The Home of Cricket will host the Asian Cricket Awards on 13th October this year in an event that recognises and rewards the strides made by British Asian cricketers, coaches, and volunteers in the community and also on the professional stage.
With an in-form Ajmal Shahzad firing Sussex to the summit of Division One and the promising Zafar Ansari offered a chance to impress against Ireland in next week’s ODI, there can be no doubt that English cricket can dramatically improve with the potential held in our South Asian communities.
Leicestershire Chief Executive, Wasim Khan, was in attendance at the launch where he explained his hopes for cricket and communities to work together.
“We’re already starting to see the real impact of participation programmes and in particular the South Asian strategy which recently launched in partnership with all the county cricket boards last year.
“Ultimately what we want to try and get to, is a point where there is no South Asian strategy [necessary] in the years to come. Once we get to that it will be a great benchmark for success. It’ll prove two things: one, that our communities are self-sufficient, and two, that cricket in the South Asian community has integrated into mainstream cricket in the country,” said Khan, who has a place on the 2015 judging panel.
Award categories include: Professional Player of the Year, Grassroots, Amateur Player of the Year, and new to 2015’s selection is the Diversity Project Award.
In association with the ECB, the Diversity Project Award is open to county cricket clubs to highlight their work engaging with their local British Asian community.
Co-founder of the Asian Cricket Awards, Jas Jassal said, “The Awards are the ideal platform to recognise and celebrate South Asian success in cricket.
“There are role models all over the UK with inspirational stories. From those who volunteer, to those who have made cricket a full-time career. What better place to celebrate their achievements than at the home of cricket, Lord’s?”
For more information head over to Asian Cricket Awards
