Rohit Sharma’s CricKingdom to open new cricket academy in Cambodia

The Cricket Association of Cambodia (CAC), the Praveen Jain Group of Companies, and Rohit Sharma’s CricKingdom have struck a deal to open a new cricket academy in Cambodia, according to the Khmer Times.

The academy, first proposed several months ago, will be based in the capital, Phnom Penh. It will be funded by the Praveen Jain Group, and co-operated with CricKingdom, who will, among other things, recruit and train academy coaches. CricKingdom has roots in India and Singapore, and, incidentally, was co-founded by former Singaporean national team captain, Chetan Suryawanshi.

CAC CEO, Manish Sharma told Khmer Times ‘it is a big step forward, a milestone for us. A proper, international-standard academy with the best local and foreign coaches will help us develop top professional players, coaches and umpires. Setting up the academy with (Rohit) Sharma will be a game changer for Cambodian cricket.’ According to the CAC CEO, the facility will be established in 60 days.

In related news, CAC has also announced that it is once again an ‘active’ member of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), making it eligible to participate in regional tournaments. CAC first became a member of the ACC in 2012. Cambodia is not yet a member of ICC.

When queried about the possibility of cricket’s inclusion in the 2023 South East Asian (SEA) Games, to be held in Phnom Penh, CAC CEO Sharma said, “yes, we are preparing a team for the 2023 SEA Games. If this sport is added to the list, we will try our best to get a medal.”

According to CAC’s facebook page, the previously announced Cambodian Premier League T20 tournament has now been postponed to July 2021 because of a new COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

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