THE USA have named their squad for the T20 World Cup, to be held in India and Sri Lanka starting next Saturday (7). The team will be led by Monank Patel.
Ten of the 15 players who played in the last edition have been retained in the squad. USA will face co-hosts and defending champions India in the tournament opener in Mumbai.
The International Cricket Council suspended USA Cricket on September 23 last year. The suspension was imposed for serious breaches of the ICC Membership Criteria.
The squad was picked under a new selection process. This was developed in partnership with the ICC and the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC). The process aims to ensure transparency and a merit-based approach for identifying and selecting the best eligible players to represent the US.
"All members of the selection panel submitted Conflict of Interest forms to the USOPC ahead of the meeting. The selection meeting was observed by a USOPC appointed Compliance Officer to ensure adherence to the Cricket Selection Procedures," a release said.
USA beat Pakistan, a full-member country, in the last T20 World Cup. They even made it to the Super Eight stage.
The USA have trained for several weeks in Sri Lanka. The focus was on skill development, game awareness and team bonding, reports said.
They are placed in Group A alongside India and Pakistan, Namibia and the Netherlands.
"We hit every target and that's a testament to the players' dedication and hard work. The World Cup squad is strong, balanced and ready to dominate in every department," said head coach Pubudu Dassanayake.
Squad: Monank Patel (c), Jessy Singh (vc), Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane.
