The organised version of Indoor Cricket may have started about four or five decades ago but the tip-and-run is probably as old as the game
According to the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) there are approximately 40, 000 active players playing in leagues across four recognised indoor facilities in the UAE
The organised version of Indoor Cricket may have started about four or five decades ago but the tip-and-run is probably as old as the game. Sir Frank Worrell played that format as a child and there is a chapter on his tip-and-run ‘escapades’ in a book titled ‘The Joy of Cricket’. This form has had different variants, with the latest being Indoor Cricket. And, tip-andrun is an essential part of this form of cricket.
It was in 1997 that Pradeep Menon introduced indoor cricket to the UAE, by setting up the Insportz Club. It was a perfect set up for the UAE residents, especially in hot summers and after office hours.
Now, the revamped club in Al Quoz Industrial area is ready to host a mega event — the Indoor Cricket World Cup from Septem-
We at Emirates Cricket are delighted to be hosts of the 2017 tournament Zayed Abbas, ECB spokesperson
ber 16-23. “Indoor cricket is taken very seriously here. We have different divisions and players (and teams), who strive to gain promotions from lower divisions to higher ones,” Manino Po, who is managing the Insportz Club told Khaleej Times.
According to the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) there are approximately 40, 000 active players playing in leagues across four recognised indoor facilities in the UAE. Thus, it was a big step for the ECB, to not only host the Indoor World Cup but to also form the UAE National men’s and women’s teams. “We are very pleased, as host nation, to field a competitive side in the upcoming 2017 Indoor Cricket World Cup,” says Zayed Abbas, ECB spokesperson.
“We at Emirates Cricket are delighted to be hosts of the 2017 tournament, and be able to provide these players with a platform to compete on the international stage through the Indoor World Cup.” adds Zayed.
While the ECB has taken indoor cricket under their wings, only Cricket Australia, among elite cricket-playing nations, has brought this format under their ambit. The England and Wales Cricket Board has appointed Action Indoor Sports UK as the Governing Authority. The rest have not even touched this format.
Anis Sajan, who has been involved in indoor cricket in the UAE for the last two decades, as a player as well as a team administrator, reckons that time has come for the governing bodies across the world to take indoor cricket under their administration. “There’s a lot of scope for indoor cricket,” he believes.
“If the ICC (International Cricket Council) had stepped in, it wouldn’t have been only Australia winning the World Cup for the last nine years,” he stresses, wondering reluctance on the part of the world governing body. “It is related to cricket and ICC should take over,” Anis suggests, pointing out that the popularity of women’s cricket has increased multi-fold since ICC has taken over the sport. “If ICC can push indoor cricket, it will have a good future.”
Anis, who is also the Indian team’s mentor, is gung-ho about the Indoor World Cup in the UAE and praised the all new 11m wide x 29m long ‘cage’ that has a new mat as well as new nets that form the ‘cage’ at the Insportz Club.
He reckons that this fast-paced exciting game of cricket can be played by a 10-year-old to a 60-year-old. “As long as they can run,” he adds with a chuckle.
There will be loads of running, cheering and bonhomie when over 400 cricketers take to the court for a week to give fans in Dubai something to cheer about.