West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul to continue as Head coach for USA at their inaugural ICC Under 19 Women’s T20 World Cup campaign underway next month in South Africa following the announcement of their 15-player squad on Wednesday.
Star all-rounder Geetika Kodali will captain the USA with wicket-keeper/batter Anika Kolan named as vice-captain for the event.
Chanderpaul is looking forward to showcasing the talent available within the USA’s ranks, and after a series win over the West Indies U19 women, believes his side can acquit themselves well in South Africa.
“After a brilliant tour of Dubai, we are focusing on final preparations for this historic World Cup for the players and for the USA,” Chanderpaul said.
“We showed throughout the year the kind of cricket that we can play.”
“World Cups are incredibly special and we are really looking forward to representing the country on this fantastic platform.”
Their first match coming against Sri Lanka at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on January 14.
USA squad: Geetika Kodali (c), Anika Kolan (wk) (vc), Aditi Chudasama, Bhumika Bhadriraju, Disha Dhingra, Isani Vaghela, Jivana Aras, Laasya Mullapudi, Pooja Ganesh (wk), Pooja Shah, Ritu Singh, Sai Tanmayi Eyyunni, Snigdha Paul, Suhani Thadani, Taranum Chopra.
Reserves: Chetnaa Prasad, Kasturi Vedantham, Lisa Ramjit, Mitali Patwardhan, Tya Gonsalves.