Dubai coach reveals how Saudi is using cricket to motivate construction workers at Neom
It was only a few days ago that news about a proposed Saudi Arabia-backed T20 league emerged, a highly ambitious plan which the experts believe could change the global cricketing landscape.
A Sydney Morning Herald report said Saudi is planning a $500 million cricket league featuring eight teams that could play in four different cities around the world.
The planned league, many believe, could even knock the Indian Premier League (IPL) off its perch as the richest cricket tournament in the world.
While there has been no official statement from the Saudi authorities yet on their ambitions of hosting a high-profile cricket tournament, the sport is quietly playing a part in their vision for the future.
Having won the bid to host the 2034 Fifa World Cup, Saudi is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to build world-class infrastructure across the Gulf country.
And, in quite innovative way, Saudi has blended cricket with football, developing the game at the grassroots level and encouraging construction workers, especially in Neom, a futuristic city-state which is being developed in the northwestern part of the country.
A state-of-the-art football stadium will also be built for the 2034 Fifa World Cup at Neom.
As construction workers began their work, Saudi authorities, in association with IPL team, Rajasthan Royals, launched community cricket tournaments for employees and contractors.
Sudhakar Shetty, a veteran Dubai-based Indian cricket coach, was invited by Rajasthan Royals to be part of a one-of-kind initiative to motivate construction workers.
'There are many stakeholders who are into the development of that place (Neom). One of them is Rajasthan Royals. They have community development programmes. They are doing a lot of activities in the workers' camps, motivating them,' Shetty told the Khaleej Times.
Shetty's role was to give pep talks on cricket and motivate the workers during the tennis-ball tournaments.
The Royals had also sent legendary cricketers Rahul Dravid and Kumar Sangakkara to take part in those initiatives.
'Dravid and Sangakkara gave away the prizes after the tournament and also interacted with the workers,' Shetty said.
'So cricket has become a tool to motivate construction workers because a lot of the people are from the sub-continent."
The scale of the development work at Neom left Shetty, founder of the Maxtalent Cricket Academy in the UAE, lost for words.
'It's unbelievable how they are transforming the place. I can see a very bright future for Neom. And I think they are very upbeat that IPL will also come one day (to Saudi),' he said.
Shetty was invited to be part of the project by Siddhartha Lahiri, head of Coaching Academy, Rajasthan Royals.
'I was happy to accept the offer because it's a welfare project, a non-commercial project,' he said.
'And cricket development has always been my passion, so I am always happy to do my bit for the game.'
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