Gareth Berg becomes Italian

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Middlesex all-rounder Gareth Berg is the latest county player to be named in a squad for the World Twenty20 Qualifier, taking advantage of his Italian heritage to play for Italy, joining Durham player - and former Australian international - Michael Di Venuto in the Italian squad.

Born in South Africa, Berg played for the Western Province Academy and Western Province B in his early 20s, and bowled Italian coach Joe Scuderi for a duck in a game against Lancashire in 2000. He began playing league cricket in England in 2004, playing for Brixworth in the Northamptonshire League.

He played a handful of matches for Northamptonshire Second XI that year but didn't make the first team, instead making his first-class debut for Middlesex in 2008. He has played for them ever since but was absent for a portion of the 2011 season, including the Twenty20 Cup through injury.

His Middlesex team-mate Paul Stirling is in the Ireland squad for the event, whilst Tim Murtagh may be called into the Ireland squad if his Irish passport arrives in time and Josh Davey is likely to be named in the Scotland squad.

Oh Interntaional cricket!

geraint jones will be playing for papua new guinea.

It's absolute rubbish and completely undermines the credibility of the associate/affiliate game we are trying to build. Italy's (preliminary) squad includes no players born in Italy, and only two players who have learnt their cricket there. How can we (as an entity) possibly make demands of other nations when they can so easily turn around and say "well come one, your teams are just full of players we don't want anymore?" Italy have a long history of this, from Scuderi to Northcote and now Di Venutto and Berg. It is disappointing.

Someone like Jones who will bring his considerable experience to a side playing its first tournament at this level of pressure is a bit different, but I'm still not that keen, unless he's willing to invest his future there somewhat (say by coaching once retired).

Mike Selig wrote:It's absolute rubbish and completely undermines the credibility of the associate/affiliate game we are trying to build. Italy's (preliminary) squad includes no players born in Italy, and only two players who have learnt their cricket there. How can we (as an entity) possibly make demands of other nations when they can so easily turn around and say "well come one, your teams are just full of players we don't want anymore?" Italy have a long history of this, from Scuderi to Northcote and now Di Venutto and Berg. It is disappointing.

Someone like Jones who will bring his considerable experience to a side playing its first tournament at this level of pressure is a bit different, but I'm still not that keen, unless he's willing to invest his future there somewhat (say by coaching once retired).

That is because no one in Italy is interested in playing or watching cricket as it is a very boring sport in their eyes and minds when compared to their national game of football.

gboycottnut wrote:

Mike Selig wrote:It's absolute rubbish and completely undermines the credibility of the associate/affiliate game we are trying to build. Italy's (preliminary) squad includes no players born in Italy, and only two players who have learnt their cricket there. How can we (as an entity) possibly make demands of other nations when they can so easily turn around and say "well come one, your teams are just full of players we don't want anymore?" Italy have a long history of this, from Scuderi to Northcote and now Di Venutto and Berg. It is disappointing.

Someone like Jones who will bring his considerable experience to a side playing its first tournament at this level of pressure is a bit different, but I'm still not that keen, unless he's willing to invest his future there somewhat (say by coaching once retired).

That is because no one in Italy is interested in playing or watching cricket as it is a very boring sport in their eyes and minds when compared to their national game of football.

Ironic really, AC Milan was founded on 16 December 1899 by Alfred Edwards and Herbert Kilpin (from Nottingham) as the "Milan Cricket and Football Club".

gboycottnut wrote:

Mike Selig wrote:It's absolute rubbish and completely undermines the credibility of the associate/affiliate game we are trying to build. Italy's (preliminary) squad includes no players born in Italy, and only two players who have learnt their cricket there. How can we (as an entity) possibly make demands of other nations when they can so easily turn around and say "well come one, your teams are just full of players we don't want anymore?" Italy have a long history of this, from Scuderi to Northcote and now Di Venutto and Berg. It is disappointing.

Someone like Jones who will bring his considerable experience to a side playing its first tournament at this level of pressure is a bit different, but I'm still not that keen, unless he's willing to invest his future there somewhat (say by coaching once retired).

That is because no one in Italy is interested in playing or watching cricket as it is a very boring sport in their eyes and minds when compared to their national game of football.

yet theres plenty of people willing to sit on the board and take the IRBs money......

gboycottnut wrote:

Mike Selig wrote:It's absolute rubbish and completely undermines the credibility of the associate/affiliate game we are trying to build. Italy's (preliminary) squad includes no players born in Italy, and only two players who have learnt their cricket there. How can we (as an entity) possibly make demands of other nations when they can so easily turn around and say "well come one, your teams are just full of players we don't want anymore?" Italy have a long history of this, from Scuderi to Northcote and now Di Venutto and Berg. It is disappointing.

Someone like Jones who will bring his considerable experience to a side playing its first tournament at this level of pressure is a bit different, but I'm still not that keen, unless he's willing to invest his future there somewhat (say by coaching once retired).

That is because no one in Italy is interested in playing or watching cricket as it is a very boring sport in their eyes and minds when compared to their national game of football.

Please don't talk about things you don't know much about, it will be better for everyone. There are several italians involved in the sport, and a few "pure" italians who play for their national junior side (who are decent, but not as good as the senior side comparitively). Unfortunately these players then find their way blocked when they try to make the jump to the senior side, due to an overall governance which is entirely axed on performance and identifying passport holders at the total detriment of long-term development. The juniors then become disenfranchised, and this feeds down into the weeds.

Here in France we have found that french people are interested in cricket once you explain the (simple) concept to them, it's just they see it as an "english" or "foreign" sport, a closed shop in some sense: my guess is having your entire national side (or just about, since Di Giglio who I played against did make the squad) - which is of course the main visible element of the sport - made up of foreigners isn't going to do much to overturn this image, and is hence a massive detriment to developping the sport amongst the local population long term (which is possible, see Denmark).

I'm not suggesting striking a balance between performance (which after all yields increased funding, so it could be argued - although not in Italy's case - that working short term may have long-term benefits) and development is easy. Nor am I suggesting that Italy are the only culprits in this regard (not that I would want to mention the UAE or say Norway, but...). But there's no doubt in my mind that Italy have currently got the balance wrong.

He does intend to coach and play full time once his county career is done . His sons name is Roman , and he has always supported Italy in all forms of sport . He will be a great asset to the team