ICC World Cricket League Division 5
USA Gain Easy Win Over Fiji

By John L. Aaron
Feb. 20th, 2010 | Scoreboard
Emerging disappointingly from the ICC World T20 tournament in the UAE last week, the USA made an emphatic Steve Massiah, opening statement defeating Fiji by 285 runs in the ICC World Cricket League Division 5 tournament in Nepal.

Fiji won the toss and elected to bowl first on what must have appeared as strip favoring bowlers, except Fiji’s bowlers came up against an awakened Team USA batting line up that did not even include the aggressive Sudesh Dhaniram. However, after losing its attacking wicketkeeper batsman Carl Wright for one in the very first over, skipper Steve Massiah and Orlando Baker teamed up for a 129-run second-wicket partnership, before Massiah exited in the 24th over by a run-out for 74 in 80 deliveries (9x4s, 1x6). The Team USA skipper played a disciplined inning earning the Man-of-the-Match award, while leading from the front and following some single-digit contributions in the shorter form of the game in the UAE.

Massiah’s exit paved the way for the entrance of all-rounder Lennox Cush who unleashed a screaming attack on the Fijian bowlers scoring a scintillating even half-century off 54 balls, including 4x4s and 3x6s. Cush’s exit c. Kida b. Dabea, was no less painful for the Fijian bowlers, as Adityha Thyagarajan, 39 off 38 balls with 6x4s, and a blistering 61 off 28 balls from Rashard Marshall including 8x4s and 4x6s, indicated a determined Team USA.

Timroy Allen added to the woes of the opposition’s bowlers belting a quick fire 32 off 17 deliveries with 3x4s and 2x6s, as the USA posted an imposing 353 for 8 in the allotted 50 overs. The USA wickets fell at 2, 131, 150, 234, 243, 330, 330 and 339. The pick of the Fijian bowlers was Josefa Dabea 8-0-84-4.

It is interesting to note that Team USA enjoyed partnerships of 129 (1st wicket), 71 (3rd wicket), and 87 (6th wicket), all of which contributed significantly to the team’s victory. Success in the longer version of the game has always been attributed to the establishment of batting partnerships. Impressive bowling spells also, don’t hurt a team’s chances at victory, except the opposition. In this case it was Fiji.

The Fiji Blues in response ran directly into the heat wave of Kevin Darlington 6-0-9-3 and Imran Awan 8-1-16-3, as the USA routed their South Pacific opponents for a paltry 68 runs in 28.2 overs. The only Fijian double-digit scoring batsman was its best bowler Josefa Dabea with 13 not out off 60 deliveries and including a solitary boundary.

The Fiji Blues suffered a set back when its skipper Joe Rika was forced to bat down the order and in great discomfort, suffering from a thumb injury. The Fijian wickets fell at 13, 22, 25, 30, 38, 56, 58, 63, 65, and 68. Cush 7-3-7-1, Verma 2-1-3-1, Baker 0.2-0-1-1 and Allen 5-1-23-1 rounded out the USA wicket-takers gallery.

It is an impressive start to the tournament by the USA and hopefully the team will maintain the momentum from today’s match, as they seek to climb out of Division 5 on their way to accomplishing their “15 in 2015” goal of being ranked no lower that number 15 by the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. Tomorrow the USA plays Bahrain, who lost earlier today to Singapore by 126 runs.

SCOREBOARD
United States of America Innings
Wright+ run out ( Ravoka ) 1
Baker lbw Cakacaka 46
Massiah* run out ( Rika ) 74
Cush c Kida b Dabea 50
Thyagarajan b Dabea 39
Marshall c Yabaki b Dabea 61
Allen lbw Dabea 32
Williams not out 9
Verma run out ( Cakacaka ) 6
Imran Awan not out 7
Darlington 0
Extras (b 9, lb 3, w 11, nb 5, pen ) 28
Total 353
Extras (b 9, lb 3, w 11, nb 5, pen )

Bowling
Yabaki 9.0 0 72 0
Tavo 4.0 0 25 0
Waqaituinayau 7.0 0 41 0
Kida 10.0 0 73 0
Browne 2.0 0 13 0
Cakacaka 10.0 1 33 1
Dabea 8.0 0 84 4
Fall of wickets: 1 - 2 (Wright, 0.1), 2 - 131 (Massiah, 23.3), 3 - 150 (Baker, 26.5), 4 - 234 (Thyagarajan, 39.4), 5 - 243 (Cush, 41.1), 6 - 330 (Marshall, 47.4), 7 - 330 (Allen, 47.5), 8 - 339 (Verma, 48.6)