Action-packed Asia Cricket Week kicks off tomorrow

Saturday, 27 April 2024 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

ICC Asia has announced the launch of its Asia Cricket Week, to take place from 28 April to 5 May 2024.

The Week is a celebration of the various forms of our sport in the region. Activities range from a women’s trainer workshop in Kuala Lumpur, cricket clinics and workshops in Nepal, community outreach programs in Singapore to foundation coaching courses to school Physical Education teachers in Uzbekistan and the UAE’s hosting of a men’s Under-19 inter-Emirates event.

It is a particularly exciting week for women’s cricket in the region, where in Iran, a women’s tournament kicks off in Tehran, Qatar, along with Malaysia’s Women’s Super League getting off the ground featuring five teams that will play 14 matches and can be watched live on ICC.tv.

For the first time ever, Kuwait will host Bahrain in the “Yalla Shabab” (Le’s Go Guys) series, from 25 to 27 April at Sulaibiya Cricket Ground. The three-match, 100% indigenous Arab T20 series is designed to encourage local support ahead of the 2030 and 2034 Asian Games in Doha and Riyadh respectively.

In Hong Kong, the hosts and China will deliver their men’s and women’s Premier League Finals Day on 5 May. Both Games will be broadcast live locally, promoting the sport and encouraging fan support for both the men’s and women’s game in the region.

The ICC’s Criiio training and education program will be live in Bahrain, Mongolia, Qatar and Tajikistan, while junior cricket and schools’ events will be hosted in Cambodia, China, the Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Thailand.

This special week of cricket coincides with the United Nations’ observance of 6 April as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. This initiative aims to strengthen the spirit of cricket throughout the region, symbolising sportsmanship and unity. With this in mind, ICC Asia invited its members to engage by organising cricket-related events and meetings during this time.

ICC Asia Regional Manager Aminul Islam said, “The enthusiastic response has been truly overwhelming, and we are thrilled with the buy-in from our members.

“The unique combination of broad reach, the power to overcome barriers, and the capability for low-cost, high-impact engagement makes Asia Cricket Week an effective tool in achieving our development goals.

“We are deeply impressed by the depth and breadth of each program designed by our members. Their genuine interest and dedicated efforts fill us with optimism for the future.”