Coming off a lean year in 2009-10, the Haverford College XI are looking ahead to an exciting spring with games against Temple, the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Cricket Club, among others. The addition of a number of newcomers and renewed enthusiasm will give the team a good chance of picking up a few convincing victories this season.

The current roster—the 156th team in college history—boasts a solid mix of experienced veterans and exciting freshmen and the squad hopes to make Kamran Khan's 38th year as Haverford College coach a memorable one. The Fords will be led on the field this year by sophomore Thomas Leonard aided by vice captain Rushil Gambhir. Both experienced players are expected to be key contributors with bat and ball while Matthew Smith takes up wicket-keeping responsibilities in the absence of Karan Shah, who is studying in New York over the spring semester. Smith has brought a lot of energy to the team and is developing skill with the keeping gloves quickly. The team will be reliant on the talents of players like sophomore Sameep Thapa who has proven to be extremely effective in opening the batting for the team over the past few seasons as well as being a vital change bowler. Returning this semester is pinch-hitter and star fielder Dylan Lazovik who has picked up the finer points of the game and will be a tremendous asset to the team this semester.

Andriy Mshanetev has years of cricketing experience playing at the club level in England, which will be important in this spring season as he will be looking to both open the bowling with his devastating pace and contribute with the bat. Brian Rafferty and Jessie Ingber have been a part of the team for a year and both have shown great potential with batting and have led the team with their fielding abilities. Sophomore Alisa Strayer will be a useful support with her all-round ability, and her off-spin will be a much needed change of pace in the bowling attack that is sure to bring wickets. The added depth of the batting line-up this season will be particularly important in the more challenging matches.

Perhaps the greatest thing to look forward to for this year, however, may be the long list of talented and dedicated new players to join the Fords for the spring schedule. Bobby Brooks, Kostyantyn Viktorov, Max Reinhardt, Joseph Seiler and Nick Trickett are the members of the freshman class who have no previous experience, but who, along with newer players like Ziyad Menon, have shown incredible enthusiasm in working with Kamran to learn the technicalities of the game. Their athleticism and steady improvement will be a great addition to the team and a turning point in the year.

It has been a long time since Haverford Cricket had such a deep bench and, with the core of veterans and the development of the new players, the team already looks solid and will only get stronger as the season progresses. The squad aims to emulate the amazing feats achieved by past teams, hoping to win numerous games this season and put Haverford cricket back on the board. The team is also dedicating hours each week to renovate and restore the cricket pavilion, a legendary part of Haverford cricket, to its previous splendor.