Back in 2010 I wrote an article about “America’s first Cricket Star in 100 years – Adil Bhatti” . Here is an updated version of it, upon his selection to the USA team – Lloyd Jodah 

In his first year of American College Cricket Adil Bhatti made the Front page story of the Sunday Washington Post, and also the New York Times, Voice of America News, Sun Sentinel and his college and local media, after leading his team to the Chanderpaul Trophy. 

2009 

After winning the first American College Cricket Championship in 2009, Bhatti and his team received a Proclamation from the Montgomery County Council and accolades from his school Montgomery College. The team’s, and American College Cricket’s story appeared in countless Indian media, on Pakistan and Afghanistan TV as well as various American and International cricket media. 

Bhatti was also selected as the Captain of the 2009 College Cricket All America 1st Team and declared 2009 College Cricketer of the Year. It’s easy to see why Adil Bhatti could be considered the first American cricket star since the great John Bart King a hundred years ago. 

A talented all-rounder, Adil Bhatti broke onto the scene when he led Montgomery College to the Chanderpaul Trophy at the inaugural American College Cricket Spring Break Championship in March 2009. In the Finals he came at number four when his Team looked shaky ,and together with Finals MVP Mohammed Kamran put on 108 runs to steer MC to a defendable total of 175 for 3 off 20 overs, scoring 36*. His fast bowling, and astute captaincy then ensured MC defeated University of South Florida for the first National Championship. 

Before the Championship the MC players had never played as a Team before, nevertheless Bhatti motivated and managed the Team with a professionalism that was impressive. 

Bhatti said “Winning the Chanderpaul Trophy was unbelievable. Getting water poured on me….well, I had seen that kind of excitement in College football but I never thought I would lead a Team to any kind of Championship. I was so proud of my Teammates, Kamran’s innings in the Finals was match winning.” 

When asked how he knew to captain so well his first time at it he acknowledged, “I learned a lot from the Captain of my WCL team, Anurag Sharma of the Bengals.”

A tremendous fielder Bhatti is fast and extremely athletic. “I played basketball a lot in high school- in fact I thought I was going to be a basketball player,not a cricketer….and I workout in the gym 4 times a week ” . 

Until 2006 Bhatti had only played tape-ball cricket! He began playing “hardball” in 2006 in the Washington Cricket League as an allrounder and excelling as a bowler. In 2009 his batting blossomed , first in the College championship, then in the WCL where he was one of only 2 batsmen to score 2 or more centuries. 

2009 also saw Bhatti lead MC on 3 trips to New York. Bhatti, leading an under strength Montgomery excelled with the bat and ball, and captained well in 2 tight losses. “That was a lot of fun though, as we got to meet Bollywood Stars like Tanushra Dutta” Bhatti said. The 3rd they won helped by a devastating opening spell by Bhatti when he took the wickets of Akeem Dodson and Any Mohammed. Then he smashed 32* out of a 41 run partnership to seal the win for Montgomery against a New York All Star team. 

2010 

In the 2010 American College Cricket Championship Montgomery had their moments but didn’t make it to the final four. Against the University of the West Indies fiery pace attack, on a fast bouncy pitch Bhatti blasted 60* including 21 in one over. A hook off the helmet was as fine as you’ll see. Bhatti’s batting temperament is mature, holding his end when appropriate, or decimating the bowlers when the time is right. 

Later that summer ,with some of his team mates,Bhatti initiated a vist to St Patrick’s Episcopal Day School, to teach elementary school kids about cricket, exemplifying the best of American College Cricket players. Any sport needs stars for kids to look up to, and wish to emulate. 

2011

Bhatti was selected as co -MVP, with Adrian Gordon, of the 2011 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship, where he smashed 3 fifties, steering his team to victories on a number of occasions. Montgomery College returned to the Finals where, though Bhatti scored 50 runs, they lost the Championship to George Mason University. 

In April 2011 Adil then went with American College Cricket founder and President Lloyd Jodah to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, to open the historic Cricket Exhibition, “Swinging Away – how Cricket and Baseball connect.” Never before had cricket been honored by baseball ,the Hall of Fame, or America. 

He has been a College All American in 2009, 2010 & 2011.

I have watched Adil hold his end whilst his fellow batsman go after the bowlers, then take over when neccessary – he is a very smart cricket player, America’s best T20 player and, through American College Cricket, became America’s first cricket star in 100 years – we are happy he’s finally getting an opportunity he said he wanted since 2009 – to play for the USA (in the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier).

The University of Pennsylvania leaped from # 28 to # 4 ! whilst 2 Texas teams, Texas A & M and Texas Tech came from nowhere (being new teams) into the top 10.

Likely contenders for the top 10 this college cricket season are 2010 Midwest Champion Purdue, University of Houston and Canadian Champion Ryerson University.

Despite winning non-collegiate tournaments in the DC area, UMBC have not found the same success at the College level, and dropped from # 6 to # 18.

George Washington University has shown improvement, moving up in the rankings whilst new teams, Sheridan College’s and McGill’s performances in the Canadian Championship indicate their growing strength.

2010 Northeast Champion Rutgers had a disappointing performance at the nationals but could jump back up the rankings in the upcoming Northeast and Southeast Championships respectively.

By the end of the regional Championships we may have a new # 1 as Montgomery, 2010 Southeast Champion Auburn, UPenn, USC, 2010 Mid Atlantic Champion North Carolina State and USF are poised to topple National Champion & 2011 Chanderpaul Trophy winner George Mason !

1-George Mason University – 2011 National Champions, winner of the Chanderpaul Trophy
2-Montgomery College – 2009 National Champions, winner of the Chanderpaul Trophy, 2011 Finalist
3-Auburn University
4-University of Pennsylvania
5-University of Southern Cal
6-North Carolina State
7-Texas A & M
8-York University – 2010 Champions, winner of the Chanderpaul Trophy
9-University of South Florida
10-Texas Tech
11-Rutgers University
12-NYU-Polytechnic
13-Ohio State
14-University of Florida
15-University of Iowa
16-University of Minnesota
17-Thunderbird School of Global Management
18-University of Maryland-Baltimore Cty
19-George Washington U
20-U of Central Florida
21-Florida International
22-McGill University
23-NJ Institute of Technology
24-Boston University
25-Cleveland State
26-Florida Atlantic
27-College of Wooster
28-University of Houston
29-Purdue University
30-Ryerson University
31-Sheridan College
32-York College
33-Virgina Tech

These are the Top 33 of the aproximately 50 college cricket teams that will particpate in the 2011 regional Championships of American College Cricket. If you don’t see your College’s name – its simple, you can crack the Top 33 in the regionals.

Factors for Rankings:

1.The final four at the nationals, the 2011 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship, automatically claim the top four ranks.
2.Number of games won in the National and Conference Championships
3.Participation in the national Championship. Teams in the nationals automatically rank above those that were not.
4.Promotion of American College Cricket
5.Other criteria such as quality of opponents’ record may apply.

National Champions George Mason

What’s a Champion ? Anyone who says Lebron, stop reading, and leave this website now !

In the couple of months in early 2009 that I spent trying to create teams for the first American College Cricket Spring Break Championship, Suchit Laheri called me a number of times. He wanted his college to participate in this new national Championship.

They were the smallest of the names that made it to Ft Lauderdale in March 2009 – the other teams were Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Miami and University of South Florida.

A collection of friends made up that first Montgomery College team, who drove down to Ft Lauderdale, played a tight, highly competitive brand of cricket, and took home the Chanderpaul Trophy, as the first national Champions of American College Cricket !

There was no blueprint for what the national Champions of college cricket should do, but the Montgomery College guys, led by Adil Bhatti set the standard :

- they were part of the New York Times Video and Article
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/sports/othersports/25cricket.html

- they were featured in the Montgomery Gazette, their county newspaper.
- celebrated by the school at a special assembly
- honored by the County with an Official Proclamation by County Council President Nancy Floreen

They made 3 trips to New York City to play NY’s best young players, particularly impressing with some incredible fielding !

On their final trip they were celebrated at a Bollywood Divas Nite Show featuring movie stars from India, Koena Mitra, Tanushree Dutta, Preeti Jhiangiani, Rakhi Sawant and Mahalakhsmi Iyer.

2010

Montgomery was then featured in a Front Page story of the Sunday Washington Post. That Sunday the President picked up the Washington Post and read about the Montgomery College cricket team !
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/13/AR2010031302470.html

In the 2010 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship, MC seemed over confident, and were knocked out in the round robin stage. However against special guest team the University of the West Indies, despite losing, Montgomery put up a dynamic batting performance, blasting 187 for 3 off 20 overs, with Bhatti scoring 60*.

The team was in the Voice of America News report on the Championship.

- 3 of their players, Adil Bhatti, Suchit Laheri and Ankit Sehgal visited an elementary school, St Patrick’s Episcopal Day School to teach the kids cricket.

At the first regional American College Cricket Mid Atlantic Championship,in Fall 2010, a tremendous North Carolina State team proved better.

2011

For the nationals, the 2011 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship, Montgomery changed captains, with the longtime vice captain Sadiq Naseer taking over. Bhatti put in tournament MVP performances, and Montgomery reached the Finals which they lost to George Mason University.

In 2011 Montgomery College’s Adil Bhatti was recognized as an American College Cricket MVP, and invited to the National Baseball Hall of Fame with American College Cricket President Lloyd Jodah. Adil did the 9 hour drive to Cooperstown to be a part of the Opening of the historic and unprecedented Cricket Exhibition – “Swinging Away – how Cricket and Baseball connect “.

Now Laheri has taken the reins at Montgomery College – but the guys who have moved on have left a legacy as Champions for others to follow. Now its up to every Championship team to carry out its duties as National Champions as Montgomery College did.

                                                                                                                                             From back ,2009 :    

Sreyan Chowdhury WOOSTER “talk about epic Spring Breaks !! ”

Vixar Patel NJIT “an awesome week in Florida !”

Vyas Abhishek Cal State Long Beach ” Sir, you are doing fantastic work promoting cricket in America, we need more people Like you.”

Sunny Teli University of Texas -Austin “Mr Jodah, great stuff that you are doing. Really appreciate all the hard work”

BIG League CEO Salman Ahmed flew into Washington DC to present Adil Bhatti with a Rajasthan Royals shirt . Bhatti later said, “It’s beautiful…I can’t believe I have the same shirt as international players like Shane Warne, Rahul Dravid and those guys !”

Photos by Kristen Ashcom.College media & college cricket players are authorised to use photos, others contact American College Cricket.

Clive Lloyd captained the West Indies to 2 World Cup victories and a record run as World Champions in Test cricket – this morning announced, as Chairman of the Advisory Board of BIG League USA, that from all the accomplished candidates, there are TWO winners of the American College Cricket Spring Break Championship Awards : Adil Bhatti of Montgomery College, and Adrian Gordon of NYU-Polytechnic !

The statement from Lara Crabb, Communications Manager of the Rajasthan Royals:

“Big League Cricket is about Cricket, People and Entertainment, a similar structure to the Indian Premier League. As the only IPL team to have played competitively outside of India and South Africa, the Rajasthan Royals have first hand experience of how much talent there is out there and we truly hope that we can give that talent a chance to experience the IPL.

“Big League’s strategic alliance with the CBRP and experience of the game internationally is an attractive concept for us and we hope that we can build on our close relationship with them to further enhance cricket opportunities for all in the USA.”

“It is innovative in the USA and for this reason, Big League USA has been created and enhanced with professionals on board who have a solid background of working in the international arena. The Rajasthan Royals are strong supporters of cricket development in India and all around the world, so we recognize the efforts of Big League USA in promoting and developing College cricket whilst adding value for their supporters by incorporating entertainment into the experience”.

“We hope our affiliation with Big League is durable and look forward to partnering them pave this exciting cricketing landscape in the USA for years to come. ‘

” Rajasthan Royals is a formidable supporter of College Sports and realizes the importance of it and is pleased to invite the MVP of the American College Cricket Championship who will experience what the Royals are all about and the enigmatic experience of the Indian Premier League,second to none in the global sporting arena”.

BIG League CEO Salman Ahmed, in explaining the exciting decision by Clive Lloyd to give 2 Awards, instead of one, said, “Adrian Gordon of NYU-Poly and Adil Bhatti of Montgomery College have been outstanding, hence these two college players are BIG League USA’s, American College Cricket MVP’s who are on their way to a life time experience of being invited by an IPL franchise, The Rajasthan Royals.”

Founder and President of American College Cricket Lloyd Jodah, and CEO Nino DiLoreto said, “Clive Lloyd, BIG League USA and the Rajasthan Royals’ decision to extend the invitation to two co-MVPs is tremendous. Whilst there were many wonderful perfomers, Adil Bhatti (Montgomery) and Adrian Gordon (NYu-Poly) truly deserve the honor of being named 2011 American College Cricket Spring Break Championship MVPs. We are ecstatic for these two College players, getting this opportunity of a lifetime.”

“This is one of the many opportunities which our strategic partnership with BIG League USA will bring to our American College Cricket players.”

Adrian Gordon (NYU-Poly) bowling to Adil Bhatti (Montgomery) at the 2011 American College Cricekt Spring Break Championship

Champions George Mason University with the Chanderpaul Trophy, and Founder & President of American College Cricket Lloyd Jodah