CRICKET – THE kingdom’s vibrant cricket community came together last night in a glittering trophy unveiling gala of the DP World ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, held at Crowne Plaza Bahrain.
The event was part of the ongoing three-day T20 World Cup trophy tour, which has attracted tens of thousands of cricket-lovers of various ages and nationalities across a number of fan-engagement activities held so far on the island.
Last night’s gala took place under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sport first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority (GSA) chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
A number of high-ranking officials were in attendance, including GSA CEO Dr Abdulrahman Askar, Capital Governorate deputy governor Colonel Ammar Al Sayed, BRAVE Combat Federation president Mohammed Shahid, and special guest, Sri Lankan cricket legend Angelo Mathews.
“This is the first time for me in Bahrain and I am loving it,” Mathews told the GDN. “The hospitality has been brilliant and the people are so friendly and welcoming to us – it is as if I am a local boy.
“It has touched me so much and it is so refreshing to see the landscape of Bahrain; it’s great to be here.”
Mathews highlighted the significance of events such as the T20 World Cup trophy tour in helping further boost the development of the sport on a national level.
“This is what it is – the game is getting bigger and better, expanding across the globe, and there is a lot of potential for Bahrain as well,” he said.
“There is a huge Asian community here and the local community as well, and I wish them all the very best and I hope to see them playing in the next World Cup.”
Shahid shares Mathews’s sentiments – acknowledging the impact the T20 World Cup trophy tour can have on the local game.
“Cricket is growing globally as we speak,” Shahid told the GDN. “We have seen the induction of cricket in the Olympics, so that is a massive boost for the sport, and if you look at Bahrain and the history of the game here, it is one of the oldest in the country and it has developed to a point where we are today able to have Bahrain as one of the destinations for this global tour of the T20 World Cup trophy.”
Shahid credits the kingdom’s wise leadership for their vision in helping grow cricket in Bahrain and for hosting major events such as the trophy tour.
“As an ex-athlete, I would say that one of the key elements in these occasions is what we call ‘bravery inspiring bravery’, so when we make decisions like this – to be a part of the T20 World Cup trophy tour – the younger generation is looking at it and saying that we can be an arm’s distance away from the World Cup,” Shahid explained.
“You have to think big and dream big, and events like this are what our leadership in Bahrain have done – they have always given us hope and inspiration, and at the same time given the infrastructure for the development of talent, and eventually the infrastructure to host the big events where we can compete in.
“It is a 360-degree solution, end-to-end, and we have seen that same exercise happening in cricket the past couple of years. That is exactly why we see the athletes, the teams, and the sport growing.”
Also on hand at last night’s gala were Bahrain Cricket Federation (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 treasurer Meenaz Ahmed, BCF high performance director Prachur Shukla, and members of Bahrain’s national teams.
“The T20 World Cup trophy tour has been a great success over the past two days in Bahrain – it has had an amazing impact,” Ali told the GDN. “We have had more than 10,000 people in just two days attending at different venues.
“It has been very impactful and we have seen the craze for cricket, the fever of cricket in Bahrain.”
Also as part of the tour yesterday, scores of fans turned up at Dana Mall and Al Najma Club to see the T20 World Cup trophy. The three-day programme concludes today with the trophy being brought to a number of iconic landmarks across the kingdom such as Tree of Life and Al Fateh Grand Mosque. It will also be taken to a number of select schools.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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