Americas Cup: Player withdrawals hit Argentina's biggest ever cricket event

The biggest event in the long history of cricket in Argentina gets underway next Saturday when six national teams take to the field in Buenos Aires for the second staging of the Americas Cup.

Some of the gloss of the Western Hemisphere's non-Test championship has been removed through the absence of key players for the three main contenders, Canada, the title holder, the United States and Bermuda.

The amateur nature of cricket at the Associate level has impacted particularly hard on Canada. Six of the squad who earned their nation a 2003 World Cup berth will be missing from the Buenos Aires tournament, in most cases so they can get released from their employment to play in the Six Nations tournament in Namibia which starts less than three weeks after the final of the Americas Cup.

Captain Joe Harris, Australian based off-spinner, John Davison, opening bowler Dave Joseph, opener Desmond Chumney, Melvin Croning and hero of last year's World Cup qualifier, Sanjay Thurasingam will all be absent.

The five replacements named so far are Fazil Sattaur, Abdul Samad, Sukhinder Rana, 22-year-old opener Zubin Sukari and 21-year-old off-spinner Kevin Sanders. The sixth replacement is unknown at this stage. Sukari and Sanders have represented a combined Americas team at the Under-19 World Cup.

Employment has also forced the withdrawal of United States captain Richard Staple and Mark Johnson from the American squad. Staple was originally named but when he withdrew from the USA's four match preparatory visit to Antigua United States of America Cricket Association officials decided to adhere to their original decision that players could only make themselves available for both Antigua and Buenos Aires. Staple had indicated his availability for the Americas Cup.

The loss of the pair may not weaken the United States' batting strength given their replacements. Sheetal Pathak, an 18-year-old from Michigan, was the form batsman in Antigua, striking 35 not out and 64 against Antiguan national selections, while Pennsylvania-based Amjad Khan has played at first-class level for Jammu & Kashmir.

Former West Indies Test player, Faoud Bacchus, who served as player-coach under Staple during the Antiguan trip, will act as de facto captain for the USA at the Americas Cup.

The apathy of Bermuda's leading players towards national team representation has predictably surfaced again with six of its best missing the tournament. Unlike Canada, the Bermuda's national players will not be called upon until the Red Stripe Cup until the second half of the year.

Glenn Blakeney and Janiero Tucker were both excluded from the squad after missing training, while Clay Smith, Albert Steede, Jermaine Postlethwaite and Irving Romaine all opted out for various reasons. Charlie Marshall, who had retired from cricket, was asked by the Bermuda Cricket Board of Control to captain the squad.

Argentina has made three changes to its original squad - medium-pacer Bernard Irogoyen, debutante Pablo Ryan and veteran Sergio Ciaburri coming in for Marco van Steeden who is unavailable in Europe, batsman Marin Cortbarria and Andre Perez Rivero. Officials told 'Beyond The Test World' that further withdrawals were possible.

Superficially at least, with minimal squad changes and four practice matches in Antigua, the USA appears to have had the best preparation.

It is preparation that is creating muted confidence in the Argentine camp that they may be able to upset the 'Big Three' - Canada, USA and Bermuda.

"The other teams are coming into the competition out of season, so we are hoping we may be able to catch them before they have warmed up," Argentine Cricket Association Chief Executive Officer, Grant Dugmore, said.

Warming up is literally the case for Canada who come into the tournament with their Toronto-based contingent having to make do with practice in an indoor facility to avoid the freezing Canadian winter.

The Cayman Islands have more than most to prove in this tournament - a repeat of its 2000 Americas Cup win over Argentina would add credibility to their application for Associate membership which will be heard in June.

Caymans coach Theo Cuffy is confident his team can repeat the impressive showing at its debut tournament in 2000. "It is a well balanced side with depth in batting and bowling - we have quite a few all-rounders."

Again it will be able to boast the only set of four brothers (captain Michael, Chris, Phillip and David) in international cricket. This time they are joined by their nephew Joseph O'Connell.

Bahamas Cricket Association secretary and national team player Gregory Taylor, said (not surprisingly as the tournament's debutante team), the Bahamas were on a mission.

"We want to prove that although Bahamas might be a small country, it has plenty of talent."

Meanwhile, the original draw for the tournament has been revised.

Saturday, March 9 - Argentina v Bermuda (Virrey del Pino),
Bahamas v Canada (Hurlingham),
Cayman Islands v USA (Corimayo);
Sunday, March 10 - Argentina v USA (Hurlingham),
Bahamas v Cayman Islands (Corimayo),
Bermuda v Canada (Virrey del Pino);
Monday, March 11 - rest day
Tuesday, March 12 - Argentina v Canada (Corrimayo),
Bermuda v Cayman Islands (Hurlingham),
Bahamas v USA (Virrey del Pino);
Wednesday, March 13 - Argentina v Cayman Islands (Virrey del Pino),
Bahamas v Bermuda (Coramayo),
Canada v USA (Hurlingham);
Thursday, March 14 - rest day
Friday, March 15 - Argentina v Bahamas (Hurlingham),
Bermuda v USA (Corimayo),
Canada v Cayman Islands (Virrey del Pino);
Saturday, March 16 - Final