A THREE-DAY International Cricket Council (ICC) tutor course for women – the first-ever to be held in Bahrain – conducted by two ICC Master Trainers started yesterday with nine participants.
Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Aminul Islam and former Pakistani all-rounder Iqbal Sikander are the ICC officials conducting the event, titled ‘The ICC 100% Level 1 Tutor Course for Women’ and hosted by the Bahrain Cricket Federation (BCF).
Part of the ICC’s new Training and Education programmes, the initiative reflects the organisation’s commitment to growing the game of cricket around the world.
Level-2 coaches from nine countries – Oman, Singapore, Nepal, Pakistan, Qatar, Malaysia, the UAE, Kuwait and hosts, Bahrain – are attending the course. Once the women complete the assignment, Islam, the ICC’s development manager for Asia, told the GDN, they will go back to their respective countries and train upcoming coaches.
“It is a great privilege for Bahrain to host the ICC Women’s Tutor Training,” BCF president Hatim Dadabai told the GDN.
“We are thankful to Mr Islam and Mr Sikander for conducting this course. The development of women’s cricket is a key priority for the ICC and it aligns well with the BCF’s initiatives to position ourselves as the torch-bearers of women’s cricket on the global stage.
“The training sessions have been structured well, with a good mix of theory and practical learning, and I am confident that the tutors present will help to grow the women’s cricket ecosystem globally.”
The ICC selected Bahrain as a venue for the key course because of the rapid strides made by the BCF in promoting women’s cricket in the kingdom over the past year.
In April, the ICC’s Female Cricket Initiative of the Year Award for the Middle East was awarded to Bahrain, followed two months later by another honour, the ICC’s 100% Female Cricket Initiative of the Year, which was given to the Bahrain Women’s Cricket League.
“This is a great moment for us,” BCF advisory board chairman Mohammed Mansoor told the GDN.
“The ICC chose Bahrain because of all that we have accomplished for women’s cricket in such a short span of time.”
The first day was divided into two sessions, with the morning’s proceedings being held at a Juffair hotel for the participants’ orientation and initial presentation by Islam.
In the afternoon, the group travelled to the Al Najma Club, where a ‘practical’ session – featuring fast- and spin-bowling basics – was held for young male cricketers and the tutors.
“Aminul was really impressed by our young talent,” the BCF’s chief development officer Gurumurthy Palani told the GDN.
“Some of our boys, aged between 12 and 17, were put through their paces by our fast bowling coach, Prachur Shukla. A spin-bowling class was conducted by Iqbal, who was an ace leg-spinner for Pakistan and is currently the ICC’s development head for Asia.
“The focus was on fundamentals, with the visiting tutors taking an active part in the entire, interactive process.”
Shukla, who is also the BCF’s director for ICC and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) affairs, told the GDN that the day had proved to be quite productive for the tutors.
“They were keenly involved in the discussions in the morning and were very impressed by how quickly things are evolving on the women’s cricket front in Bahrain,” he added.
“They were especially interested in learning more about the process through which the BCF put together an eight-team, women’s T20 cup tournament that will help to boost the game’s popularity further amongst Bahrain’s female population.”
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