much for the game in the country. It even managed to get its funding suspended by the ICC and was barred from attending the ICC AGM.

Gladstone Dainty, the president, clings on to power with grim determination but his time seems limited. And a USACA EGM to discuss the crisis attracted a single-figure attendance last month, leaving Dainty embarrassed but still there.

A good source of lively chat about the US cricket scene can be found at www.uscricket.com/ and click on forums.

In case it slipped your attention, USA's U19 squad for February's World Cup were announced a few days ago.

So low is the USA Cricket Association's standing in world cricket - this was the organisation barred from the last ICC AGM in London - that you woukd think they would do all they could to show that they are now on the ball. Not so. At the weekend they held a meeting in Dallas which should have shown that all disputes are a thing of the past. The problem is ... nobody turned up.

The attendance was so poor that there were not enough people present to constitute a forum, and furthermore, only six of the 12 USACA directors turned up, so it was not even possible to hold a board meeting.

The tremendously enjoyable - and I speak from personal experience -

Sarasota International Sixes took place again last week, with the usual quotas of fun, good cricket, and Budweiser. As Lawrence Parry, Sarasota stalwart and the man responsible for leading many good men off the straight and narrow, explained:

There's just a lot of camaraderie between the players, and we call it a festival, not a tournament. It's really more like a reunion for the teams.

The Herald Tribune has provided a photo gallery and more information can be found at the official Sarasota Cricket Club website.

The MLC Interstate tournament is up and running in Florida and Texas's Sushil Nadkarni has been the star of the show. He kicked off with 171 not out and followed with 214. Texas won both games, the second, against the hosts, by the small margin of 379 runs.

UScricket.com profiled him back in August.

The tournament is ongoing and Cricinfo will have regular daily updates. Check out the official MLC site.

An end in sight for the shambles that has been blighting the USA Cricket Association for more than a year, or another false dawn? Cricinfo reveals that finally there will be an Extraordinary General Meeting in Dallas on December 10.

It is unclear how many members of the association will actually attend what could be a lively meeting, assuming that the officers are willing to answer questions from the floor and not fall back behind the legal agreement.

People from across the country have to attend as this could be one of the last chances they have to be heard and make a difference before US cricket, already something of a pariah, is irreparably damaged.

"There is wicket keeping – it's kind of like catching like a catcher and then there is bowling which is like a pitcher and then there's fielding which is, you know, fielding."

But there are also interesting comments about the profile of the game among the next generation and some great clips of the youngsters in action.