America's most exclusive cricket club

Every now and then, I get an e-mail from someone asking me to write an article about their club. Some of the requests are for clubs that actually have fascinating stories associated with them. Then there are others that just make me scratch my head and wonder why they think their club is actually unique. And then there is the fascinating e-mail that made me scratch my head as I wondered whether the club cricket culture in America will ever truly change.

I received a message in my inbox some time ago with the subject line “US Tigers.” This wasn’t the Greenville Tigers or the South Carolina Tigers. This club was named to represent all of America. The US Tigers. “Hmmm…” I thought to myself, “How could a team with such a name have fallen below the radar for so long?”

So I opened the message to learn more about the US Tigers.

“Our players are from all over the US and have extremely good credentials in their respective leagues,” wrote Sunju Patel, the captain of the team. “Our goal is to create a private club and participate in all competitive cricket tournaments in US and Canada.” He went on to say how amazing their spirit is, how professional they are and how much they spur each other on by constantly staying in touch with each other despite wherever they are living around the country. He then asked if it would be possible for US Tigers to compete as a team in USA Cricket Association tournaments and if I would help promote their cause.

“Wow,” I thought. “They must have some of the best players living in the USA, guys like former Test players Franklyn Rose and Neil McGarrell.” I was really curious to find out more. So I did a Google search of “US Tigers cricket” which led me to a scorecard from a tournament played last December in Florida. I clicked on a PDF file and my jaw dropped when I saw the US Tigers starting XI.

It had Amit Sood, a former first-class player for Gujarat. It had Nimir Desai, the vice-captain from the 2009 Atlanta Georgia Cricket Conference team that was assembled to play in the South East Region interleague tournament. It also had two Shahs… and seven Patels.

Yes, that’s right. The US Tigers squad was comprised of players from all over the US who have extremely good credentials in their leagues… and by some wild coincidence, the best players from around America as selected by their captain all just happened to be Gujarati. It’s safe to say that captain Sunju Patel succeeded in his goal to create a private club.

If only my name was Pragnesh instead of Peter, I could dream of playing for them one day too.