Abdullah Syed

At first glance, Abdullah Syed may look more suited to be a nightclub bouncer than a cricketer, but his burly physique translates into smoking boundaries from his position at the top of the order. Syed played for New York Under-19 in 2009 but had to wait seven years before his shot at being picked for the national team.

Overlooked for inclusion in a revamped USA national squad despite turning in high scores at a New York regional tryout in the spring of 2016, Syed's belligerent strokeplay for a New York XI against a touring Marylebone Cricket Club side caught the eye of USA coach Pubudu Dassanayake in September 2016. Invited to a national team camp in Indianapolis later that month, he scored confidently against USA's frontline bowlers to earn selection for the first time in a USA squad for the 2016 Auty Cup and ICC WCL Division Four in Los Angeles.
Peter Della Penna