Opening batsman Fahad Babar may not be the most naturally gifted player in US cricket, but few players match the work ethic of this run machine based out of the Chicago area. His first appearance on the national scene came during the ICC Americas Regional Under-19 World Cup Qualifier in February 2011 but, after making just 14 runs in four innings, he was not a part of the squad that traveled to Ireland later that summer for the global qualifier.

Babar worked tirelessly to improve after that experience, scoring heavily in Chicago league cricket, including a high of 278 in a 30-over match in 2013. That helped earn him selection for his first USA senior team tour to the World T20 Qualifier in the UAE that November.

He continued as a reserve batsman in the team for the 2014 ICC WCL Division Three in Malaysia, but an injury to vice-captain Sushil Nadkarni presented a chance for Babar to slot into the starting XI and he eventually finished as USA's leading scorer at the tournament. He repeated the feat at the 2015 ICC Americas Division One championship in Indianapolis, where he was named tournament MVP, thereby establishing himself as a vital performer across formats for USA.

Peter Della Penna