CRICKET – A first-of-its-kind indoor cricket facility was inaugurated last night in Bahrain.
The all-new KHK Cricket Academy, located in Salmabad, offers cricket enthusiasts across the kingdom a state-of-the-art, fully air-conditioned venue to train and develop their skills while enjoying the game year-round.
KHK Cricket Academy has been established under the vision of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman, General Sports Authority chairman, and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, and is supported by the Bahrain Cricket Federation (BCF).
Yesterday’s inauguration was attended by Indian Ambassador to Bahrain Vinod K Jacob; Bangladesh Ambassador to Bahrain Md Rais Hasan Sarower, ndc; Nepal Ambassador to Bahrain Tirtha Raj Wagle; KHK Sports CEO and BRAVE Combat Federation president Muhammad Shahid; LuLu Group International Bahrain director Juzer Rupawala; and BCF advisory board chairman Mohammad Mansoor.
Also on hand were leaders from Bahrain’s business community, BCF board members, players from the kingdom’s men’s and women’s cricket national teams, and other guests.
“Any time you talk about the development of sports, it starts with infrastructure, and KHK Cricket Academy offers a massive opportunity for our young and aspiring cricketers to play the game, train, and improve as athletes,” Shahid told the GDN on the sidelines of last night’s opening ceremony.
“We all have hopes, we all have dreams, and we all love sports, all kinds of sports, but where do we start? How do we reach our goal of practising the sport and trying to be the best at it? It starts from an academy, it starts with infrastructure, and that is why our focus on sports today and bringing infrastructure such as this academy is so valuable.
“We are very excited that we have this indoor facility for cricket now in Bahrain. It allows everybody who has a dream to come and train here.”
KHK Cricket Academy features six lanes with nets, all kinds of modern equipment like a bowling machine, and facilities for live streaming, cricket analytics, direct video analysis, and much more.
Those enrolled at KHK Cricket Academy will come under the tutelage of BCF’s experienced and highly qualified coaches.
The venue can also be hired for cricket tournaments featuring matches from six-a-side to 11-a-side soft ball cricket. It can even be booked for other sports such as football, hockey, and others.
“Even before our official inauguration today, we were already seeing interest from people to host tournaments here,” added Shahid. “We are bringing people together and uniting the country through sports.”
KHK Cricket Academy is open to Bahrain’s sports-loving community all throughout the year. Bookings can be made on khkcricket.bh as well as on a soon-to-be-launched mobile app.
“KHK Cricket Academy is going to help develop cricket in Bahrain even further,” BCF high performance director Prachur Shukla told the GDN.
“In this summer heat, our national teams now have a place to practise indoors. Apart from that, it is open to the public, and people of all ages and nationalities can book and enjoy cricket, learn the game, or hone their skills.
“The facility can also be used for football, hockey, and other sports, so it is a big step today for KHK Cricket to launch this academy.”
Shukla highlighted that KHK Cricket Academy will provide an additional pathway for talented players to Bahrain’s cricket national teams.
“There are a number of cricket academies in Bahrain, the BCF supports all of them, and we can encourage some players to come to the national pool where we can work with them,” he explained.
“All of that is going to facilitate the development and growth of cricket in the kingdom, and the main aim is to one day see Bahrain playing in the Cricket World Cup.”
Also during last night’s inauguration, a signature campaign was held for the loyalty pledge to His Majesty King Hamad.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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