ABOUT 120 teachers from across Tanzania are expected to participate in a face-to-face advanced cricket training course to be conducted by the ICC in Dar es Salaam from April 28-30.

The program, supervised by the Tanzania Cricket Association (TCA), aims to further strengthen the capacity of educators to nurture young cricket talent.

The initiative comes hot on the heels of the zonal Criiio Cricket Training Program, a development program seeking boost efforts by the national cricket body to develop the game from the grassroots.

A TCA official stated that the association, last week, successfully wrapped up the program by hosting the fourth and final seminar at Lugalo Secondary School in Iringa from March 26-28.

The concluding seminar, the TCA official pointed out, brought together 23 sports teachers from Coast Region, Iringa, Katavi, Mbeya, Njombe, Rukwa, and Songwe, with 12 teachers representing hosts Iringa.

This, he added, made the attendants the largest group of participants among the four zones, and a strong indicator of the region’s growing enthusiasm for cricket.

Iringa’s high turnout, the official stated, is timely, given that the region is set to host this year’s Inter-Primary Schools (UMITASHUMTA) and Inter-Secondary Schools (UMISSETA) games, which will see cricket, for the first time in history, gain inclusion in the tournaments.

The official revealed that in preparation for cricket's involvement in the national inter-school games, TCA is establishing a dedicated cricket development centre and playing ground in Iringa to support the events and leave a lasting legacy for the sport.

The Criiio Cricket seminar was led by TCA Chief Development Officer Hamisi Abdallah, alongside coaches Riziki Kiseto, Abubakar Selemani, and Monica Pascal.

The program, according to the official, was built upon a strong foundation - a virtual training session conducted by ICC’s Participation Programs Manager, Abhishek Shekhawat.

It saw selected TCA coaches participate in an online training at the TCA office at the Muhimbili Cricket Academy in Dar es Salaam a month prior. 

These coaches then went on to conduct four zonal seminars across the country.

The first of the seminars, covering Zone A, was held at Nsumba Secondary School in Mwanza from March 7–9.

Seventeen sports teachers from schools in Tabora, Simiyu, Geita, Kagera, Shinyanga, Mwanza, Kigoma, and Mara featured in the seminar.

It was led by TCA Chief Development Officer, Abdallah, who was assisted by experienced coaches Benson Mwita and Richard Marekana.

Training sessions provided structured training, equipping teachers with the skills and knowledge to effectively introduce cricket to students in their respective schools.

Tanga was the Zone B seminar host, with the training taking place at the Tanga School from March 13–15.

The Zone C seminar took place at Morogoro Secondary School in Morogoro from March 19–21.  

Zone D, in the end, brought the training program to a close, with the seminar hosted at Lugalo Secondary School in Iringa.

All seminars, the TCA official pointed out, trained sports teachers from the 56 government-selected schools, empowering them with the knowledge and tools to promote cricket in their respective regions.

The official stated that the entire effort has been driven by the visionary leadership of TCA Chairman, Balakrishna Sreekumar, whose advocacy played a key role in getting cricket recognized as a priority sport by Tanzania's government.

His vision to have cricket included in school programs has received strong backing from the ICC, creating new opportunities for expansion and talent development.

With the successful completion of all four zonal seminars and upcoming ICC-led training, the TCA official said, this is just the beginning of a new era for cricket in Tanzania.

Efficient supervision of cricket development from the grassroots has been the motive TCA is earnestly putting its efforts into.

The association, for one, recently launched a junior showdown, known as TCA Dar U-17 League, seeking to offer junior cricketers a competitive experience.

The new showdown's introduction highlighted the competitive spirit and promising talent among the young cricketers.

As the league progresses, the association said, domestic cricket fans can look forward to more thrilling matches and outstanding performances from the budding cricketers.