Kuwait hope ILT20 link up will mark ‘momentous’ shift in cricket landscape in the region

When the DP World International League T20 first mooted plans to expand its footprint around the region, the likely destinations seemed obvious.

There is already a scenic, well-appointed cricket venue in Muscat, where Oman have one-day international status.

Saudi Arabia, too, has big plans for the sport, and a rapidly growing expat community of cricket lovers, albeit without a stadium with grass as yet.

Doha has an international cricket venue that has hosted star names of the international game in the past. It also has a ready audience of fans, particularly from South Asia.

Instead, the UAE franchise competition’s first link up is with a country whose entire programme has to schedule playing time on its one grass cricket facility.

Last week, the ILT20 announced an agreement with Kuwait Cricket. It said it will organise matches in the country which will be aimed at identifying and developing players.

That includes plans to stage a development tournament similar to the one in Dubai which helps the six ILT20 franchises select local players for their squads.

The organisers also stated that, “in the coming years, the league will also aim to host ILT20 matches in Kuwait”.

“Kuwait is very important to us; it is a great country and keen on promoting and further developing cricket,” Khalid Al Zarooni, the chairman of the ILT20, said.

“Kuwait and the rest of the Gulf countries are all one. [Cricket playing] communities are residing throughout the region and our aim with the DP World ILT20 is to grow and develop the game in the entire region.”

The link up is an acknowledgement for the strides the country has made in the sport. Imperceptibly, Kuwait have been making a mark in the game in recent times.

They have reached number 23 in the T20I world standings. That is the third best of any side in the Gulf region, behind the two most established sides – the UAE and Oman.

It also puts them above sides like Hong Kong, Kenya and Bermuda, who have held ODI status in the past.

Last winter, they fell two runs short of what would have been a statement win, when they lost to the UAE in the final of the Gulf T20I Championship at Dubai International Stadium.

Frustrated as they were by failing to close out what would have been their biggest success to date, coach Qasim Ali said that game was a sign of the progress they are making.

“It would’ve been great for the lads and great for the country because UAE are a powerhouse in the GCC,” Qasim said.

“To beat them in their own backyard in their stadium, which the lads have never played in, would've been a momentous achievement for our side.

“Obviously, it was a little bit personal for me as well, but that comes secondary in terms of what we’re trying to achieve. It would’ve been brilliant, but I think UAE have realised that we’ve gone up a few gears as well.”

It was “personal” for Qasim because he has a strong affinity with UAE cricket himself. He helped develop a number of the leading players in the country in his former role at head coach at the ICC Academy in Dubai, and remains a resident of the city.

Over the past 18 months he has helped push Kuwaiti cricket forward. Now he believes the link up with the ILT20 can help fast forward the progress.

“Without a shadow doubt, this is a huge moment in the landscape of GCC cricket,” he said. “This is fantastic for Kuwait Cricket, and everybody associated with Kuwait, past, present and future.

“It really sets the milestone for where we are headed strategically, to partner with ILT20. It allows our players to come and demonstrate their skills in a professional franchise environment, which none of our lads have been involved in.

“To have a development programme in Kuwait itself, backed by ILT20, is a huge achievement. We cannot overstate how important this will be for our players locally.”

The coach said the partnership is the result of “a lot of hard work” by Kuwait Cricket’s president Haider Farman and secretary general Sajid Ashraf.

“It opens the door to a long-awaited dream: enabling our Kuwait players to pursue full-time professional cricket careers on the international franchise stage,” Ashraf said.

Ashraf hopes it will help drive investment, saying there is a cricket-loving community of two million people in Kuwait, in a country of five million.

“This initiative provides a unique opportunity for Kuwaiti brands to expand their footprint regionally, starting with the UAE,” Ashraf said.

“We are deeply passionate about our Kuwaiti businesses becoming an integral part of both [Kuwait Cricket] and the DP World ILT20.

“These well-established corporations in Kuwait have so much to offer in supporting the continued growth of cricket across the region.”

While the facilities for the sport in Kuwait are some way behind the UAE and Oman at present, Qasim is hopeful they will see ILT20 matches there at some point soon.

“It would be fantastic for our fan base, players, administrators, local businesses to see some of the best stars coming over to Kuwait,” the coach said.

“We’re a little way off from that, but I would love to see that sooner rather than later. Obviously there are other countries in the region who've probably got a ready-made set-up.

“If we could get something in Kuwait to back up the development programme, and some of our players going into the auction and being picked by the franchises, maybe some of the coaches, that would be a big success for us.”