Bhutan will be participating in Upcoming ICC Women’s T20 WC Asia Qualifier from 1-14 June 2022, Malaysia The following teams will be participating :   List of selected players for the upcoming ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup AsiaQualifier, 1-14 June 2022, Malaysia. List of Players

Bhutan is the regional winner for the “ICC 4 Good Social Impact Initiative of the year” award according to the media release of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and now goes through to the Global awards. Cricket for social good impact initiative of the year award acknowledges the outstanding projects where Bhutan Cricket is used as a tool for social change and development. The ICC activities are divided into five regions namely Asia, East Asia, Europe, Americas and Africa. Bhutan won the award from the Asia region and other nations like Italy, Peru, Nigeria and Samoa also won from their respective regions and are also through for the same global award. The ICC recognized Bhutan Cricket’s initiative of introducing cricket into the remote rural settings of Merak and Sakteng (Find the documentary link below)Five categories of the global awards are;  ICC Digital Fan Engagement of the Year ICC Development Initiative of the Year ICC Associate Member Men’s Performance of the Year ICC Associate Member Women’s Performance of the Year 100 % Cricket Initiative of the Year Bhutan has been nominees and winners of previous awards within the Asia region however, managed to win the only global award in 2018 for the ‘change initiative of the year’ category. Speaking of the nomination, the CEO of Bhutan Cricket, Damber Gurung said, “Many congratulations to all the countries nominated for the global award.” “Congratulations to all the countries and their cricket association for all the good impact done through cricket.” “It is always great feeling to get recognized for the work done and we are delighted to be going through for the global award. All the credit goes to those involved in the development of cricket in Bhutan,” he added. Follow the following links for more informationDocumentary linkhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdse1bOY1CAICC Development Awards linkhttps://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2564479

Today, in the presence of the CEO and other Management staffs, Bhutan Cricket welcomed six new members, five district coaches and a media officer to the cricket fraternity. All the new members are being recruited on a contract basis of two years. They will take up their responsibilities with immediate effect.

Anju Gurung, the vice-captain of the national women’s cricket team, has been selected to participate in the upcoming FairBreak International Women’s T20 tournament. The 2022 FairBreak Invitational (the Tournament) is an ICC sanctioned competition that will be held in Dubai from May 1-15, 2022 in association with Cricket Hong Kong. This six-team tournament will feature players from around the world. It will be the first privately funded tournament in the history of women’s cricket, with leading healthcare group Gencor as the main sponsor. After submitting the names of the top five female cricketers from Bhutan along with their match videos, Anju was selected for the above tournament. Miss Anju will be the first female cricketer from Bhutan to participate in the privately funded tournament. As per the tournament criteria, the Left Arm medium pacer will be placed in one of the six teams. As part of her preparation, Anju will spend 10 days in Bangkok and train with the Thai National Women’s Cricket Team from April 19-29, 2022. Bhutan Cricket would like to thank FairBreak International for accepting a player from Bhutan to participate in their prestigious tournament. We would also like to thank the Cricket Association of Thailand for their support in Anju’s preparation. The entire Bhutanese cricket fraternity would like to wish Anju Gurung the best of luck for the tournament and we hope that her efforts will pay off. Miss Anju will depart on April 19 and return to Bhutan on May 23, 2022.

The ICC orientation program with existing coach educators in Asia was held today via video conference. The program was conducted by the master educators of the ICC. Five educators from Bhutan participated in the program. The ICC has introduced an online coach training program that is accessible to anyone seeking ICC coach accreditation levels 1, 2, and 3 and wishing to expand their coaching knowledge. However, it is important to note that coaches must achieve at least 75% of the points to be eligible for certification. Upon completion of the online course, participants must take a practical assessment administered by local instructors assigned by the ICC. Bhutan Cricket will conduct a practical examination in the respective Dzongkhags. If you would like to register for the online course, please contact our Development Officer for more information.(M) [email protected]

Bhutan U-19 women’s cricket team will take part in the Asia qualifiers to be held in Malaysia in June 2022. This will be the first time Bhutan will play an ICC event of the U-19 category. The International Cricket Council (ICC) U19 Women’s cricket world cup Asia Qualifier will be hosted by Malaysia Cricket Association (MCA). The tournament will feature hosts Malaysia, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, Malaysia, Qatar and UAE. Though the Bhutan U-19 women’s team had earlier participated in international tournaments, the events were all hosted by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). (ACC is a subordinate to ICC who promote and develop cricket in Asia). Sarpang District coach Kumar Subba and Paro district coach Sonam Lhamo will lead the team as coaches. Finally the tournament is returning for our younger group and we are thrilled. We always want the younger ones to get such opportunities. Damber Gurung CEO Much delighted with the news Bhutan Cricket CEO, Damber Gurung was over the moon as he received the invitation and said, “Finally the tournament is returning for our younger group and we are thrilled. We always want the younger ones to get such opportunities.” However, according to Damber Gurung, preparing the team will be a challenging. “We really don’t have much time to prepare the team and the current situation would hamper more on our plans,” he added. “The other thing will be to adjust from tennis ball to stitch ball for the girls”. Watch the following link to view rare video clip of the 2012 Bhutan U-19 women’s batting against Hong Kong and Kuwait. Bhutan’s Dechen Wangmo was declared the best batter of the tournament.https://fb.watch/cjCWx4-qmZ/ Photo: Team photo from the ACC U-19 Women’s Championship February 2012 in Kuwait. Th team was lead by former head coach Damber Gurung.

This is to inform all those who have registered for the ICC Coaching Foundation Course that the ICC Level 1 Certification is scheduled for April 2022. Therefore, in order to qualify for ICC Level 1 Certification, it is mandatory to complete and pass the ICC Foundation Course with a minimum of 75 points. According to our DATA, 214 trainers registered for the course. Of these, 67 have passed and the rest have not yet completed the course. We would like to remind our trainers to complete the Foundation Course as early as possible. For further information, please contact:Ugyen Dorji, Development Officer, Bhutan Cricket, Email : [email protected] | 17528899  

Cricket in the valley of the home of the mythical Yeti The pristine valley of Merak and Sakteng is one of the most remote places in the country and for ages the community has been closed to protect the unique cultural heritage of the Brokpa people. The semi-nomadic Yak herders still believe that the mythical creature Yeti roams the valley and is an important part of the local culture. It was an exciting but challenging task for Bhutan Cricket to bring the sport of cricket to them as they were not sure about the interest and acceptance. With red cheek, braided yak hair and blue rubber boots in traditional attire, Sonam Dorji is intrigued when he sees a cricket bat for the first time. “With a smirk on his face, he said that the bat will be useful to use as kind of whips to provide directional guidance or to encourage movement animals”. The 5-day journey from the capital Thimphu is full of adventure and winding roads crossing many majestic peaks and passes, which are food for the soul and a delight for the eyes. Bhutan Cricket has taken an initiative to bring cricket to the far east of Bhutan, Merak and Sakteng. The ICC Criiio Cricket Program in Merak and Sakteng is a unique cricket clinic that aims to promote and introduce the game in two schools. These two schools, Merak Primary School and Sakteng Lower Secondary School, are among the few remote schools in Bhutan where such programs are not conducted. https://youtu.be/Tdse1bOY1CA In the hope of preserving the cricket culture in the valley, a plastic bat and ball were distributed to each participant, sponsored by UNICEF Bhutan. A total of 484 students and 26 teachers from both schools participated in the program. It was considered one of the most successful programs initiated by Bhutan Cricket in recent years due to the travel involved and the location is over 3500 meters above sea level. Trekking through the pristine valley on foot and seeing the happy faces of the children holding bat and ball for the first time captured the idea of healthy development and success.

The explosive Mikyo stormed social media overnight when he became the first player from Bhutan to be registered in the history of IPL Auction 2022. It was a milestone for Bhutan Cricket and for Mikyo to be fielded in the world’s biggest cricket tournament. The 21-year-old all-rounder made his debut for Bhutan in 2018 against Malaysia and has played nine international matches so far. He is a very hardworking boy with passion and drive who is also supported by his father who is also a passionate sports fan. “I think I am someone who is passionate and obsessed with what I do. When I want something, I do whatever it takes to achieve it,” Mikyo explained. That attitude speaks for itself, as he is also the first player to play in the Everest Premier League for the Lalitpur Patriots in Nepal in 2021. To realize his dream and develop his cricketing skills, the former North Pointer has joined the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai at his own expense and hopes to change the image of cricket in Bhutan. Well-built and broad-shouldered, Mikyo is a disciplined athlete whose biggest goal is to play in one of IPL’s teams. Mikyo drew a lot of inspiration from former Indian captain Dhoni when he met him in Chennai. In the video that went viral on social media, the captain gave the Bhutanese prodigy some good advice: ”Keep it simple. Focus more on the process and less on the results. If you go about the process the right way, you will get the results. Like every other cricketer in Bhutan, Mikyo firmly believes that Bhutanese cricket can evolve in many ways. He takes a cue from countries like Nepal, Oman and Afghanistan that have made great strides in cricket. He said, “Just a few years ago we were competing with these countries and now some of them are playing in the World Cup.” This just shows that we are making progress, but very slowly. While other countries are making great strides forward.

Gelephu International Cricket Ground (GICG) is the first natural grass pitch ground of Bhutan Cricket and is located in the southern part of Bhutan, in Gelephu. Currently, the ground has six natural grass pitches in the center, four natural grass pitches and two artificial grass pitches at the nets. The total area of the ground is 6 acre, of which 75% are used for the main playing field and the rest for the grandstand with natural seating, the construction of a pavilion, nets, toilets, a staff house, storage facilities, and future development of the site. When the pavilion is completed, we will have about 3000 seats for spectators. The pavilion will have two dressing rooms for the teams, official rooms for media, umpires, scorers and match officials, an office cafeteria, VIP stands, toilets and a gallery with 360 seats. The ground will serve as a National Cricket Academy and venue for international and major national events. Funding for the development of the pitch was originally provided by the Asian Cricket Council and we have continued to receive funding from ACC depending on the Asia Cup. We have received a loan from the ICC and a special grant for the development of the pavilion. The Bhutan Olympic Committee has supported us with a grant for the construction of toilets, gates, and parking. The construction of the site started in 2016, and later the work was interrupted because there was no clay available for the construction of the pitch. However, in 2019, the work was resumed, with some changes in the strategy for the development of the main field. From 2021, the field was used for the preparation of the women’s national team. We are hoping that by end of 2023 the ground will be equipped with all the facilities.