Six young cricketers get scholarships under ECB's South Asian Plan

IN a two-year pilot programme as part of the England and Wales Cricket Board's (ECB) South Asian Plan - six British Asian boys have been awarded cricket scholarships to boarding schools.

As reported by The Telegraph, the six boys were selected by the National Asian Cricket Council, and are funded by Royal SpringBoard in partnership with Repton and Woodhouse Grove.

The newspaper spoke with Adam Hussain and Awais Khan, who are part of the programme. Adam plays for Lancashire Under-12s, Awais for Yorkshire Under-13s - and both say "this is a great opportunity" that enhances their prospects in other professions if they do not go on to become professional cricketers.

Adam, a batsman who also bowls leg breaks put on his pads to bat in the Park Avenue nets, which is open to the local community for free as part of the Yorkshire Foundation.

Adam's father, Arshad is a relieved man for no more having to give throw downs or bowl at his son because there is now Awais bowling to Adam.

“All the cricket clubs are locked up during the week except on the two training nights. There would be nowhere for Adam to bat if he hadn’t got this scholarship,” Arshad was quoted as saying.

Like England opener Haseeb Hameed, Adam learned his batting in his front room and Arshad says "broke a lot of light bulbs". But the boy's cricket would have ended if the scholarship to Woodhouse Grove had not happened.

On the other hand, Awais is not your traditional legspinner who would flight the ball, rather got a slider which he learned from England spinner Adil Rashid, when he had once come to practise at Park Avenue. He too has joined Bingley, Rashid’s club.