American Select players have praised the North Field ground staff for working tirelessly to ensure their time in Bermuda did not go to waste.

Made up of cricketers from Argentina, Brazil, Bahamas, Canada, Falkland Islands and the United States, the Mahesh Hatkar-coached side won their two-match T20 series against Bermuda. Their encounters against Cup Match teams St George’s and Somerset were called off because of incessant rain for the bulk of the weekend.

Yesterday, the players had to find other ways of keeping themselves entertained at Somerset, with the hope that the match would go ahead - but it never happened.

Ali Sheikh, who led the touring team, noted how Alan Douglas Sr and his team at the National Sports Centre battled against the weather to see to it that some cricket was played.

“It was expected coming in that there was going to be a rain forecast, but I just want to thank the groundsmen,’’ Sheikh said.

“They did a great job for the amount of rain that we had, it looked like there wasn't going to be any cricket played at all.

“For us to get two T20s on a good ground with good conditions, I thought that was very impressive.

“It’s disappointing to miss out on the last two matches, especially a 40-over game, but we take what we could get.

“I felt that after getting two games in, it was pretty competitive and I feel like out of these matches we learnt a lot,” the American added.

“It was great exposure to play against a strong and competitive side. We did well in the two games that we played, we went undefeated.

“Captaining this team was pretty good. To get two wins with a side that just came together for three days was pleasing.”

Kwame Patton Jr was also pleased with how the ground staff worked round the clock to guarantee that the first two matches went ahead. The New York-born wicketkeeper-batsman, who grew up in Barbados, scored 57 runs on North Field.

“When we arrived at the ground, the conditions were not playable at the time,’’ the 22-year-old said.

“We just want to say a special thanks to the groundsmen for the hard work that they put in, and giving us two games.”

Sheikh, who plays for Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket, was part of the US expanded squad for this year’s ICC T20 World Cup. However, he could not make it into the final 15 that went on to reach the Super Eight stage of the global event.

“For the World Cup preparations, I was part of the 20 that they initially selected, but I wasn't part of the 15,’’ the 21-year-old said.

“I did get some experience playing against Nepal and Canada in preparation for the World Cup.

“We had a four-match series against Canada where I was the MVP. We also played two games against Nepal, where I batted and bowled in both those matches.

“Playing against international sides in preparation for the World Cup was really good. It was sad to miss out on the actual World Cup, but I feel like being a youngster, there is a lot of time to work hard and make it there one day.”

For Sanjay Krishnamurthi, who scored 99 runs across the two days against Bermuda, was amazed by the island’s cricket infrastructure.

“All the grounds that we saw were top-notch facilities,’’ Krishnamurthi said. “If not for the rain we could have seen a lot more of Bermuda, but the island is very beautiful and the cricket was great.

“It’s hard to quantify the amount of things we have learnt on this tour. The coach added a lot of value to the group, he instilled good discipline within the group, it was really enjoyable working with him.

“It was really amazing being part of a team with players from other countries. I got to learn about their culture and cricket in some of the countries that are known for playing the sport.”

Just like Sheikh, Krishnamurthi was involved in the build-up to the T20 World Cup, but missed out on the final squad.

“It was inspiring to all cricketers in the country to see our players doing well on the world stage,’’ the 21-year-old said.

“There’s been quite an interest in cricket since then. People (in the US) who had never heard of cricket are now interested in the sport.”

Patton was delighted to see T20 World Cup matches played at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium.

“Having the World Cup in the US was not only a dream for me as a youngster, but seeing the games in New York that is not well-known for cricket, it raised a lot of awareness,’’ he said.”

Brazilian Luiz Muller was the first player to arrive in Bermuda. The 19-year-old got to benefit a lot from working with Hatkar, as the youngster credits the coach for enhancing his ability to face spin bowlers.

“I improved my cricket here and I really enjoyed my time in Bermuda, the people were really nice,’’ he said.

“I had some one-on-one sessions with the coach, he really improved my feet movement. Now I can play against spin properly, now I know what I know what I need to do.”