Teenaged Yasir Mohammad gets maiden USA ODI call-up for series in Texas

Legspin-bowling allrounder Yasir Mohammad, who impressed for USA on his T20I debut in a famous victory over Ireland in December, has parlayed that success into a call-up in USA's 14-man ODI squad for the back-to-back home ODI tri-series as part of Cricket World Cup League Two starting on May 28 in Texas.

Yasir, 19, was not initially part of the USA squad that was named for the two T20Is and three ODIs against Ireland, but was rushed into the T20I squad after a Covid-19 outbreak in the camp on the eve of the series. He made the most of his opportunity by bowling a nerveless, albeit wicketless, spell at the death to clinch a 26-run win for USA. Yasir, the New Jersey teenager, came back a day later to take 2 for 32 in a nine-run loss, and then impressed at an exhibition quadrangular series in April between a USA XI and a trio of Major League Cricket invitational squads at Prairie View, Texas.

Yasir is one of several changes to USA's squad that was picked for the three-match ODI series against Ireland, which was eventually cancelled before the first match could take place because of logistical issues arising out of the Covid-19 outbreak. California left-arm spinner Vatsal Vaghela, who made his T20I debut in the second T20I against Ireland and was in line for an ODI debut a few days later, has been left out to make room for the wristspin offered by Yasir, with two other left-arm spinners - Nisarg Patel and Nosthush Kenjige - being the incumbents.

Right-arm medium pacer Jessy Singh has also been left out along with opening batter Xavier Marshall to make room for the return of the pace duo of Rusty Theron and Cameron Stevenson. The two have not played ODIs for USA since the winless tour of Nepal in February 2020, though Theron has remained a part of USA's T20I squad through their recent undefeated run at the ICC Americas T20 World Cup Qualifier, played in Antigua in November. Stevenson, a dual citizen based in his native Victoria, made himself unavailable for USA because of work and personal commitments in Australia during the pandemic, but has been lured to Texas for this tour after being offered a short-term central contract, according to multiple sources.

USA will host Scotland and the UAE in the first of the consecutive tri-series in Texas before welcoming Nepal and Oman for the latter half of fixtures, which run through to June 15. They will be held in the south Houston suburb of Pearland at Moosa Stadium, which will become the second ODI-accredited facility in America after Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida.