In any general election where a group of individuals are expected to lead from the front, the chemistry of the group pre-election is an indication of the energy that will be used to drive the process post-election. Therefore, it is important to judge the content of the characters and the chemistry within the group of individuals, to determine some measure of the anticipated success.

The chemistry exhibited by the group of individuals led by Ram Varadarajan is indicative of the effort already put out in creating such a dynamic lead administrative team, that is expected to serve USACA and the cricketing community in the USA.

The Varadarajan group consisting of Shadid Tahir, Manaf Mohamed, John Aaron and John Thickett, along with presidential candidate Ram Varadarajan, has obviously done their homework, as is evident from their web site and the expectations for success outlined therein. Clearly, the group has looked carefully at the mistakes made by the current administration of USACA and determined that they would not be caught making the same errors - namely a lack of vision, accountability, transparency and the need to communicate with the membership of USACA.

Ironically, since the group launched its web site www.newinning.com, signalling a new era for cricket and cricketers in the USA, the incumbent administration has raced to post stories to the normally dormant national organization’s web site, beyond the much-needed election information driven by the Independent Third Party Chris Dehring. It is amazing what electorial competition can create. Now, if only the site’s manager can update the 2005 Picture of the Week to something more relevant.

Electing a group of individuals to be the principal administrators needed to drive USACA is very important, more so when that group has already begun the groundwork necessary to lift the organization and the spirit of the players, clubs, leagues and regions, and regain the respect of the international cricketing community.

The selection of the five individuals was obviously done with some very careful consideration, as the strengths of each of the five men appear to complement each other, without the usual ego-tripping and agenda-pushing, that has become the hallmark of the incumbent USACA. Those exercising their right to represent their member clubs through their votes, would be well-advised to seek the installation of the leading team of candidates who have already set the bar for excellence at such a high level; enough to motivate the incumbents to strive to showcase some minimal effort via the organization’s web site, albeit too little too late.

Electing the Ram Varadarajan slate in its entirety will do cricket and the development of the sport in the US a tremendous amount of good, as the five individuals seek to bring about a new inning of dynamic leadership, transparency, accountability, and are fully cognizant that they are merely administrators of the sport and not rulers. The group has already indicated their willingness to build a cadre of responsible individuals capable of bringing to USACA, the kind of performance levels needed to be competitive in the international cricket arena. That extended administrative group of seasoned veterans qualified in their own right, will serve as the support mechanism for the development of the sport in conjunction with the regional administrations, already in place. It’s clearly an opportunity for increased chemistry among all cricket stakeholders in the USA.

I sincerely urge those with the right to vote, to vote for the Varadarajan team, for a better USACA, determined to lift the national organization from the doldrums of ridicule and despair.