New coaching staff includes former India internationals Sunil Joshi and Pravin Amre and West Indian Kieran Powell.
USA Cricket has revamped its coaching staff ahead of the 2020 ICC T20 World Cup, recruiting former Indian wicket-keeper Kiran More, following the recent departure of head coach Pubudu Dassanayake.
More played for India in 49 Tests and 94 ODIs, and also served as a vice captain briefly during 1989-90.
From 2002 to 2006, he was the chairman of the Indian selection committee, and he also served as a consultant for Mumbai Indians team in the IPL. Speaking to Indian media after the selection, More said, “USA has got some serious talent, albeit immigrants from the West Indies, Asian sub-continent, England, Australia and other major cricketing nations or their offspring.”
The outgoing head coach Dassanayake, who has been on the job since 2016, has successfully transformed the team from World Cricket League Division IV to achieve the One Day International (ODI) status.
Dassanayake announced his resignation six months before the expiry of his extended contract.
The USA team won the ODI status until 2022 after beating Hong Kong by 84 runs in the World Cricket League Division II in April 2019, though it had gained special ODI status once during the Champions Trophy way back in 2004. The team is scheduled to play in the T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier, Regional Finals, starting August 18.
Apart from More as head coach, the USA cricket will have a slew of other advisors on a short-term basis, including Sunil Joshi for spin bowling, Pravin Amre and Kieran Powell for batting, David Saker for fast bowling, and James Pamment, as the fielding advisor.
Joshi, a former India international, served as Bangladesh’s spin bowling coach until the country’s recent 2019 World Cup campaign, while Powell played for West Indies during their tours of India and Bangladesh and last match was in West Indies’ Regional first class competition in March this year, between Leeward Islands and Windward Islands. David Saker was a former fast bowling coach of the Australian team.
Announcing the new coach and training team, Paraag Marathe, Chairman of USA Cricket, said: “The coaching advisors we have assembled stand among the very best in the world and we believe that these individuals and the new structure, can help to take the USA National Team to the next level and provide the best chance possible of succeeding in the upcoming qualification tournament.”
USA have to play in the America Regional finals in August in Bermuda to qualify for the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Dubai in October-November this year, before entering the 2020 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia.
More, who visited USA Cricket last month, said the team has talent but require an organized structure and coaching pattern. He will be taking over the coaching job officially on July 22 in Los Angeles.