Volume 1 December 15, 2010 Issue 15

BARODA BOMB!

Image from zimbio.com

SCCA New Look Executive for 2011 & 2012 - Editorial

Aditya Thyagarajan of SCCA Honored

Regional Administration

Aussies ‘Cook’ed

Baroda Bomb

Player Profile – Rajinder Singh Ghai

Remembering T.E. Srinivasan

SCCA’s NEW LOOK EXECUTIVE FOR 2011 & 2012 Editor: K.C.S. Rao

Southern California Cricket Association (SCCA) in its Annual General

Body meeting held on December 5, 2010 elected the following members
as their Executive for the years 2011 & 2012.

PRESIDENT : MASUD ZAIDI – sccapresident@gmail.com

1st VICE-PRESIDENT : RAVI KANDAN – rk@gci7000.com
2nd VICE-PRESIDENT : JAY BHAKTA – jay.bhakta88@yahoo.com
SECRETARY : SUNIL RAMINENI–sccasecretary@gmail.com
TREASURER : RONAK PATEL – sccatreasurer@gmail.com

All the candidates with the exception of the 1st Vice President were unanimously
elected. For the 1st Vice President, both the incumbents (Kamal Azeez and Ravi
Kandan) contested and Ravi Kandan won by one vote (18 to 17 votes).

SCCA’s New Look Executive at work: Left to Right: Ronak Patel, Treasurer; Jay Bhakta, 2nd Vice President; Masud Zaidi, President; Ravi Kandan, 1st Vice
President; and Sunil Ramineni, Secretary
Even though Masud Zaidi and Ravi Kandan are not new to the Executive, we call
the team, a New Look Executive, because it has
(a) majority of its members new to the Executive; and
(b) Masud Zaidi acquires powers (from Secretary to President to take the
association in a new direction.

A new club (Redland Cricket Club) was added to the roster of clubs subject to
availability of grounds.

The new executive took steps to make Division I and II teams to play the coming
year league matches with color uniform and white ball. Considering the increase in
cost of playing cricket in Los Angeles (Driving to and from the ground with soaring
gas prices, color kit/pads, etc,) this decision appears to negate the idea of promoting
the game in this country. One has to wait and see the outcome of this decision.

In a question and answer session to the contestants (only for the 1st Vice President
position) candidates outlined priorities for the coming years but did not specify how
they would go about implementing them. However, a strong commitment and a
sense eagerness to improve the playing conditions were observed amongst those
elected. A good sign for things to come.
ADITYA THYAGARAJAN OF SCCA HONORED! Staff Reporter

Image from dreamcricket.com

Aditya Thyagarajan was awarded the Inaugural Radiant Info USA’s Batsman of the Year award for 2010. This
award is sponsored by Radiant Info, Dreamcricket.com and the New Inning Foundation.

Aditya has been the ‘Mr. Consistent’ and the ‘crisis man’ for the USA National Team this year. His calmness
and thorough understanding of the situation make the dressing room relaxed while he is at the crease. He has
displayed these characters wherever he plays.

Whether it was his maiden century of 159 in 118 deliveries against Argentina or his 72 against Ireland, he was
the man of the hour. He made great contributions for a winning cause and often gave fighting performances
before the side lost a game. He displayed great patience and calm during his score of unbeaten 83 against
Jersey when the chips were down. His 27 against Canada in the Final of the ICC Americas Division One T20s
and unbeaten 102 against Argentina were quality knocks and a timely one, which once again proved his mettle
and ability to perform in the International Stage.

The run-machine, though bats slightly lower in the batting order than one would have liked, has always been in
the Top 3 run-getters for the national side. He was the USA’s top scorer in the ICC Americas Division One
ODIs. He was second in the T20s and he stood third in the WCL Division Matches and the ICC Americas
Division One T20s.

Weekend Cricket readers and the staff congratulate Aditya Thyagarajan for this achievement. Way to go Adi!
USACA REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION Staff Reporter

USACA WESTERN REGION FORMED!

Western Region of United States Cricket Association was formed recently to facilitate better administration of
cricket in USA. This action was long overdue. Thanks to the efforts of those involved in making this happen.
List of present members of the Western Regional Administration and their functions are outlined below:

REGIONAL ADMINISTRATION:

The Regional Administration of USACA's Western Region has been formed as per USACA's constitution. The
administration consists of one league representative from each full-member league plus Chairman, Secretary,
Treasurer, Youth Development Coordinator, Women's Cricket Coordinator and two members-at-large. The
regional administration is responsible for internal functioning of the region. Additionally, the region has a
Regional Representative who represents the region at the national level and is a BOD member of USA Cricket
Association.

USACA Western Regional Administration

Position Name Email
Regional Representative Raj Padhi RPadhi@usaca.org
(Member of USACA BODs)

Regional Chairman Hemant Buch buchhemant@yahoo.com

Regional Secretary Susheel Kumar Susheel.Kumar@calbt.com
Regional Treasurer Gangaram Singh gangaram.singh@sdsu.edu
Youth Development Coordinator Vijay Pradhan vijay_pradhan@yahoo.com
Women's Cricket Coordinator Sangita Jayaraman
Member at Large MohammadKhader mohammed.khader@gmail.com
Member At Large Raj Ghai rghai@mcpgov.com

League Rep. (BACA) Jaswinder Singh chairman@bayareacricket.org

League Rep. (CCA) Ajay Athavale amihir@yahoo.com
League Rep. (CCL) Faiz Ul Hasan faizccl@yahoo.com
League Rep. (NCCA) Zain Khan zain@gmail.com
League Rep. (NWCL) Phani Chitneni phani.chitneni@gmail.com
League Rep. (SCA) Mohammed Khader mohammed.khader@gmail.com
League Rep. (SCCA) Masud Zaidi sccapresident@gmail.com
 Leagues of USACA's Western Region:
Name Status Website
Bay Area Cricket Alliance Full http://bayareacricket.org
California Cricket Academy Full http://calcricket.org
California Cricket League Full http://californiacricketleague.org
Northern California Cricket Association Full http://ncalcricket.org
North West Cricket League Full http://nwcl.org
Sacramento Cricket Association Full http://sca.hitscricket.com
Southern California Cricket Association Full http://sccacricket.org

Arizona Cricket Association Associate http://azcricket.com

Greater Los Angeles Cricket Association Associate http://glaca.org
Orange County Cricket Association Associate http://occricket.com
San Diego Cricket Association Associate
P.S. Associate members of USACA do not have a vote in the Regional Administration

Good Luck to the Western Regional Administration of USACA. With so many ideas floating around for
improvement, one hopes that it will only do good to cricket in this part of the country!
AUSSIES ‘COOK’ED! Dr. V.V. Giri
The second ‘Ash’s test is in progress at Adelaide and the Aussies are already ‘cooked’ by the English,
especially by their vice captain - Alastair Cook.

Alastair Cook, the classy lefthander with very tight defense, pulverized the Aussie attack in the first test and
saved England from what would have been a certain defeat. He showed his class in the first innings of the first
test with a fine 67 and scored a magnificent unbeaten double century in the second innings. The English team in
their second innings scored an astonishing 517 for one with their captain Strauss and Trott also scoring
centuries.

Peter Siddle who took a Hat trick in his six wicket haul was only the brighter aspect of the Australian bowling.
Mike Hussey scored a scintillating 195 made a rescue act with the wicket keeping batsman Haddin, before
Alastair Cook sealed the issue.

In the second test, England dismissed the Aussies for a meager 245 with only Hussey showing some class with
his 95. Once again it was Alastair Cook who tormented and torn the OZ bowling apart. He scored a brilliant
century and helped “KP” –Kevin Peiterson to come into form with a marvelous double century.

Looks like the Aussies will lose this match and give an upper hand to England in this Ashes series. The English
team is functioning like a seasoned campaigners, they have an enviable batting order – Strauss, Cook, Trott, KP,
Collingwood, Bell & Prior. Their bowling is spearheaded by their wonderful spinner Swann, followed by
Anderson and Finn. Their only weak link is Stuart Broad. He is a much over rated player and is not in the
present English class.

Aussies have all sorts of problems. They have an erratic opening pair in Shane Watson and Simon Katich. Both
don’t have tight defense and possess an unorthodox foot work. Ponting is always an attacking player who plays
taking too many chances. Michael Clarke has lots of weaknesses in his batting technique and nowadays, other
teams have learnt to exploit them.

Aussies main stay is Mike Hussey. He is a dependable bat, who plays according to situation. The limited over
games have changed his approach and he has become a batsman in a hurry. North is yet to prove his ability.

The bowling looks pathetic. Ever since Warne and McGrath left the scene, the Aussies are struggling to get a
team all out twice. Mitchel Johnson looks pedestrian and others- Ben Hilfenhus, Harris and Bollinger are also
not very penetrative. The spinners are just jokers and have no clue.

On the whole, the Aussies do not look like a champion side and I won’t be surprised if they are pushed down to
the bottom half of the ICC ranking.
BARODA BOMB ! Dr. V.V. Giri

Image from zimbio.com

The “Baroda Bomb” – Yusuf Pathan literally pulled India from the jaws of defeat against the Kiwis in
Bangalore on Tuesday the 7th Dec.

First, he bowled well to take three wickets followed by a stunning unbeaten 123 to win the match. Well, that is
our ‘Useful’ Pathan who is definitely more than useful to any team. We all know that the IPL team - Rajastan
Royals thoroughly enjoyed the presence of this Pathan in their T20 assignments. We in India, have seen many
great match winning performances from this bearded Pathan.

But, this one was very special as this knock not only gave the match for India but also probably earned him a
well deserved place in the Indian team for the forthcoming World Cup.

According to many cricket pundits, it was one of the best ODI innings played in India. When Yusuf entered the
batting crease, it was not a rosy situation – India 108 for 4 in 19.3 overs chasing a total of 315. He started
cautiously, first, by fixing the eyes on the ball. Then he cleverly rotated the strike, unsettling the bowlers. He
started attacking, when he crossed his twenties.

India was well behind when it started raining, losing 5 wickets for 205 runs. At that moment, had it rained
continuously, the Kiwis would have won the match by DL method. But the rain stopped and the play resumed
without the knowledge of many spectators who opted to go home and to many viewers who retired thinking that
was the end.
Pathan came out with his last recognized partner Sourabh Tiwary, who was struggling to middle the ball. Yusuf
started like a possessed man, coming out of his shell, hammering all the Kiwi bowlers all over. In no time he
reached his maiden hundred which was an innings to remember by all.

It was one of the greatest ODI innings played to win a match. It was a long wait for Yousuf fans as they knew
what he was capable of. Many argue that the Indian team think tank was unfair to Pathans by sending them
towards the end and expecting a miracle every time. This innings proved that Yusuf Pathan is second to none
and given the right batting order and confidence, he would always be a match winner.

Earlier, the Indian bowling was patchy. Zaheer, Aswin and Yusuf bowled well. But others were treated like a
worm and the Kiwi batsmen especially the southpaw J C Franklin hammered all at will. Nehra was to be blamed
for the mammoth NZ total as he conceded 70 runs in 9 overs. Praveen Kumar was very ordinary in his spell and
Gambir tried Yuvraj, Rohit and others without success.

Indian batting started with Parthiv Patel opening with Gambir. Honestly, though Parthiv scored a fifty, it was
definitely a worst batting display. He was slashing at everything and was very lucky that all the shots flew very
close to the catchers. As they say, statistics in cricket is a deceptive one and selectors should never go by it.

Before I forget, I must mention about the Indian umpire Shaheeba. In my opinion he is the worst umpire India
ever produced. I always found him making basic fundamental mistakes. Today, he just couldn’t see the catch
given by Rohit Sharma before he started his account when the whole world saw it. Vettori must have wondered
how on earth any umpire could miss this catch. Even a blind man would have heard and given him out.

Rohit utilized this God given luck and scored a lucky 40 plus before he holed one out to mid off. He played
everything in the air without bending while driving. Yuvraj once again failed to bat in this easy wicket. He has
lots of weaknesses and as I mentioned earlier, he is an automatic choice whether he scores or not.

I think considering Parthiv and Rohit will be a risky proposition for the selectors, as these two are not of
International class.

Today the in-form batsmen Gambir and Kohli failed and probably learnt a lesson. India has such a strong
batting line-up, someone comes to the rescue every time. It was Pathan’s day today and it was a spectacular
fireworks show for all.
PLAYER PROFILE – RAJINDER SINGH GHAI by Prakash Krishnagiri

Rajinder Singh Ghai, popularly known as Raj Bhai in cricketing circles of San Diego, was born on 12th of June
1960 in Jalandhar, Punjab, India. Raj is of medium height and extracts pace from his broad and powerful
shoulders. He bowls right-arm medium pace and is a hard-hitting tail-ender.

Raj learnt his game in Punjab and gradually grew in the cadre
and went on to play for Punjab state side in the Ranji Trophy.
His fighting spirit, hardworking nature and eagerness to learn
helped him in his growth. He was a great mover of the Ball
extracting appreciable swing, both ways. Strong performances
for Punjab with the ball gave the Indian National Team
Selectors an option to try out. He also gave useful
contributions with the bat, lower down in the order. The
Indian side was looking for a support bowler for Kapil Dev and
was trying out various options. Raj’s successful outing for his
state side caught the attention of the selectors and he was
selected to play for India.
Image from San Diego cricket club website

Raj made his debut versus England in the ODIs in Pune in December 1984. He made a decent start to his career
by taking Tim Robinson as his first wicket and finished with figures of 1/38 of 9 overs, in a losing cause. His
next two outings against England were not so impressive and he failed to get any wickets. He travelled along
with the Indian Side to Sri Lanka, Sharjah and Australia. He was given chance only in the Tour Games. He
failed to make a big impact in those games. His ability to swing deserted him in the International arena. He
was criticized by critics for lack of pace to test the International Players. In all, he played 6 ODIs for India. Raj
is a classic case of extreme talent not able to perform in the International Stage.

His second inning, so to speak, started after he arrived in Los Angeles in 1988. He played his first game for
United Cricket Club in the SCCA League against Hollywood CC in 1988. He was unplayable in that game and
got a five-for in his SCCA debut. The Author played this game as a wicket-keeper for United CC and was
surely amazed at the movement and bounce that Raj was able to extract from the pitch.

After playing in the SCCA league, Raj moved on and started the San Diego Cricket Association. He had a
vision and a purpose for starting the SDCA. He strongly felt that by creating more associations, more teams
and players get an opportunity to play competitive cricket; which in turn helps in their recognition by the
National body. More associations and leagues in a region helped to create Western regional administration.
He has worked a great deal in improving the cricketers in San Diego. He is still active and is the Mentor-cum-
Player for the San Diego Cricket Team.

Raj and Gangaram Singh (a faculty member of the local University) are hugely responsible for developing the
game of Cricket in San Diego by taking the game to the local community. They are promoting cricket to the
youths of San Diego area in a big way. They closely work with YMCA to recruit local lads to train in their
facilities and these kids are coached by Raj and other prominent SDCA Players. Raj is not only an excellent
coach but is also easily accessible to the players, when needed. Having played the game in the highest level, he
is well-versed with the requirements and the shortfalls in terms of skills.
Raj is currently the Member-at-Large for the USACA Western Region. Weekend Cricket readers and its staff
not only thank Raj for being an excellent servant of the game and for working hard in promoting the game with
the Youth of this country but also wish him Good Luck in his endeavors.

REMEMBERING T.E. SRINIVASAN Staff Reporter

Former Indian batsman TE Srinivasan dies of cancer

Former Indian Cricketer T.E. Srinivasan died in Chennai on Dec 6, 2010 after a prolonged
battle against brain cancer. T.E. as he is popularly called, played 2 tests and 2 ODIs for
India in 1980-81 and was a consistent scorer for the Tamil Nadu State side. He also
represented the Woodhouse in the Yorkshire League and played in New South Wales.

T.E. was a very highly talented stroke maker with extreme grace and timing. He has also
toured Los Angeles along with the Deccan Blues Team in 1976 in the company of Nawab
of Patuadi, B.S. Chandrasekhar, Abdul Hai, Jayanthi Lal, Govindaraj, Krishnamoorthy,
TE Srinivasan V.V. Kumar and others. Old-timers in Los Angeles would surely remember T.E. for his
game and his wit.
Image from cricinfo.com

It was very unfortunate for Indian Cricket that the Selectors did not give him enough chances. The regional
politics in selection in those days, denied the world the opportunity to be entertained by T.E. He made a stylish
48 on debut and was given just one more chance in Test before being dropped unceremoniously.

There are many stories about his wit off the field and sometimes in the Dressing Room as well. During his
maiden Indian tour of Australia, it is allegedly that T.E. told a local press reports, “Tell Lillee that T.E. has
arrived”. On the same tour he asked a security guard in a Test match to warn Yashpal Sharma that he would be
arrested if he continued to stare at the ladies in the Ground. Not understanding the wit, The Security guard
informed the same to Yashpal Sharma who panicked and there was a lot of laughter in the Dressing Room after
T.E. broke open the wit. This caused a lot of movement in the Dressing Room which resulted in Sunil
Gavaskar getting disturbed while Batting in the middle and had to pull out of facing a delivery until the dressing
room settled down.

It is also alleged that T.E. once informed Sunil Gavaskar about the flaws in his stance and technique, while the
two were batting at the crease. This, according to some, did not go well with Gavaskar. Despite all this, the
Great Indian Little Maestro Gavaskar went out and met ailing T.E. few months back and enquired about his
health.

He was 60 when T.E. passed away. He is survived by his Wife and a Daughter. Too young to die, but the
legacy and great memories that T.E. has left, on and off the field will live for a long time.

Weekend Cricket Readers and Staff deeply mourn the death of the lively T.E. Srinivasan and convey our heart-
felt condolence to the bereaved family. May His Soul Rest in Peace!