Major League Cricket will host USA Cricket’s Men’s Under 19 Training and Selection Camp in the Bay Area from June 10th through 20th. The camp will feature up to five 50 over games to be contested by the 26-player training group with national Men’s U19 selection at stake. USA Men’s U19 Head Coach, Kevin Darlington and USA Men’s National Team Head Coach, J Arun Kumar will run the camp, with support from several MLC coaches and staff.
‘We have been working closely with our partners at MLC to ensure we are aligned in giving the strongest possible preparation for our best young cricketers,’ Chair of the USA Cricket Committee, Sushil Nadkarni said in the announcement. ‘We are collectively driven by our ultimate goal of qualification to the 2022 Men’s Under 19 World Cup and we are grateful for their support in putting this camp together. We can all see the promise in this group of players that has been selected from the National Championships and getting the full 26-player group together for this extended 10-day camp will put the team in the best possible position for the Qualifier later in the summer.
This is another fine example of the benefits of working closely with everyone at MLC in developing our pathways, infrastructure and playing opportunities at all levels. I am looking forward to a fine camp in the impressive facilities on the West Coast and would like to wish all players the best for the weeks and months ahead.’
The camp is the fifth nationally supported event featuring Men’s U19 players since summer of 2020, considering Minor League Cricket’s exhibition season, zonal combines, Major League Cricket’s Elite Development Camp, and the recently concluded Men’s U19 National Championships, the latter two of these events having occurred at Prairie View Cricket Complex in Houston, Texas.
Of the 26 players selected to the National Training Group, eleven participated in the three biggest events leading up until now: Minor League Cricket’s 2020 exhibition season, Major League Cricket Elite Talent Development Camp, and the Men’s U19 National Championships. Three players participated in Minor League Cricket and the National Championships, two participated in the MLC camp and the National Championships, and ten participated in only the National Championships.
That breakdown doesn’t tell the whole story, however, as many variables prevented players from participating in some of these events. For example, Aditya Gupta was not on a Minor League Cricket roster due to his young age at the time, and Slade Van Staden was at his home in South Africa until recently. Toss in challenges and restrictions related to the pandemic, and it’s easy to see the value of having multiple opportunities for players to demonstrate their talent on the national stage.
In the announcement, Major League Cricket Co-Founder, Sameer Mehta elaborated on these events, and MLC’s role in the upcoming camp. ‘We were delighted to be able to support USA Cricket with what was an outstanding event at the Men’s U19 National Championships in Texas last month. It was very apparent that this is an impressive group of young players who will have strong claims in attempting to guide USA to qualify for the Under 19 World Cup in 2022. As a follow up, we have been working closely with USA Cricket to help ensure that the Under 19 Training Group now gets the necessary preparation, exposure and opportunity to continue their personal and group development. To that end, we will be supporting all aspects of this camp, including organizing the camp logistics and quality opposition for selection matches, providing access to the MLC facilities in the Bay Area and full support from our playing and coaching assets to help enhance the experience for the group.
Our support and investment in American cricket is aligned to USA Cricket’s Foundational Plan and very much for the long-term. We are excited by the depth of progress being made in all areas and look forward to continuing to support these future stars of the American game now and long into the future.’
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