Jamaican-born American cricketer
Richard Wayne Staple (born 25 November 1969) is a Jamaican born former American cricketer.[1] A right-handed batsman and off spin bowler,[2] he was captain of the United States national cricket team at the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy,[3] where the USA played their only One Day Internationals (ODIs) to date.[4] He had previously played first-class and List A cricket for his native Jamaica.[2]
Biography
Career for Jamaica
Born in Kingston in 1969,[2] Richard Staple first played for Jamaica at Under-19 level, playing in the Northern Telecom Youth Championships in August 1989.[5] He made his first-class debut for Jamaica the following year, playing against England.[6]
He played twice in the Red Stripe Cup against the Leeward Islands and Barbados in February 1991, and went on the West Indies tour of England that year, playing against a World XI at the North Marine Road ground in Scarborough.[6]
He became a regular member of the Jamaican side over the next three years, playing 16 Red Stripe Cup matches between 1992 and 1995.[6] He made his List A debut in 1992, playing against the Leeward Islands in the Geddes Grant Shield. He played twelve List A matches for Jamaica in all,[7] also playing for them twice against Bermuda in December 1993.[5] He didn't play for Jamaica after his final first-class match for them in 1995.[6][8]
Career for USA
More than three years after his final first-class match for Jamaica,[6] Staple returned to competitive cricket when he made his debut for the USA against the Leeward Islands in the Red Stripe Bowl.[7][8] He next played for them on a tour of England in 2000, playing against a combined Minor Counties team.[5] He also played for them in that year's Red Stripe Bowl.[7]
He played for the US at the 2001 ICC Trophy in Ontario,[9] by now captaining the side.[10] He next played for the US in the 2004 ICC 6 Nations Challenge in the United Arab Emirates.[7]
He first played first-class cricket for the US in 2004, playing ICC Intercontinental Cup matches against Canada and Bermuda.[6] In between the two matches, he played in the Americas Championship in Bermuda.[5] Later that year he played his only two ODIs, against New Zealand and Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy in England.[3]
He last played for the US in the 2005 ICC Trophy[8] in Ireland. After warm-up matches against the Northern Cricket Union President's XI and Namibia,[5] he played six matches in the tournament proper.[9] Shortly afterwards, he was axed as the USA captain[11] and he has not played for them since.[8]
References