Bio

With over 50 first class matches under his belt for his native Hyderabad and a first-class wicket keeping world record to boot, Khaleel was drafted into the U.S. Squad in 2017 to bring some much-needed experience to the middle order and some solidity behind the stumps.

Ibrahim Khaleel has impressed with his ability to bat against the turning ball, which will certainly come in handy in USA’s next few assignments.

He will take on new responsibility as well in 2017 as he captains the Team USA touring party that goes to the Middle East to play a series of matches against Kenya, Nepal and Oman in December.

2

Playing Number

Team Role

Wicketkeeper, Middle Order Batsman

Hometown

Beloit, Wisconsin

Nickname

Ibbu

Country of Birth

India

Career Highlights

Holding the current world record for 14 wicket-keeping dismissals in a first class match.

Favorite Cricketer

Adam Gilchrist

"To be honest, I don't watch a lot of cricket. But my wife and I travel to watch Roger Federer play "

Bio Continued...

Cricket fans in the U.S. might be forgiven for not knowing much about Khaleel.

The USA Cricket squad that heads away to Uganda to compete in the World Cricket League Division 3 tournament will feature two world record holding wicket keepers. Long time squad member Akeem Dodson set a record for the most dismissals by a keeper in a T20 international by snaring six victims in their 2015 World T20 Qualifier match against Jersey in Ireland. Whilst first time squad member Ibrahim Khaleel also set a First-Class world record behind the stumps when he affected 14 dismissals in a Ranji Trophy match in 2011.

Up until 2015 he was still playing first class cricket in India, returning each cricket season to play for his State of Hyderabad since moving to the U.S. in March of 2013. In 2015, he effectively decided that his dream of playing International cricket was over, and that by continuing to play first class cricket he was blocking the opportunity for a youngster in the State side. A selfless decision, which I’m sure in some way would have been influenced by his great sporting idol Roger Federer.

Sorry Ibrahim, for the sake of this article we need to talk about cricket, not Roger.

I’m sure many of you reading this believe in some sort of karma or divine intervention and in Khaleel’s case it would certainly seem that lady lack is smiling on him.

Less than two years since selflessly stepping aside from his first-class career and effectively giving up his dream of playing international cricket, he finds himself on the verge of heading away with the U.S. National Cricket team to Uganda. Amazingly, this was not something he had even thought to pursue until Tom Evans of the ICC outlined the eligibility criteria he would need to meet at the Chicago Combine. It has all happened so very fast, including Khaleel attaining his U.S. citizenship on the 13th of April this year, removing all potential barriers to his qualifying for the National side. The squad for Uganda was announced just 11 days later.

Khaleel brings a wealth of first class cricket experience to what is a young U.S. squad. At 34 he is certainly older than most players when they make their international debut, but hopes his performance, and that of his team mates in Uganda, will encourage more young players to aspire to play for their respective countries. As a final word Khaleel wanted to give a shout out to his biggest supporter. The person who above anyone else has encouraged him and helped him pursue his cricket dreams. His wife. I’m sure Roger would approve of that sentiment.