What does Pattambi in Kerala have to do with cricket in Africa? 'A lot' is the answer. Botswana Cricket Association deputy chairperson Sumod Damodar, who has been elected as chairman of the African Cricket Association (ACA), has his roots in the picturesque Palakkad village. His election to the top post of the ACA, which oversees cricket in African countries, is expected to reinvigorate Indo-African cricket ties. Sumod has the backing of Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), in his endeavour to develop the game of cricket in the continent.
Afro-Asian Project
The Afro-Asian Project, aimed at strengthening the sport of cricket at the grassroots in Africa was launched in the year 2005, when Jagmohan Dalmiya was at the helm of the BCCI. In a bid to strengthen ties and cooperation between the two continents, Dalmiya and the then ACA president Peter Chingoka took the initiative to conduct matches featuring Asian and African players. However, the project failed to make any headway after Dalmiya's tenure ended in 2009.
Shah and Sumod are trying to revive the Afro-Asian Project by stressing on grassroots development. Steps will be taken to help cricketers involved in the U-16, U-19 as well as the U-23 levels of the game. Experienced coaches will train these players so that their skills can be nurtured and honed. Emphasis will also be laid on infrastructure development.
Bangla-Afghan model
The model of cricket development, which the ACC has successfully implemented in Afghanistan and Bangladesh, will be tried out in Africa too. Local tournaments and cricket clinics are said to be the major reasons for the success story of these two nations at the international level.
"Inter-continental tournaments will allow budding African cricketers to learn and develop their game in a match situation. Most of the senior African players do not have the match experience of India's U-19 players. It is important to play more matches to gain experience as a player. We are planning to hold a tournament where teams from east, central and west regions in Africa will take part. From among those players, an African XI will be picked to take on teams from Asia. We hope the project will help more players from Africa to play in the Indian Premier League," Sumod said.
