USA Cricket have sprung a few surprises in their squad announcement for the upcoming ICC World Cup League 2 tri-series in Nepal starting August 13 with 17-year-old fast bowler Ritvik Appidi earning his maiden call up to the senior national side alongside former Sri Lanka international Shehan Jayasuriya.

Also drafted into the 50-over squad for the first time is left-arm spinner Mohammad Mohsin, who now finds himself firmly in the ODI mix after previously being part of USA's T20 World Cup squad earlier this year.

While Jayasuriya's inclusion was largely on expected lines given USA's need for an experienced left-handed middle-order batter against a spin-heavy Nepal attack in the dust bowls of Kathmandu, it is the rapid elevation of Appidi that has raised a few eyebrows in American cricket circles.

Standing tall at 6'3", Appidi shot to prominence earlier this year after castling a charging Vaibhav Suryavanshi during an Under-19 World Cup fixture. Sources close to the team management believe the teenager possesses the rare natural ability to consistently hit the hard lengths at speeds exceeding 130 kmph.

"The fast bowler group is touching 35 and they feel this is the right time to breed the youngster in. Has the fast bowler mentality and was impressive in the Houston Open. It should be a great learning curve for the youngster," a source close to the team management told Cricbuzz.

Appidi's inclusion may well have come at the expense of veteran seamer Shadley van Schalkwyk, who endured a dream T20 World Cup campaign with 13 wickets in 4 matches, finishing second only behind Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy, both of whom claimed 14 wickets each.

While Van Schalkwyk may have reason to feel hard done by USA's youth-first policy after one of the most seminal phases of his career, it is also a fact that the 37-year-old was not part of USA's previous ODI assignment in Dubai after a lean run in the format that saw him manage only four wickets in his last eight ODIs.

Another notable absentee from the touring party is wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous, especially after the controversy surrounding his absence from USA's final two matches at the T20 World Cup, officially attributed by the team management to a stomach bug.

According to sources close to the setup, Gous and the USA management have mutually agreed for the aggressive opener to focus primarily on T20 cricket for the foreseeable future. While Gous remains an integral part of the white-ball structure, concerns reportedly persist within the management regarding both his form in the 50-over format and recurring fitness issues on tours, having historically struggled to remain fully fit through entire assignments.

Amid all the churn and transition within the national side, one appointment that is expected to be universally welcomed is the elevation of young batting sensation Sai Teja Mukkamalla to the vice-captaincy.

The 22-year-old New Jersey batter has emerged as one of USA's batting mainstays across white-ball cricket, averaging above 40 while striking at an impressive 149 in T20 internationals. Mukkamalla also showcased his pedigree on the global stage during the T20 World Cup build-up with a half-century against New Zealand in the warm-up fixtures before following it up with a fluent 79 against Netherlands in the tournament proper.

"He is calm and a straight forward person who knows what he needs to do to be successful. He has come through the ranks from the American system and is well respected by seniors and juniors alike in the dressing room for his commitment towards his game," the source added on Mukkamalla's appointment.

USA return to ODI cricket after a six-month hiatus and will hope to resume from where they left off before the break. Prior to the pause, the Americans had surged to the top of the World Cup League 2 standings after winning 11 of their last 12 matches in a remarkable run that established them as genuine contenders for direct qualification.

Captain Monank Patel will now hope to carry that momentum into Nepal while simultaneously exorcising the ghosts of February 2020, a disastrous tour that culminated in an infamous nine-wicket defeat after USA were bundled out for just 35.