U.S Ditched from W.I U-19 Tourney
Sat, Aug 2, '03
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has suddenly -- and without explanation -- ditched the U.S. from the TCL Group Under-19 tournament this year in favour of a team from Canada.
After releasing an itinerary several weeks ago that included teams from the U.S. and Bermuda, the WICB switched course Friday with a new announcement that Canada would replace the U.S. in Zone-A and a 'Rest of the Americas' squad would play in place of Bermuda in Zone-B.
New York-based officials of the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA) were left scratching their heads Friday when news of the revised fixtures was relayed by CaribbeanCricket.com. "As far as I know, we will have a team in Guyana. We have made all the flight arrangements," said one official.
He said the U.S. team was included in this year's tournament after discussions with WICB director Chetram Singh and chief cricket development officer Dr Michael Seepersaud. The selection of the U.S. team has been mired in controversy with New York Cricket Region (NYCR) officials publicly complaining that its players were sidelined by absentee selectors.
The news comes as a kick to the stomach for the NYCR, which has implemented an active youth program to promote competitive cricket among teenagers. The New York Under-19 squad has been training under a team of coaches and was given a send-off pep talk by West Indies batsman Daren Ganga.
The sudden inclusion of Canada comes on the heels of the controversial WICB decision earlier this year to offer the services of coach Gus Logie to coach Canada's World Cup side.
Canada's youth team won a recent tournament to qualify for next February's Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh, leading to speculation that the ICC intervened to ensure Canada was invited to the West Indies tournament.
The ICC is paying for the participation of the two teams -- Canada and the 'Rest of the Americas' -- meaning the WICB won't have that additional expense at the tournament. However, U.S. officials say they would have paid their way to Guyana, if that option was made available.
The 'Rest of the Americas' side will include players from Bermuda, Cayman Islands and Argentina.