HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford cricket team will have a unique opportunity on Sunday morning as the Fords face off with the USA Women's national team on Cope Field at 9:00 a.m. The exhibition match is part of USA Cricket's development camp, which will also include matches against a touring women's squad from Marylebone Cricket Club, one of the most well-known sides in the world and the occupiers of the revered Lord's Cricket Ground in London.
The development camp and matches against the MCC team will take place throughout the Delaware Valley in some of the oldest cricket facilities in the nation as the squad celebrates one of America's hotbeds for the sport. In addition to Cope Field, the team will play at Evansburg Cricket Field in Montgomery County and Haverford's Merion Cricket Club.
The USA squad includes several players who participated in the USA Cricket Combines held earlier this year, as well as some more experienced players, including 13 women that have previously represented the USA at international cricket. The crowning achievement of the USA National Women's team to date was participation in ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh in November 2011.
USA Chairman of Selectors Ricardo Powell said "We are keen to reward some of the women who were able to come to the Combines and show their commitment and ability, however we understand not everyone was able to make the Combine so have included some talented players who have plenty to contribute to the women's game in the USA. This squad is a development squad, we know there are other women and young players across the country that the selectors would also like to see in the future."
The USA team includes Akshatha Rao, Anahita Arora, Candacy Atkins, Erica Rendler, Hannah Solomon, Jyotsna Dixit, Mahika Kandanala, Melissa Sandy, Muneshri Persaud, Nadia Gruny, Onika Wallerson, Samantha Ramautar, Samikshya Aryal, Sara Farooq, Shondell Ward, Shebani Baskhar, Sindhu Ashok Sriharsha, Sindhuja Reddy Salguti, Sugetha Kalyanaraman Chandhrasekar, Swati Mishra, Vritti Sethi and Zeenat Kauser.