Mosconi Cup 2022: Earl ‘The Pearl’ Strickland is final wild card pick for Team USA | Snooker News

Jeremy Jones selects legendary Earl Strickland as final wildcard pick; will the men in blue make it a hat-trick of titles?; you can watch the Mosconi Cup live on Sky Sports from November 30 to December 3

Earl Strickland is back! The pool legend returns to Mosconi Cup action for Team USA and you can watch all the action live on Sky Sports

The legendary Earl Strickland will be ready for redemption after being selected as the final wild card for Team USA ahead of the 2022 Mosconi Cup in Las Vegas.

Captain Jeremy Jones has opted for Strickland to join his side of Shane Van Boening, Skyler Woodward, Oscar Dominguez and Tyler Styer with ‘The Pearl’ for reimbursement after being forced to pull out of last year’s event due of a positive contact trace of Covid-19.

It was heartbreaking for Strickland in London who have won the most Mosconi Cup titles with nine and will go in search of a historic 10th as the United States seek to regain the crown for the first times since 2019.

Strickland is a pool icon who battled some of the biggest names from snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan in 1996 to become MVP in 2005 as USA beat Europe 11-6.

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Remember this? Strickland looked inconsolable after losing 7-2 to Eklent Kaci at the World Pool Masters in 2019, but it wasn’t just the result he was unhappy with…

The 61-year-old admitted he didn’t think he would be chosen again: “Last year was amazing but I knew it could happen (positive contact trace to Covid-19).

“The pandemic was impacting everyone. That was the nature of the situation. That said, I’m happy to have this chance.

“Maybe this will be the last time I represent the United States and if it’s my last chance, I’ll make the most of it and show what I have in my locker.

“It’s hard to believe that I’m back. I didn’t think this chance would come again sometimes. I also believed that one day I could be back playing my way into the team thanks to the Nineball World Ranking .

“I feel pretty strong. I’ve been playing well recently. I’m honored at my age to have this opportunity to represent the United States, especially after this year. I know I’m past the veteran stage but my game still holds and I’m good to break.”

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The European team lifted the Mosconi Cup after beating the United States 11-6 to move forward in aggregate wins

Captain Jones backed Strickland to be a curveball for Team Europe: “Earl is a champion in many ways. He brings energy and a big advantage to the team. He thinks fast, plays fast and will fire at the European team. I know what that means for him.”

Ready for the Mosconi Cup?

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Kelly Fisher hopes organizers can bring a little more ‘va-va-voom’ to the Mosconi Cup in the future by allowing women to compete again

You can watch the 2022 Mosconi Cup from November 30 to December 3 at Bally’s Las Vegas where Jeremy Jones’ USA team will look to prevent Alex Lely’s European team from making it a hat-trick of titles – live on Sky Sports.

Team Europe led the annual Transatlantic 9-Ball event 14-13 ahead of this year’s event.