MARGATE/FL – USA: Cricket West Indies (CWI) major sponsors Sandals Resorts Limited has praised the efforts of administrator Mahammad Qureshi for his great work in building the game in America.
Sunil Ramdeen the public relations manager of the popular company said Qureshi has been a great pillar on which American cricket was built and is now standing on. According to Ramdeen: “I met Maq a couple of years ago and was blown away by his dedication to building the sport of cricket. I remember the day I met him it was at a West Indies versus New Zealand match that was held at the Central Broward Regional Park. We got to talking and he said that his ambition is to get American cricketers up to the standard of the players who were taking part in the West Indies/New Zealand match. He said that he has been spending his own funds and will continue to plow money into the development of the sport because he loves the game and his country.
“After our initial discussion, I was impressed and thought to myself that while he has good intentions it will be difficult for him to follow through because of the conditions he will be faced within America.”
Ramdeen said he then paid attention to articles that were written on Maq and was impressed: “I started to see articles written by noted international journalist Vinode Mamchan on the Trinidad Guardian about Maq and followed closely. I saw that he was making strides in the right direction and his US Open T20 tournament was the catalyst that was providing change to the cricketing landscape in America.
“In one of the articles I read that he had spent in excess of US$22M in the development of the game through his sponsorships, his tournaments the US Open T20 and Maq T10/USA Nationals and his cricket academy. I was totally amazed by this as one individual was probably spending more money on the development of the sport than the national body.”
Ramdeen said he made it his business to catch up with Maq when he visited last year when he visited Fort Lauderdale. “I went to Fort Lauderdale on a short vacation but I had to fit in a visit with Maq on that trip. I had a chance to see his set up and I was happy that he was keeping the faith in America’s cricket.
“Let’s be honest America’s cricket has had its fair share of problems but Qureshi has been the stabilizing force. I have spoken to cricketers in America who tells me that whilst there was instability on the national scale, it was Qureshi who brought some hope through his tournaments and sponsorships.
“I want to tip my hat to the man and wish him continued success as his sacrifice and goodwill is already making its presence felt in America and I am sure they will reach the heights that he aspires soon.”