Jessy Singh

Only 22 years of age at the time, Singh was effectively replacing long time servant of U.S. Cricket Usman Shuja in the squad and many felt he hadn’t done enough to usurp the incumbent. As if to emphasize the point, Singh only played in one match during the campaign, sending down just two overs for 15 runs.

Fast forward two years and the Jessy Singh we now see suiting up for the U.S. ready to head away and do battle in World Cricket League Division 3 has become a fan favorite and surely one of the first names written down on the team sheet. So how did this New Jersey native turn things around?

The defining moment came for Jessy in the same year as his debut for the USA. The ICC Americas, post-Division 1 in Indianapolis, took a team to the Caribbean to compete in the WICB Nagico Super50 competition late in 2015. Jessy was passed over for that trip. By his own admission, he was very disappointed and vowed that he would never miss out on an opportunity like that again. It was all the motivation he needed. According to Jessy, since that career defining moment he doubled all previous efforts. An hour in the gym became two, a 30-minute run became an hour-long run, a 90-minute net session became a 3-hour marathon affair. You get the picture. He was working hard.

A redemption of sorts came for Jessy in 2016. During the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 tournament in L.A., Singh played in the first two matches, taking 2 for 40 against Bermuda and a disappointing 0 for 27 against Italy. He was consequently left out of the next 3 fixtures, but with Ali Khan still struggling with injury and the team having already achieved its main goal of qualifying for Division 3, Jessy came back into the side for the Grand Final of the tournament against Oman. The rest, as they say, is history, with Singh putting together an incredible all-round performance to help his side win the tournament, and in the process, secure himself Man of the Match honors.

From there, Singh traveled to Sri Lanka to play a season of first class cricket for Kalutara Physical Culture Club, an incredible opportunity organized by the U.S. Head Coach Pubudu Dassanayake, a sign of his faith in Singh’s potential. His returns were modest – 9 wickets in 5 games, with a best of 4 for 38. By his own account a challenging but rewarding experience, particularly given the heat and humidity and long days in the field. However, he returned to the U.S. with a confidence boost that comes from knowing you can compete at the next level.

It was this confidence in his ability as much as anything else that helped secure him a place in the ICC Americas team to compete at the WICB Nagico Super 50 in early 2017. The position he had coveted so passionately was now his. But one gets the feeling there is much more to come from Jessy Singh.