Kuwait, 20th July ‘2008.

Kuwait Cricket Association (KCA) under the auspices of Kuwait Olympic Committee is a  full member of Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and an associate member of International Cricket Council (ICC).  Under the patronage of Sheikh Dhari Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Kuwait is fast emerging as an upcoming cricketing nation in the international cricketing arena.
 
It is indeed a matter of pride to us that Kuwait has been invited to participate in the prestigious ACC Trophy  (Elite) 2008 cricket tournament which is a qualifier for the Asia Cup, and scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 23rd July till 4th  August, 2008 in which Afghanistan, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE  and Kuwait are participating.

Kuwait Cricket Association has short listed 18 players for the forthcoming event. The finals will be played on August 3, 2008 and the winners & losers of this tournament will qualify to play in the next Asia Cup.  The previous ACC trophy which was played in 2006  was won by UAE and Hong Kong were the runners up.

The probable Kuwait team is well balanced and is a mixture of young blood with a handful of seasoned & experienced players to the liking of Hisham Mirza & Saud Qamar who has played all the ACC trophy tournaments since 2000. Moreover, the squad is well equipped with the presence of seasoned campaigners such as Haji Javed, Sibtain Raza,  Mustansar Butt & Jagath. In Youngsters Murad & Faisal, Kuwait has found a new pair of fast bowlers who can rip apart any batting line up. The team has been undergoing tremendous work outs during the past one month under the watchful eyes of Coach Taher Khan and Arjuna Amaratunga and expert guidance provided by Arshad Shams a well known cricketer of yester years.

Kuwait team is all set to depart today with Emad Al-Jassam a prominent Kuwaiti sports lover and ACC qualified Coach  as their Manager. Kuwait will have to face hostile attack from Group mates Hong Kong, Qatar, Singapore & Nepal. Much is expected from this young team and if the players stick to their potential & plans a few surprises are expected to turn out during the course of the tournament.
Mr. Iqbal Sikander, the ACC Development Officer for Kuwait zone had been on a short visit  and was much impressed with the young squad.  He then briefed the players about the finer points of the game as he emphasized much about the stamina and physical fitness that a player has to maintain. Mr. Iqbal Sikander urged the players to be disciplined and play positive cricket as he provided the group with some tips so as to be mentally tough to tackle their opposition.

Mr. Yousuf Alil Bash popularly known as Father of Kuwaiti Cricket and Board member of Kuwait Cricket Association wished the Kuwait team all the very best on behalf of KCA President Sheikh Dari Fahd Al-Sabah, Faisal Al Marzouq & General Secretary Mr. Haider Farman.

KCA to felicitate the talented Pakistani Squad
A.Z Academy cricket team visit Kuwait

Kuwait, 15 June ‘2008. A cricket team groomed by the famous AZ cricket Academy from Karachi, Pakistan will be embarking Kuwait to play a few matches in this oil rich desert island. Kuwait Cricket Association will be the proud host to felicitate the talented Pakistani squad who would be brushing their skills against some of the best teams in Kuwait like Salmiya CC, Mercedes CC, Gullf Consult Colts, KOC U19 during this week.

The match to watch will be the one when the visiting Pakistani U-19 squad known for their incredible talents & skills take up the challenge of the probable’s to represent Kuwait National squad in the forthcoming ACC Cup. The Pakistani squad well known for its passionate approach to cricket will be locking horns with their counterparts and a couple of well known cricket teams in Kuwait. Cricket is seen as a unifying force wherever it is played as it brings together players and supporters from various region.
This gentleman’s game will provide considerable exposure for all the participating teams to enhance their talents & skills. This would indeed be a wonderful opportunity for Kuwait Cricket Association to reciprocate their hospitality towards the Pakistani Association who had provided red carpet treatment for Kuwait cricket teams on innumerable occasions.

Kuwait: Monday 8th May 2008, Kuwait Cricket Association (KCA) applauded and honored the services of Dr. Thomas P. Thurairatnam, the Head of KCA’s Technical Committee in a warm get together arranged at Kuwait Continental hotel recently. After a long stretch of service in Kuwait, Dr. Thomas is leaving for Canada for good.
Dr. Thomas has been the Head of KCA’s Technical Committee ever since its formation in 1996 and has been instrumental in streamlining  the technical affairs in a systematic manner and his services were of great assistance to KCA in conducting the domestic and International matches in Kuwait.
For those who know him closely, Dr. Thomas was the key personnel of KCA with innovative ideas in promoting cricket in its grass root level in Kuwait and that was quite evident in the early nineties when he pioneered in establishing the School cricket tournaments at KOC grounds where the likes of Indian test player Dinesh Kartik and Sibtain Raza who played for Pakistan U-15 National team started their debut. His helpful guidance to school cricketers has resulted in nurturing top quality players in Kuwait.
As a qualified ACC Physical Fitness & Sports medicine instructor, his selfless services were truly tested on numerous occasions during the preparations of Kuwait National cricket teams of various levels at International stages.
A man of great vision and ideas, Dr. Thomas’s dreams of having Kuwait  Cricket at the highest level is became a reality and his invaluable help as a team member has helped KCA in organizing several International cricket tournaments, the latest being the first ever international Twenty20 tournament in  Asia  held in  Kuwait in November 2007.

Mr. Haider Farman, KCA General Secretary handed over a memento to Dr. Thomas for his invaluable services to KCA and wished him all the very best in his future endeavors. Mr. Asad Baig, CEO, International Affairs said that no words could match the services rendered by Dr. Thomas and handed over a memento on behalf of Gulf Consults.
Mr. Sudhakar Shetty, Mr. Iqbal Vanoo, Mr. Riaz Choudhary, Mr. Mustaq Qadri, Mr Anjum Raza. and Mr. Kaleem Ul Hassan praised and applauded the contribution of Dr. Thomas to Kuwait cricket which will remain as an evergreen tree.
In a very emotional speech Dr. Thomas said that he was very much moved by the honor & love bestowed by KCA and said that he would continue to assist KCA to develop the game in Kuwait in the future as well and wished KCA all the best.

----Danny along with other guest of honors cutting the cake.

Kuwait, Tuesday 22nd January  ’2008, Gulf Consult Cricket Committee under the patronage of Ms. Najla Hamad T. Alghanim - Chairman , Mr. Ubed Arain, CEO and Managing Director and a Mr. Jeff de Lange, Deputy Managing Director hosted the inauguration ceremony of the prestigious KBRC Trophy a league based cricket tournament staged by the Gulf Consult at their newly constructed Cricket Ground