Season Outlook
Coming off a tough year in 2004-05, the Haverford College XI are looking ahead to an exciting season packed with the Intercollegiate tournament in the fall and the annual Philadelphia Cricket Festival in the spring.
The current roster - the 150th team in college history - boasts one of the strongest outfits to take the field at Haverford in years. With a solid mix of experienced veterans and exciting freshmen, the squad hopes to make Kamran Khan’s 32nd year as Haverford College coach a memorable one.
The Fords will be led on the field this year by senior Sartaj Bhuiyan, returning from his year abroad at the London School of Economics, much like vice captain Anirudh Suri. Both are expected to be key contributors with bat and ball while senior Doug Genna, a co-vice captain, returns to resume his wicket-keeping responsibilities. Also returning from the Class of 2006 is pinch-hitter and star fielder Timothy Lee, who has showed tremendous prowess in each of his years as a cricketer.
The Fords will miss the services of juniors Zachary Newman and Charles Collett, who are studying abroad. However, their class will be well represented by Ikechukwu Nwaneshiudu, an emerging fast bowler and power-hitter, along with Nathaniel Broughton, a stalwart who is extremely difficult for the opposition to get out.
Robert Stewart, David Hartman and Rohan Dalal complete the group of players who had previously played for Haverford. Robert, a devastating fast bowler on his day, can surprise batsman with his pace. David has showed great potential with his batting, and recently his wicket-keeping, while Rohan is expected to chime in with his difficult leg-spinners in addition to his batting.
The greatest thing to look forward to for this year, however, may be the long list of talented and dedicated new players to join this fall. The freshman class has a mix of players who have had previous cricketing experience, but there has been incredible enthusiasm from some who are just learning the game for the first time. Munik Shrestha played for the Nepal national team, with whom he traveled around the world and scored plenty of runs. Adil Khan, of Pakistani descent from Dubai, captained his high school team where he opened with both bat and ball. Also joining the team are Harsh Mehta with his tricky left-arm spinners and Karan Shah with his all round ability.
Despite the experience brought in from these, coach Kamran Khan is most excited by the prospect and potential showed by Alex Davies, Eric Lundquist and Andrew O’Hara. They have picked up the basics of cricket quicker than many others, and have displayed strong characters of patience and adaptability thus far. The Fords are also very thankful for the services of Laura Bidder, an avid cricket fan from London at Bryn Mawr, for her enthusiasm and help with scoring, done rather professionally according to most.
It has been a long time since Haverford Cricket had such a deep bench, and with the core of veterans and the development of the new players, the team already looks good and will only get stronger as the year goes on. The squad aims to emulate the amazing feats achieved by past teams, hoping to win the Philadelphia International Cricket Festival like they did in 2004. The Fords are also hopeful of going on a tour following commencement next year to Bermuda.