In an unprecedented development, USA Cricket has replaced its entire national selection committee prior to Thursday’s start of the National T20. Ravi Timbawala, age 34, will succeed Michael Voss, his citymate from Los Angeles.
Sunny Sohal, Nasir Jamali, Ritesh Kadu, and Barrington Bartley will provide support to Timbawala.
Former SL international Shehan Jayasuriya wrote to the boarding in response to the appointment, wherein he accused the institution of “inconsistencies” in its selection policies for zonal squads.
Three months prior to the commencement of the Twenty20 World Cup, Niraj Patel, Amer Afzaluddin, Orlando Baker, and Clayton Lambert were ejected alongside Voss, who presided over the organization for four years. The exclusion from the zonal squads of players including Jayasuriya, former Pakistan international Sami Aslam, Cameron Gannon, Brody Couch, and Jahmar Hamilton incited widespread public outrage on social media regarding the departing selection panel.
The appointment of Timbawala is accompanied by considerable curiosity, given his advanced age and his status as a currently active cricketer. His last appearance for the United States was in 2017, but in 2023 he was a member of the SoCal Lashings Minor League T20 squad. Likewise, Jamali, 34, last competed for the United States in 2015, but has represented the Dallas Mustangs on the MiLC circuit since 2023. However, in the future months, greenhorn appointee Timbawala and company will have a difficult time determining the final 15, a matter that has sparked considerable debate within the US cricket community.
The qualification of players from the United States, including Andries Gous, Corey Anderson, Harmeet Singh, and Unmukt Chand, and the omission of American expatriates, Gannon, and Hamilton, by the previous selection committee, will likely add to Timbawala’s selection woes. Due to the scarcity of United States matches preceding the World Cup, the new committee will have to rely heavily on the national T20 and MiLCs from previous years to compile a pool of potential World Cup squad members.
