Inside the Selection Room: A Quest for T20 Cricket Stardom

In the summer of 2015, amateur cricketers across the Americas were thrown a lifeline to a career-changing opportunity: an open trial for a chance to make a 15-man squad that would play in the West Indies regional 50-over competition and open the door to one of six rookie contracts in a T20 franchise league. American cricket journalist Peter Della Penna chronicles a journey that started at the 2015 ICC Americas Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, and provides exclusive access to the nightly selection discussions headed by a who's who of globally respected talent evaluators - West Indies fast bowling legend Courtney Walsh, former India spinner Venkatapathy Raju and three-time World Cup-winning fielding coach Mike Young - that deliver unique insight into what a coach and selector really looks for beyond the scorecard when identifying talent. This groundbreaking story follows the players who took a chance on this one-of-a-kind trial to witness the impact it had on them over the next four years, navigating the day-to-day challenges they face while trying to turn from amateurs to pros, torn between giving up the game or continuing on a pursuit of global cricket stardom.