Memorable Australian trip for Desert Cubs
dubai — Desert Cubs completed another successful cricket tour in Gold Coast and Brisbane, Australia. The tour that began on July 1 saw the team play against top quality regional teams from both the cities in under-12, under-14 and under-16 groups, a press release said.
The games were played in 40 and 50 overs formats. There was also a two-day game and a T20 finale at Brisbane’s Merchant park, which has 12 top quality grounds in one location.
The U14s and U16s had the opportunity of playing a minimum of eight games each, while the U12s successfully completed 10 games during their two-week stay at the picturesque Australian country side.
It was a great opportunity for the young players to engage in longer versions of the game. The players learned a lot playing against top junior regional teams from Gold Cost and Brisbane on lush green grounds that had hard and bouncy green tops.
They also had the opportunity of getting some tips from former Australia pace bowler Andy Bichel during their practice session at Queensland High performance centre in Brisbane.
Bichel, who played 19 Tests and 67 one-day internationals, was one of the biggest stars of the Australian team that won the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
The tour ended with an award ceremony at Ashmore Palms Holiday Village.
The ceremony was attended by current Australian player Sam Heazlett. Heazlett, the 22-year-old batsman who made his one-day debut against New Zealand in January 2017 in Auckland, spoke to the players on his experience as a junior school player and how he overcame all barriers to become an Australian player at senior level.
Players who performed well during the tour:
Under 12: Best Batsman - Hriday Savnani. Best Bowler - Fadi Kookot. Best Fielder - Karan Dhiman. Most Promising Players Omar Tauqir and Faisur Rahman. Player of the Tour - Shrey Sethi.
Under 14: Best Batsman - Ranuth De Mel. Best Bowler - Nithira Yalagamage. Best Fielder Srinivasan Sricharan. Most Promising Player - Aryan Saxena. Player of the Tour - Dinuka Samarasinghe.
Under 16: Best Batsman - Saneen Latheef. Best Bowler - Joe Tharakan. Best Fielder - Ashish Biju. Most Promising Player - Mohamed Fares. Player of the Tour Brandon Martis.