Brazil s performance at the Americas Division 3 Championship in Buenos Aires certainly had its share of ups and downs. In the first match they let Belize score 186 after having them 88 for 7 at one point, and were then skittled out for 55. In the second Brazil did slightly better with the bat, managing 157, but the eventual tournament winners, Turks & Caicos, knocked that off with five wickets and 27 overs to spare.
In the third game, however, the team finally woke up, turning in its highest score in international play in decades 359 for 6 against old rivals Chile, which included a knock of 152 (in 109 balls) from veteran captain Matt Featherstone. Chile gave it a valiant chase though, before finally falling 37 runs short. In the fourth and final match, Brazil reverted to its earlier ways, managing just 73 chasing 136 against Peru.
Despite the team s uneven performance, Ravi Chanchlani picked up the Best Bowler award, thanks to his 12 wickets, while keeper Deepak Karunakar led the fielders with six catches and a stumping.
Overall, the tournament was a great experience for the team and gave its younger players the chance to see what big league cricket is all about. In fact, one member Rudy Hartmann, is staying on in Buenos Aires for a month to play in the domestic league, as part of an exchange program between the two countries.
The Brazilian Cricket Association sends out a huge thanks to the ICC and the tireless Grant Dugmore, as well as everyone from the Argentine Cricket Association, all of whom put in a massive effort to make the tournament such a huge success. We also congratulate winners Turks & Caicos and wish them luck in Division 2.
Taken from the ICC Americas regional newsletter for February 2008