The #TeamUSA Women’s cricket team tour down-under has afforded staff and players alike some remarkable experiences both on and off the cricket field.
The first leg of the tour was staged in Queensland, where the practice and match facilities provided by the hosts were second to none as Head Coach Anand Tummala explains;
“The facilities at the National Cricket Center (NCC) were just world class. The players got to spend valuable time at the indoor nets & outdoor nets. We had full access to the strength and conditioning facilities & experts, diet & hydration experts, and fielding coaches.”
Whilst in Brisbane, #TeamUSA were also lucky enough to rub shoulders with some world class players, and even an Australian legend! Coach Anand Tummala says the team were incredibly fortunate to be dealing with such great operators.
“The team got to spend one on one time with Aussie International players Leah Poulton (also a high-performance coach), Grace Harris, Ben Cutting, and Billy Stanlake. A few players were also lucky to meet Greg Chappell.”
A great experience for some of #TeamUSA Women’s Squad as they got to meet a Test Cricket legend in Brisbane, the great Greg Chappell!
He’s pictured here with Samantha Ramautar, Nadia Gruny and Sara Farooq.?#WeAreUSACricket?? pic.twitter.com/BY4kpkox2g
— USA Cricket (@usacricket) March 31, 2018
Captain of the U.S. team Shebani Bhaskar certainly knows what a great opportunity the tour has been for her squad.
“We have been fortunate to be able to train at some of the best cricket facilities in the world. The National Cricket Center was built specifically for cricket. Walking into the indoor nets, I was curious to know why each net was different. I’d seen force plates and speed radars before, but when Darren Holder told us that each net was designed to mimic surfaces from around the world, I was amazed. We are very fortunate to have had the opportunity to train at such world class facilities. We played our games at the South Brisbane District Cricket Club. It was a beautiful setting, the outfield looked so good it was inviting us to dive, and the wicket played well for all the games. Then on the second leg of the tour to train and the SCG and then play at the Bradman Oval was incredibly special.”
The second leg of the tour moved to New South Wales where it was the world famous Sydney Cricket Ground that played host to the side for a full day’s training with NSW Coaches alongside Tom Evans. And there was a special surprise for the team as the ICC World Twenty20 trophy paid a visit for a few photos.
#TeamUSA?? Women’s Squad were honored to get some time with the @ICC Women’s World Twenty20 Trophy yesterday at the Sydney Cricket Ground!
The vision is to qualify in two years and make the journey back here to play for that trophy at the #WT20 2020 in Australia??? pic.twitter.com/KdeEQamcVe
— USA Cricket (@usacricket) April 4, 2018
After two keenly contested games then at the Raby Oval, it was off to the iconic Bradman Oval in Bowral for a visit that lived up to all expectations as #TeamUSA finished their tour with a win and the occasion was marked with a lovely gesture from the Bradman Museum.
Amazing! ?
The curator here at Bowral has accepted a signed @USACricket shirt to be placed on permanent display at the Bradman Museum & International Cricket Hall of Fame.
Huge thanks to everyone involved throughout Australian??cricket in making this tour such a success! ? pic.twitter.com/PUvCwrnkYM
— USA Cricket (@usacricket) April 6, 2018
Results in Full:
Sunday 25th March (AM) – T20 v Queensland Women, South Brisbane CC – RESULT
Sunday 25th March (PM) – T20 v Queensland Women, South Brisbane CC – RESULT
Tuesday 27th March – 50 Overs v Queensland Women, South Brisbane CC – RESULT
Wednesday 4th April – T20 v NSW Select Women, Raby Oval, Sydney – RESULT
Thursday 5th April – T20 v NSW Select Women, Raby Oval, Sydney – RESULT
Friday 6th April – T20 v NSW Country Women, Bradman Oval, Bowral – RESULT
Touring Squad:
Shebani Bhaskar (Captain)
Sugetha Kalyanaraman
Erica Rendler
Onika Wallerson
Nadia Gruny
Samantha Ramautar
Sindhuja Reddy
Claudine Beckford
Neha Anand
Sara Farooq
Uzma Iftikhar
Candacy Atkins
Anahita Arora
Rabia Shahid
