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Cricket in Bahrain could soon be revitalised thanks to a half-million dinar investment and the construction of the first purpose-built cricket ground in the country.
The members of the Bahrain Cricket Academy (BCA) and a group of Indian and Pakistani investors have been in talks for some time to greenlight the development of a full cricket stadium and pavilion, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MOYS).
The finer details are being hashed out, and Aref Sadeq, one of the founders of the BCA, believes that this is a vital step in the evolution of the sport in the kingdom which has a huge expat following with cricket lovers setting up pitches on waste-ground wherever they can find it.
He said: “We have a land proposal next to the National Stadium in Isa Town, supported by the MOYS, with a group of investors also behind us.
“The plan is to develop an entire sports complex, consisting of a grass cricket ground, with a fully-turfed outfield and pitch so it can also be used for football, baseball or any other outdoor sport if needed. Furthermore, we’ll have a full pavilion and an indoor sports complex with cricketing facilities such as nets and bowling machines so it can be used all year round in all weather.
“The plan is to create a full academy and bring in experienced coaches to advance Bahrain cricket and lay the foundations for the future.”
Cricket in Bahrain was first played in 1932, in a match between the Royal British Airforce and the Royal British Navy. In 1935, the Awali Cricket Club was formed by the then-British Oil Company which is now BAPCO – Bahrain Petroleum Company.
It wasn’t until 1952 that the Cricket Bahrain Association (CBA) was formed under the chairmanship of Vic Whitingham in 1952, which carried on until 1974. It was then that the Bahrain Cricket Association was formed under the stewardship of Aref, plus colleagues Shaikh Mohammed Bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Mohammed Dadabhai and Saleem Asghar Ali. At the time, the association encompassed just the Bahrain Cricket Club, Awali Cricket Club and Pakistan Club.
The first international match for Bahrain came in 1979. In 2006, Bahrain won the Middle East Cup held in Kuwait by beating Afghanistan, in the same year it was the joint winner in the first Asian Cricket Council’s under 16 tournament.
The BCA is now the official governing body of cricket in Bahrain, being the kingdom’s representative at the International Cricket Council (ICC), of which it has been an associate member since 2001.
The Sadeq family has been involved in Bahrain cricket since the beginning. Aref’s father, Mohammed, came to Bahrain in the late 1920s when then game was in its infancy with just a select few expats playing leisurely. Many years later, he established the first Bahrain Cricket League as a legitimate competition before passing away in 1971
Aref, who is the eldest of Mohamed’s eight sons, said: “My family has been working to develop and promote cricket in the kingdom for the past 50 years, and the building of the stadium would be the jewel in the crown and leave a legacy for many future generations of Bahrain cricket.”
In addition to the stadium, the BCA is planning on further improving the standard of cricket and promoting the sport by building three turf and eight sand/concrete-based playing areas in Riffa.
A crucial step will be to gain the ICC’s full affiliation, so the BCA can promote events in its name. While Aref and the MOYS will go ahead and build the stadium with private backing regardless, he believes that with the ICC’s approval, it opens up many more options.
He said: “If the ICC back us, it means we can host full international matches and even tournaments here. For example, Pakistan currently play their ‘home’ Test and One Day International matches in the UAE in stadiums in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. There’s no reason why they couldn’t play some in Bahrain with the facilities we have planned, but we’d need ICC approval.
“We’re confident they will support us, and we have asked them for assistance in helping to promote cricket in Bahrain. We now have to wait for their reply, but this won’t stop us in our goal for the stadium.”
Meanwhile, the BCA’s annual cricket festival, which brings in ex-internationals from major cricketing nations to play exhibition matches and run workshops, is penned in for December, with more details to be announced after the summer.
