USA name squad for U15 tournament

The USA Cricket Association has named a 14-strong team for the Americas under-15 tournament, which will be held in the Cayman Islands from July 20 to 25. The announcement came as a surprise to many, as the USACA has faced a lot of criticism this year for apparently neglecting junior cricket in spite of promises made in the past.

Brian Ajodhi, the team's captain, and Ravi Timbawala, the vice captain, are expected to open the batting - both have gone on international tours with the USA Cricket Academy as opening batsmen.

Shaham Mumtaz, then 12, wrote his name into the record books at the ICC U19 World Cup two years ago as the youngest player to have played in the tournament. He was not over-awed by the occasion, and picked up a five-wicket haul against Cayman Islands with his legspin. Dhruv Mehra has also performed well on several international juniors. Apart from these players, the rest of the team will be playing on the international stage for the first time.

Following the naming of the team, there was an unofficial protest from New York, claiming that no New York Region players had been selected for the U15 team because of past feuds between the USACA and the New York Region over international junior tours. However, this is unlikely as the coach, Linden Fraser, is himself from New York.

USA squad for Americas U15 tournament Brian Ajodhi (capt), Dhaval Patel, Shalin Naik , Shaham Mumtaz, Mohammed Hassan, Chirag Bhakta , Ravi Timbawala, Imran Samsair, Kartik Vittala , Dhruv Mehra, Sunil Deopersaud , Syed N. Abdullah, Chandika Singh, Siddhanth Dhume.