Global academy backs cricket in summer

Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) Global Cricket Academy will open its doors for local clubs and corporate cricket teams during summer to play indoor cricket.

Speaking to Gulf News, Salman Hanif, the Operations Manager of the ICC Global Academy, said: "As the summer heat is likely to stop most of the outdoor tournaments, we wanted domestic cricketers to continue playing the game through indoor cricket. We have unmatched indoor facility which provides top quality cricketing environment and hence has decided to stage a tournament."

The tournament, to be called Summer Indoor Cricket Tournament, will be for 16 teams. "It will be an eight-a-side tournament which will be played according to the indoor cricket rules and equipments. For each team we will permit up to 12 players to be registered. Teams will be divided into four groups and each team will be guaranteed play atleast three matches of 12 over duration," Hanif said.

The tournament timing has also been scheduled to cater to the office goers. "We will start our first match from 7.30pm to 9pm and second from 9:30pm to 11pm under lights. There will be 24 group matches with four quarterfinal matches, two semifinal and final," he said.

The tournament will be launched on June 8 and the quarterfinal is scheduled for June 25 and 26. The semifinal will be held on June 28 followed by the final of June 29.

"Our participation fee is Dh4,500 which includes the cost of t-shirts and even the supply of a specialised indoor cricket ball. The winner can be richer by Dh4,000 and runners up can pocket Dh2,000," said Hanif. For registration, email iccgca@dxbsport.com.