Bahrain will face Qatar today in their opening game of the inaugural Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Men’s U16 West Zone Cup at the Vision Cricket Centre ground in Sharjah.
In an historic first and a major boost for the sport in the kingdom, the tournament is being hosted by the Bahrain Cricket Federation (BCF) after the hosting rights were awarded to Bahrain by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) late last month.
Because of the unavailability of a cricket stadium in Bahrain, the tournament is being held in Sharjah after the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) agreed to a request by the BCF to allow it to stage it in the UAE.
A 14-member squad, led by all-rounder Vishwaesh Gurumurthy, was put through its paces yesterday by coach Sunil Vishwanathan, a former Indian first-class cricketer, in a lengthy practice session at the venue.
“This is a great opportunity for our young players to showcase their talent,” Vishwanathan, who joined the BCF in September last year, told the GDN by phone from Sharjah. “It is a good platform, especially considering the U-19 event scheduled for the later part of this year. So this can be a prelude for the boys to stake a claim for that bigger event.
“As for our first match, the game against Qatar, we know, is not going to be easy. We hope to be in our best shape, both physically and mentally. We need to be in a good space.
“However, we think the number of multi-dimensional players we have gives us an advantage. Most of our players are all-rounders, who contribute on all three fronts: batting, bowling and fielding.”
But, with six teams competing in the tournament – the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman are the other four – the championship is likely to be a tough one for his young side, Vishwanathan added.
“This is going to be a tough series for us,” he said. “Hopefully, we will make a positive impact through some good performances. We have some key players – captain Vishwaesh, an all-rounder who bowls medium-pace, and vice-captain Aryan Ashwin, a left-handed opening batsman who looks in good nick.
“Plus, we have Sai Sarthak, a left-handed batsman who also bowls left-arm spin. And, we have the advantage of three left-handed batsmen and three right-handers in our top-order so we hope that the left-right combination would work for us.
“Also, we have a lot of depth in our bowling unit. So, fingers crossed, we will do well and come out with flying colours in the tournament.”
Since Bahrain are the official hosts, Prachur Shukla, the BCF’s director for ICC and ACC affairs, will serve as the tournament director. Two local umpires and two scorers are also in Sharjah to get some crucial international tournament exposure.
The match will start at 3pm, Bahrain time.
The squad: Vishwaesh Gurumurthy (captain), Aryan Ashwin (vice captain), Sai Sarthak, Muhammed Basil, Mohammed Adil, Ayan Obaid, Anas Obaid, Akshant Mukesh, Abhinav Girish, Aashish Sadashiva, Mohammed Shaheen, Jugal Jiger, Sunish Sunil and Shaurya Shyju.
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