ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – All-rounder Nitish Kumar has been appointed captain of an ICC Americas 15-man squad which will contest next January’s Regional Super50.
The 22-year-old, who also skippers Canada, is no stranger to the region having already played for St Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier League and for the ICC Americas in their outing in first appearance in the Super50 earlier this year.
He replaces Ruvindu Gunasekera who has returned to his native Sri Lanka to pursue his career there.
Kumar is one of eight surviving players from that outing last January when the Americas unit failed to win a single game in the competition.
He was, however, one of four players to pass 100 runs and topped his side’s bowling with six wickets at an average of 23 and economy rate of 4.3 with his off-breaks.
Kumar will have as his deputy, United States captain Steven Taylor who struggled in the 2016 Super50 with 82 runs from five innings.
However, the left-hander produced decent form in the CPL and in the recent ICC World Cricket League Division Four tournament in Los Angeles, United States where he gathered an unbeaten 124 against Oman.
Taylor is one of eight US players in the squad with all-rounder Timroy Allen, fast bowler Ali Khan, leg-spinner Timil Patel, batsmen Alex Amsterdam, Nicholas Standford and Fahad Babar, along with fast bowler Jessy Singh all included.
Canada off-spinning all-rounder Nikhil Dutta has gained selection for the trip after missing out last January.
All-rounder Kamau Leverock, who grabbed the attention of selectors with a brilliant 137 over Jersey in the WCL Division Four tournament, is the only Bermudian in the squad.
ICC Americas will do battle in Group B of the Super50 alongside Barbados Pride, Guyana Jaguars, Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners and Jamaica Scorpions.
Group A comprises reigning champions Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, Leeward Islands Hurricanes, West Indies Under-19s, Windward Islands Volcanoes and visiting English County side, Kent Spitfires.
The Super50 runs from January 24 to February 18 in Antigua and Barbados.
SQUAD – Nitish Kumar (captain), Steven Taylor, Hamza Tariq, Timroy Allen, Alex Amsterdam, Fahad Babar, Nikhil Dutta, Ali Khan, Kamau Leverock, Timil Patel, Cecil Pervez, Jessy Singh, Nicholas Standford, Srimantha Wijeyratne, Saad Bin Zafar.
