CRICKET – BAHRAIN is set to host two major cricket events, in collaboration with the International Cricket Council (ICC), with the aim of bringing together citizens and residents of all walks of life and further promoting the game across the kingdom.
These include the ICC criiio Cricket Festival, to be held from Wednesday next week to November 14, and the ICC Women Week, which will take place from October 16 to 22.
The pair of transformative initiatives, under the ICC’s criiio cricket framework, were announced in a Press conference last night by the Bahrain Cricket Federation (BCF). The events have been designed to foster inclusive grassroots cricket on the island, with a dedicated focus on empowering girls and people of determination.
In attendance at yesterday’s Press conference were BCF advisory board chairman Mohammad Mansoor, BCF president Sami Ali, BCF general secretary Kishore Kewalram, BCF board members Alison Lillywhite and Sameer Ali Sayed, BCF advisory board member Yousif Lori, BCF high performance director Prachur Shukla, national coach Prabhakar Bairgond, and BCF directors Naushad Hidayatullah and Adil Ahmed, among other officials.
“Thanks to His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa for including cricket in his sports vision – this has really helped us grow,” Mansoor told the GDN.
“We are now trying to introduce inclusivity, giving a chance for the non-cricket playing community in Bahrain to understand what cricket is all about and the interest in the game worldwide.”
The festival is inspired by the ICC’s global vision of ‘Cricket Anywhere, Anyone, Anytime’. It will engage 16 schools from across the island in a vibrant softball cricket tournament, which will culminate in a grand finale on November 14.
As part of the festival and in a pioneering step, the BCF will host cricket matches for wheelchair users and children with Down syndrome – making for an historic first in Bahrain’s cricket-loving community.
“The purpose of this festival is to work with the ICC to develop cricket at the ground level and to make sure that everybody is able to play and enjoy the game,” Ali told the GDN.
“We are opening this festival to people of all backgrounds, especially for those who have never played before. They will get the opportunity to enjoy the game and learn about the opportunities within cricket.”
The BCF is collaborating with women’s non-profit organisations to amplify the festival’s social impact, while fostering the growth of girls’ cricket and integrating more youngsters into the national cricket framework.
“Cricket has come a long way in Bahrain under the leadership of His Highness Shaikh Khalid, and we are now trying to include as many more people as possible,” Kewalram told the GDN. “We are promoting the festival in schools, especially Bahraini schools, and we are encouraging more women to participate and get involved.”
The ICC Women Week in the kingdom will be aligned with the ICC Women’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
This initiative will feature a dynamic line-up of cricketing and education events – among them being teacher training workshops to equip educators with the necessary skills to facilitate cricket programmes; a women’s criiio facilitation programme to empower women leaders in the game; a two-day event to engage women and girls in fun, skill-focused cricket activities; and World Cup watch parties to be held in partner with Mukta A2 Cinemas.
“We would like to invite women and young girls from schools and colleges to come visit us and learn about cricket,” Lillywhite told the GDN. “We also encourage people of determination to join and be a part of these initiatives.
“Cricket is such a beautiful sport, and it is very important that we come and enjoy the team spirit.”
BCF is inviting schools, families, non-profit organisations, and cricket enthusiasts of all ages, nationalities, and abilities to participate in these groundbreaking events, being held in the kingdom organised by the BCF and the ICC.
Those interested in taking part can e-mail info@cricket.bh.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh