Team USA fall to rain-shortened defeat in Super50 opener

A stunning innings from Joshua De Silva proved decisive in a closely fought rain-shortened match in Trinidad today. Weather played spoilsport for much of Saturday’s Super50 tournament opener for Team USA in Trinidad with several hours of waiting after a very heavy downpour right around the scheduled start-time of 1.30pm local time.

The cut-off time for a minimum 20 Overs per side match was 7.02pm and just in the nick of time, after some trojan work from the ground-staff, the game got underway with West Indies Emerging Players winning the toss and choosing to bowl first on a slow wicket.

USA gave a debut to young Akshay Homraj and after a promising start from Patel and Marshall, wickets began to fall regularly with run-scoring proving difficult against the home side’s spin attack.

Nisarg Patel led the fightback and he went on to top score with 33 and some late lusty blows from the 37-year-old veteran Elmore Hutchinson including two huge sixes helped USA’s total to a total of 109. USA will have been disappointed to be bowled out 2 balls short of the allocated 20 overs with the final 4 wickets falling for 8 runs.

With the humidity and the floodlights taking full effect on the match, USA would need to be perfect in the field to defend their total, and they got the near-perfect start. Karima Gore struck with his first delivery in the second over of the match. When Steven Taylor and Timil Patel both got in on the act with early wickets as well, all of a sudden USA looked on top reducing their opponents to 25 for 4.

Enter Joshua De Silva, and the young wicket-keeper batsman from Trinidad set about completely changing the course of the match in a partnership with the more watchful Yannic Cariah. De Silva’s innings was a real gem and despite USA trying 7 different bowlers in 18 overs the partnership couldn’t be broken.

Next up for USA is the challenge of the Guyana Jaguars on Monday in front of the TV Cameras at the Queen’s Park Oval.

Score in brief:

WI Emerging beat USA by 6 wickets at Brian Lara Stadium, Trinidad

USA 109 All Out 19.4 Overs (Nisarg Patel 33, Elmore Hutchinson, 18) 

West Indies Emerging Players 110 for 4 17.4 Overs (Joshua De Silva, 38, Karima Gore 4-29) 

Team USA’s schedule for the Super 50 is as follows:

November 9 USA vs West Indies Emerging Players – Lost by 6 Wickets
November 11 USA vs Guyana Jaguars
November 13 USA vs Windward Island Volcanoes
November 15 USA vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force
November 19 USA vs West Indies Emerging Players
November 21 USA vs Trinidad & Tobago Red Force
November 23 USA vs Windward Island Volcanoes
November 25 USA vs Guyana Jaguars

See the full schedule by clicking here.

Team USA squad:

Saurabh Netravalkar (C – Marin 1, Northern California Cricket Association)
Steven Taylor (VC – Sheffield Cricket Club, New York Metropolitan Cricket League)
Karima Gore (Antigua)
Ian Holland (Hampshire, England)
Akshay Homraj (Galaxy Cricket Club, Eastern American Cricket Association)
Elmore Hutchinson (Caribbean CC, Southern California Cricket Association)
Aaron Jones (Atlantis Cricket Club, New York Metropolitan Cricket League)
Nosthush Kenjige (Atlantis Cricket Club, New York Metropolitan Cricket League)
Xavier Marshall (Triggers Cricket Club, Houston Cricket League)
Monank Patel (Freedom Cricket Club, Cricket League of New Jersey)
Nisarg Patel (Vijayta Cricket Club, Southern California Cricket Association)
Sagar Patel (Indian Lions, ArkTenn Cricket League)
Timil Patel (Vijayta Cricket Club, Southern California Cricket Association)
Jasdeep Singh (Smashers Cricket Club, Cricket League of New Jersey)
Cameron Stevenson (Carlton Cricket Club, Australia)
Rusty Theron (Potomac Cricket Club, Washington Cricket League)*

*Rusty Theron will join the squad from Game 5 onwards