Following on from the ICC’s educational partnership with curators in Nigeria, the Americas programme will bring the knowledge of ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson to a 9-week online course outlining the basic principles of turf pitch curation. A more advanced follow-up course is also planned for a later date.

Speaking to the Royal Gazette, Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB)’s president, Lloyd Smith, was enthusiastic about the course, and the benefits to his country: "The course will aid in the improved preparations of our turf wickets. We can highlight the success story of our previous attendees, Allan Douglas and Calvin Richardson, who completed their course work and were able to provide their services to the BCB, in conjunction with the ground staff at Somerset Bridge Recreation Club. Their expertise enabled the BCB to host and facilitate a first-class ICC Americas T20 Regional Qualifying tournament in 2019."

Cricket in St Moriz put on ice due to COVID-19

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Europe has put an end to yet more cricket, this time in Switzerland. The popular Cricket on Ice competition, scheduled for February 2021, was cancelled this week by organisers due to logistical and health concerns. The event, hosted by St. Moritz Cricket Club, was first held over 30 years ago and was set to run as a three-day carnival on the frozen lake of Swiss resort town St. Moritz.

In a press release from Cricket Switzerland, organisers were quoted as saying: "The prospect of an effective vaccine is a promising one, but our top priority of the committee is the health & safety of the participants, the players and officials, their families and friends and our sponsors, and at this juncture, we still do not know how this pandemic will continue and what measures will be enforced."

With the Swiss government enacting strict limits on gatherings, the St. Moritz Cricket Club concluded that the traditional socialising and networking component of the event would be impossible, especially since spectators would likely not be permitted.

Germany utilises ICC courses to grow cricket in local schools

The ICC’s new Entry Level Programme resources have been put to use by the German Cricket Federation (DCB), with North/East development officer Sharu Sadarangani dispatched to Bremen to run an introduction to the sport at the International School of Bremen. 68 children in school years 1-4 got their first taste of cricket as the DCB started the rollout of what is planned to be a nationwide project to embed the sport in German schools. Three additional schools in Frankfurt have also come online this week, with the DCB presenting a pathway from the ELP into local youth clubs.

The ELP is a beginner-level set of activities developed by the ICC and aimed at bringing newcomers into the game. It has so far been translated into 12 languages.

Sierra Leone stars shortlisted in national awards

Sierra Leone’s cricketers have been recognised for their onfield efforts, with nominations for the men’s and women’s games at the National Entertainment Awards: men’s skipper George Ngegba is shortlisted in the Best Sportsman category, and women’s captain Linda Bull is up for the Best Sportswoman gong. The ceremony will take place on the 23rd of December at the Golden Tulip Hotel, with various local dignitaries expected to be in attendance.

Aspiring Uzbekistan meets with stakeholders in ICC membership quest

Cricket in Uzbekistan took a step forward this week, as the Uzbekistan Cricket Federation (CFU) CEO, Aziz Mihliev, visited the UAE for a series of important meetings. Firstly, he met with the executive board of the Asian Cricket Council in Dubai, to discuss potential membership for Uzbekistan. CFU are making progress on this front, with the ACC set to inspect their on field facilities in Tashkent early in 2021.

Mihliev then travelled north to Sharjah, where he visited representatives of the Emirates Cricket Board and the Sharjah Stadium Management team. Together they agreed to four friendly matches between a CFU representative side and local teams, with two matches each hosted at Sharjah Cricket Stadium and the Sheikh Zayed facility in Abu Dhabi. The matches are tentatively scheduled for early December.

Finally, Mihliev rounded out the trip with a visit to the ICC offices, where he met with regional development officer Iqbal Sikandar. Mihliev reported on the CFU’s development efforts, and Sikander offered advice to assist Uzbekistan in continuing to build towards ICC membership. The relationship between Sikandar and the CFU has seen them meet several times already.