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LETTERS to Cricinfo USA
DOING A FINE JOB: A Letter of Appreciation
The following letter from a city official in New Jersey is gratefully acknowledged as a tribute to our efforts in maintaining a quality CRICINFO-USA site. Thank you, and we will do our best to live up to your accolades--Deb K. Das, USA Coordinator, CRICINFO.
I have been totally absorbed for a couple of hours now reading your excellent pages on the history of cricket and the relationship between cricket and American baseball. You are all to be thanked for the fine introduction you have prepared. I know it must have taken a lot of time, and I want you to know it is appreciated.
Though not a player now (either sport, though as a youngster growing up on a farm we always found a few kids to play a very modified game of softball--which sometimes we abbreviated, for lack of sufficient players to three bases), I am lucky enough to live in a community with a sizeable international population and which
fields four teams that play in the Garden State (NJ) Cricket League.
I am certainly glad to have found these materials to refer my friends to who know nothing about the game but are intrigued by seeing the matches played every Sunday afternoon at the pitch in the county park, everyone dressed in best whites!
Many thanks again!
Regards, Dan Damon, Public Information Officer, City of Plainfield (NJ)
An OPEN LETTER to the PRESIDENT of USACA
The following letter was written by Mr. John Wainwright, President of the US Northwest Cricket League comprising cricket clubs in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The NWCL has been one of the rapidly growing new centers of US cricket in the last few years, and was featured in CRICKETER International in March 1999. Mr. Wainwright has been President of the NWCL for the past two years, and also held offices in Seattle Cricket Club in 1997 and 1998.
Mr. Kamran Khan, Acting President, USA Cricket Association
Dear Mr. President:
I am making this an open letter, as I think the matters of my concern have an effect on all cricket players and lovers of the game in the United States.
You are the president of the organization that is supposed to organize and govern the affairs of cricket in the United States. Yet, what I find shocking is that no minutes of Board meetings, no agendas of the same, nor any other items discussed at the national level which may concern us, the general cricket populace, has been disseminated back to us directly. There is at last a USACA Web site; but even this site contains very little information on the real controversies and issues facing US cricket, and the proceedings at the national level.
For example, it came as a great surprise to me to hear from indirect sources that an officer of the U.S.A. C .A. had resigned, his resignation had been accepted, and then he had been reinstated--all this without any reference to (let alone participation by) the clubs and leagues which constitute the membership of the USACA. Whatever the merits of the individual in question, I would have thought that protocol and decency would have prevailed at this critical time--that if the individual had indeed resigned, the Board would not take unilateral action to reverse that decision without at least finding out what the membership would have thought of all the issues involved.
Most of the information that is received by League officials, clubs, players and
those actually concerned with cricket matters comes to them indirectly, maybe second, third, or fourth hand, never directly from the organization supposedly governing and organizing the affairs of cricket here in the United States. We, the officials of the cricket leagues and cricket clubs which form the real membership of the U S A C A, cannot correctly discuss any matters that are of concern nationally, or even those things which might affect us locally, because we have not been given any information.
All we get to do is to elect a Board of Directors that selects a management team--we do not know how the officers who have put themselves up for election are performing, what decisions are being made on our behalf by the Board OR The Management, let alone whether the Board or management are indeed acting in our best interests.
In this age of e-mails, web sites et cetera, there is no reason (even for the sake of
Public Relations and correct procedures) that we are not forwarded information that
is ours by right. There is no reason why we cannot see, on the USACA Web site, an agenda and a summary of the minutes of EVERY meeting of the Board, or meetings of The Management team with external entities such as the ICC; why details of contracts between the USACA and others should not be publicly disclosed for review by USACA members; why disagreements of policy between Board members, or Board and Management, should not be set out in the USACA Web site for member review and comment.
I hope the USACA will become this kind of open association, rather than the secretive cabal it presently acts like.
I hope you will publish this letter in the USACA Web site, and also ensure that this gets to all officers and board members of the USACA.
John Wainwright, President of the North West Cricket League
Reply to Mr. Wainwright: Atul Rai, Secretary, USACA
One reply to John Wainwright's open letter (above) was received from Mr. Atul Rai, Secretary, USACA. Mr. Rai is also President of the Southern California Cricket Association and has served as an officer of the USA Cricket Association for the past three years.
Dear Mr. Wainwright,
Thank you for your open letter. I fully agree with some of your observations. If as a president of a league with 10 teams, you can be frustrated, you can imagine the frustrations I went through not only as the secretary of USACA, but also as the president of Southern California Cricket Association with 36 teams.I was getting information about USACA activities on the CRICINFO USA page, and sometimes from people you run into at Woodley Park [in Los Angeles]. As the secretary of that organization, it was quite embarrassing to say the least, and that was one of the reasons for my resignation. The Cricketing public in LA were upset at some of the things that went on, and in the meanwhile I was trying to have my day in court, so I could explain to the people who appointed me to that position the reasons for my frustrations.
It took more than six months and some determined efforts by the directors of USACA, but we finally did have a meeting of the directors/executives of USACA on the 29th of July, 2000 in New Jersey, and I think it was a good meeting. People have promised to communicate better in the future. I am optimistic that things will improve.
As for the information not reaching the common cricketing populace, it would have to be the responsibility of the elected representative from your region (in your case it would be Mr.Mike Miller), and I suggest that you contact Mr Miller regarding the same.One way of making sure that things work properly is by getting involved and as such the USACA board elections are coming up by the 1st of September 2000, and this may be a good opportunity for you to join the fray.
If you need any other information, please do not hesitate to send me an e-mail or call me.
Sincerely, Atul Rai -- Secretary, USA Cricket Association
John Wainwright's comments on Atul Rai's letter
What follows is John Wainwright's letter of comment to the reply of Mr. Atul Rai, Secretary, USA Cricket Association (see above).
Dear Mr. Rai,
Thank you for your reply.
My intention was to make those who hold office aware of their responsibilities, one of which it is to inform all members of the USACA what is being discussed, what is being passed, what is being dealt with, and what is happening in the USA in cricket terms. Differences of opinion can be gotten over if discussed in the accepted and legal manner of that organization.
Though you wrote that you agreed with some of my concerns, you did not state
which ones you agreed with, nor (as Secretary of the USACA) how YOU were going to disseminate information to the rest of the members. To place the responsibility on individual Board members is, in my opinion, avoiding the issue somewhat--if the information is not available through public media such as the USACA Web site or newsletters or press releases, the Board members are also likely to be ill-informed on details, or unaware of the issues faced by the executive officers, or not in a position to confirm or deny rumors.
It is to our officers that we USACA members (as well as Board members) must look to for official pronouncements, confirmation of arrangements and contracts, and other matters that are within the Executive's purview-- that was what I (and other members of the USACA) wish to know.
Thank you again--
John Wainwright, President, Northwest Cricket League.
A Reply from Kamran Khan, President, USA Cricket Association
This reply to John Wainright was received from Kamran Khan, President, USA Cricket Association. Mr. Khan who had been acting President at the time that Rick Craig had resigned, was apparently confirmed as President at the time that Mr. Lloyd Rambaraningh of Florida was elected First Vice-President. This is what Mr. Khan refers to, no doubt, when he speaks of "(having) held this position for only three weeks".
Hi John,
I understand your frustration and want to assure you that I will make sure that the League presidents and member clubs are provided proper information through the USACA web site and other channels.
It is clear from your email that you are not familiar with the constitution of the USACA. In my opinion, the Directors had the power to reinstate the secretary. Whether it should have been done is a completely different issue.
My job as president is not to criticize and divide the Executive and the Directors, but to create an environment where both bodies can work together for cricket development in the USA. The antagonistic behavior must be replaced with cooperation and willingness to work together. As all of us know, this division has been the major reason for lack of cohesive efforts to develop cricket here in the USA and we cannot afford to have this kind of confrontation any more. I am encouraged by the resolve of our newly elected first vice president who seems to agree with me that personal agendas should not be allowed to create any hindrance towards our goals to promote the game of cricket here in America.
I also believe it is very counterproductive for a member of a body to openly criticize other members of the same body, and can assure you this issue will be properly discussed in our next meeting.
We are working to have the USACA constitution displayed on our web site. Please be patient, as you know that I have held this position for only three weeks and it is going to take some time to change the old ways of doing things.
Sincerely,
Kamran Khan, President, USA Cricket Association
AN IDEA FOR U. S. CRICKET
Hello there, I've been reading you're web site and have a suggestion for you.
I live in the UK and when I finished university three years ago I wanted to do something special for a few months which would combine my love of cricket with travelling. So I contacted the ZCU in Zimbabwe and spent five months coaching cricket in townships at four primary schools.
The fact that I was white in a township created quite an interest and a local league was established, the teachers were taught the basics of coaching. This coincided with cricket being televised, so the game became immensely popular not so much with the adults but with the children.
My suggestion to the US or State Boards, would be to encourage young student cricketers from England, Australia who are interested in both travelling and Cricket to volunteer their services to the US or State boards to do something similar.
The other suggestion is to perhaps sell the idea of a half hour television programme showing highlights of matches to the US Television authorities, again with the intention of spreading the game to those kids that need cricketing heroes to follow.
Good luck and hope you do well in Canada next year.
Yours sincerely, Paul Galley
A LETTER from ENGLAND: In Appreciation
Sir,
I read your pages on Cricket with great interest, and wish to register a vote of praise to its author. Let me say that I am British and I live in England, therefore to an extent you are preaching to the converted.
I think that marketed correctly, Cricket could, and would, take the USA by storm. I understand the frustrations that cricket hands on a plate to non aficionados, but with understanding comes love. A love of one of, if not the, most pure sport on Earth.
Kim Bartlett
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