The Andhra Cricket Association, which has spruced up the infrastructure all over its jurisdiction, has started using it efficiently and the two-week long camp by a cricket team from the U. S. at the Mangalagiri stadium is a shining example of it.
Under-13 cricketers from California stayed in the residential set-up and honed their skills under the watchful eyes of ACA coaches under pay-and-play scheme.
Former Andhra cricketer Raghuram Boorada, a coach who is running an academy — Cricket Zeal Academy — in the bay area was the man behind the exposure trip and he is keen that the U.S. cricketers visited Mangalagiri twice a year to grab a place in the USA Cricket Association’s junior teams.
“These kids had a conditioning camp for five days and played eight games with the ACA boys. Our physios and trainers were very helpful in keeping them fit. The players used the indoor stadium for skill development,” said BCCI senior selection committee member M.S.K. Prasad.
Mr. Raghuram said the academy that started with 10 players had over 100 players from the places like Palo Alto, Milpitas San Ramon and San Jose. “Most of the players are Telugu expats from the bay area,” he added. ACA senior coach J. Krishna Rao said the youngsters also had learnt by watching the inter-zonal fixtures of the ACA girls. “These kids, playing first time outside USA, learned how to handle pressure. They also had an opportunity to play quality and competitive cricket which was missing in their country.”
Mr. Prasad said the associate members of the International Cricket Council were showing interest in training in Andhra stadiums. “We already provided our stadiums to teams from Thailand, China, Singapore and Sharjah. Several countries in Europe are also keen to train in Andhra.” The ACA administrators felt that the association was ready to offer any technical assistance to teams from all over the world. According to reliable sources, the ACA is also keen on signing an MoU with the Cricket Zeal Academy to promote the game.
