USA pick three uncapped players for WCL, Auty Cup

USA have picked three uncapped players – Ali Khan, ambidextrous spinner Prashanth Nair and Abdullah Syed – in their 14-man squad for ICC WCL Division Four in Los Angeles from October 29. The same squad will also take on Canada in the three-match Auty Cup series from October 13 in Los Angeles.

Khan, a fast bowler contracted to Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League, emerged onto the USA national scene via the open trial process conducted by ICC Americas last September in Indianapolis. The Dayton, Ohio resident was also included in a 15-man USA and Canada combined ICC Americas squad that participated in the WICB Nagico Super50 in January.

Two other players included in USA’s squad for the first time are dual-spinner Nair and hard-hitting batsman Syed, both from New York. Nair was injured on the first day of USA’s five-day national squad camp in Indianapolis earlier this month, dislocating his left thumb during fielding drills and was unable to bowl. However, he impressed the selectors during the team’s seven-day camp in July and August in Florida, taking wickets with both arms against a CPL Invitational XI.

Syed was not in USA’s preliminary 30-man squad announced in July, but earned an invitation to the 22-member squad camp in Indianapolis earlier this month after a pair of blistering cameos playing for a New York XI against a touring Marylebone Cricket Club side. He cemented his place in the final squad by striking 71 off 89 balls in an intrasquad trial match, the highest score by any USA player during the camp.

“I have been pleased to see the application of the USA players to date. Indianapolis was a great camp and it was good to see the squad work hard together to drive performance standards and expectations,” USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake said at the announcement of the squad. “I’m …

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