Just saw this post on the USACA website. I am so excited to see the US team doing well. 3rd place on NRR in the ICC WCL Division 3 Tournament. I have to say that the mere possibility of the United States getting a chance to qualify for the next World Cup is a phenomenal thought. Congratulations to Steve Massiah on his Man of the Match performance. I look forward to hearing more good news on Sunday after we beat the Danes.
Ken
I find myself in an odd position this morning. Normally my international team loyalties follow this rule: England, India, anyone playing Australia. England is my favorite team and nothing is going to change that, but India’s place in my affections seems to have slipped.
I am sitting in my living room watching the second ODI between South Africa and India and I find myself rooting for South Africa. I can’t say that I really care all that much for the Proteas, and in have no idea why I want them to win.
Maybe something changed when India became the number 1 test team. Maybe I have been so focused on the Ashes that I’m just rooting for what seems to be them better team in this series. So I could just be jumping on the bandwagon.
I think it might be that right now South Africa is on top and it’s exciting to see success. Maybe if India launch an amazing comeback I’ll change my mind. I guess I will know a little better in the next innings. If India get on top and take a few wickets I think my loyalties will realign themselves.
So really, go England and in every other match, go Wickets!
Ken
So the IPL auction is over and the Knight Riders have an almost completely new roster. I can’t say that I’m surprised that the owners went this route. It is a shame that truly great players like Ganguly, McCullum and Gayle (not to diminish others) were not selected. On paper, the Knight Riders should have been one of the best teams in the league. I don’t know what happened that made the team fail so miserably but a fresh start is definitely in order.
The biggest news, is the purchasing of Gautam Gambir for $2.4 million. Gambir is a very talented player, but I am concerned he may be overpriced. Along these lines, I wonder if it was wise to spend such a large chunk of the spending cap on a few players, as great as they are. By the end of the auction, the Knight Riders were almost out of money and had only obtained 5 Indian players. They will need at least 7, because they can only field 4 foreign players. I know they can pick up some unsold and uncapped players, but I wonder if they may not have been better off with at least 8 or 9 top notch Indian players, so there would not be as much reliance on the foreign players.
That said, the team did pick up some very exciting players. I have always been impressed with Eoin Morgan’s ability to hit almost any ball in any direction he chooses. Kallis has a huge amount of experience and at the same time is just as dangerous as much younger players.
I am very excited to see how this season plays out I have been a fan from the first season and I have a lot of hope that this season will turn out better than the last three. I hope that the current Knight Riders find that spark of whatever it is that makes great players come together to become something truly amazing.
Ken
