Street20 cricket introduced in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Cricket yesterday teamed up with UNICEF, International Cricket Council, the Bureau of the Commissioner General for Rehabilitation, Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms, Ministry of Sports and Public Recreation and Cricket for Change to promote the spirit of cricket for children formerly associated with armed groups and other disadvantaged children.

At a launching ceremony held yesterday at the SLC complex a total of 24 children graduated as Cricket Peer Leaders after a week’s training on Street20 cricket emulating the popular Twenty20 game.

Young people from the Phoonthotam and Ratmalana Rehabilitation Centres and other disadvantaged children from Batticaloa took part in the training.

The ICC Commissioned Cricket for Change group who conducted the week long training went beyond the game of cricket touching on values of team work, respect and trust.

Technical staff from Sri Lanka Cricket who also took part in the training will play a key role in extending this initiative to benefit more children in the island.

The Cricket Peer Leaders will now go back to their homes and will run Street20 cricket in their communities of orgin thereby reaching out to more disadvantaged children.

The Government of the United Kingdom and Australia provided the much needed support to the project. Cricket for Change was commissioned by the ICC to set up four sustainable cricket development programs in the sub continent. The overall aim of these programs is to show how cricket can be used as a force for good in areas of disadvantaged and conflict.