COMING out of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s trip to India, I was very encouraged and impressed to hear that one of the largest cricket franchises in the world, Mumbi Indians, owned by one of the largest companies in Asia, was interested in establishing a state-of-the art cricketing academy in this country.
I have always argued that per capita, Trinidad and Tobago is possibly the most productive cricketing country, so it makes sense that the Mumbi Indians franchise will seek tap into this great potential to produce future Laras, Pollards, Narines, Poorans and Bravos for West Indies cricket and the IPL.
As a cricket enthusiast, player, club administrator and zonal administrator, I can clearly see the possibilities which may open up to young players and the development and evolution of the game right here in T&T and the wider region. Cricket has evolved and if one conducts a SWOT (strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis on West Indies Cricket, one of the biggest threats is the development of cricket in the
USA which is fuelled by heavy foreign and local investment in stadiums, development facilities and leagues. This is attracting many regional and potential West Indies players in droves. In my opinion, they have already surpassed us in terms of financing and it is only a matter of time before the talent drain catches up.
To compete, we must be able to attract similar investments in the sport and focus on player development, which is at the core of cricket development and team performance. That is why I am brimming with excitement at the prospect of a Mumbai Indians cricket academy in Trinidad and Tobago, the benefits are immense.
As a purely economic decision, this project seems to be an easy one. The project will represent foreign direct investment into this country, potentially bringing in foreign exchange inflows during construction and future inflows as operations begin.
Construction will generate employment and will also have a direct and indirect positive economic impact. In short, jobs will be created and more money will be injected into our local economy. Operating as a regional and international hub for cricket, players, coaches, support staff and tourists will be attracted to T&T, boosting our sport tourism sector, which is aligned with government policy.
The prospect of local clubs developing players through this academy and being picked up by major foreign franchises may mean transfer fees, paid in foreign exchange to these clubs. Local clubs already benefit from this mechanism but the additional opportunity of financing will be a massive motivation and incentive in the local cricketing sector, causing them to focus even more on player development.
Sticking on the topic of economics because that’s what drives the decision, the Mumbai Indians is owned by the one of the largest companies in Asia, the Reliance Group, which is one of the top 50 companies in the world, based on net worth. They have interests in energy, refining, natural gas production, chemicals production, telecommunications, technology, retail and media to name a few.
If you follow where I am going here, there are shared interests, as this country also possesses similar interests and capabilities. The ability to attract an organisation such as Reliance Group in Trinidad and Tobago, may open up other foreign direct investment opportunities. Furthermore, India is rapidly growing and expanding into the economic giant of Asia and is projected to even surpass China at some point.
Forging close ties with the private sector in such a country can only be beneficial to Trinidad and Tobago now and in the future.
Returning to the sport itself, this privately funded cricket academy represents massive opportunities for the development of cricket both locally and regionally. At the recently concluded Caricom Cricket Conference, it was widely agreed by both administrators, governments and even West Indies Legends like Sir Wes Hall, Michael Holding and others, that in order to change our prospects for the future of the game we need to focus on player development at a basic youth level and a focus should be on establishing academies. This is one such step in that direction, partnering with one of the most successful international franchises in cricket in the world.
The training and development opportunities for young players are enormous. Those not involved in the sport, will never know the work, sacrifice of players, parents, coaches and administrators and the effort it takes to produce a national or international player. Raw talent is not enough, it must be moulded with proper technical refining and mental preparedness. While I see persons, who have probably never even bowled a cricket ball, disparaging this project, I believe, as well as many in the cricketing fraternity, the this academy will offer immense opportunities, for player development and overall cricket development, locally and regionally.
I believe it was Albert Einstein who said, “the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” In the West Indies we seemed to have been doing just that and expecting magical success.
This cricket academy investment by the Mumbai Indians offers an opportunity to do something different.
While those with myopic perspectives can only see the negatives, I believe I speak for many in the cricketing fraternity, especially at the grassroot level, when I say I fully support this project. The opportunities to develop local players will enhance their skillsets and we may be able to incorporate a thing or two from a country which has seemed to have figured out the cricket development puzzle. I believe in this election cycle, politics will offer blinders to those opposed to the government and any project will be opposed for the sake of opposing. It is easy to find reasons to say no, but in my opinion, there are even more reasons to say yes to this proposed cricket academy.
Vyash Nandlal hold a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and an MSc in International Finance. He has more than 12 years’ experience in the field of economic research and analysis. He currently works as an economic researcher and advisor in the Office of the Prime Minister and sits on the boards of several state and non-profit organisations. The opinions and comments expressed by him are not necessarily those of AZP News, a Division of Complete Image Limited.
Benefits of Mumbai Indians Cricket Academy in Trinidad
COMING out of Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley’s trip to India, I was very encouraged and impressed to hear that one of the largest cricket franchises in the world, Mumbi Indians, owned by one of the largest companies in Asia, was interested in establishing a state-of-the art cricketing academy in this country.
I have always argued that per capita, Trinidad and Tobago is possibly the most productive cricketing country, so it makes sense that the Mumbi Indians franchise will seek tap into this great potential to produce future Laras, Pollards, Narines, Poorans and Bravos for West Indies cricket and the IPL.
As a cricket enthusiast, player, club administrator and zonal administrator, I can clearly see the possibilities which may open up to young players and the development and evolution of the game right here in T&T and the wider region. Cricket has evolved and if one conducts a SWOT (strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis on West Indies Cricket, one of the biggest threats is the development of cricket in the
USA which is fuelled by heavy foreign and local investment in stadiums, development facilities and leagues. This is attracting many regional and potential West Indies players in droves. In my opinion, they have already surpassed us in terms of financing and it is only a matter of time before the talent
drain catches up.
To compete, we must be able to attract similar investments in the sport and focus on player development, which is at the core of cricket development and team performance. That is why I am brimming with excitement at the prospect of a Mumbai Indians cricket academy in Trinidad and Tobago, the benefits are immense.
As a purely economic decision, this project seems to be an easy one. The project will represent foreign direct investment into this country, potentially bringing in foreign exchange inflows during
construction and future inflows as operations begin.
Construction will generate employment and will also have a direct and indirect positive economic impact. In short, jobs will be created and more money will be injected into our local economy. Operating as a regional and international hub for cricket, players, coaches, support staff and tourists will be attracted to T&T, boosting our sport tourism sector, which is aligned with government policy.
The prospect of local clubs developing players through this academy and being picked up by major foreign franchises may mean transfer fees, paid in foreign exchange to these clubs. Local clubs already benefit from this mechanism but the additional opportunity of financing will be a massive motivation and incentive in the local cricketing sector, causing them to focus even more on player development.
Sticking on the topic of economics because that’s what drives the decision, the Mumbai Indians is owned by the one of the largest companies in Asia, the Reliance Group, which is one of the top 50 companies in the world, based on net worth. They have interests in energy, refining, natural gas production, chemicals production, telecommunications, technology, retail and media to name a few.
If you follow where I am going here, there are shared interests, as this country also possesses similar interests and capabilities. The ability to attract an organisation such as Reliance Group in Trinidad and Tobago, may open up other foreign direct investment opportunities. Furthermore, India is rapidly growing and expanding into the economic giant of Asia and is projected to even surpass China at some point.
Forging close ties with the private sector in such a country can only be beneficial to Trinidad and Tobago now and in the future.
Returning to the sport itself, this privately funded cricket academy represents massive opportunities for the development of cricket both locally and regionally. At the recently concluded Caricom Cricket Conference, it was widely agreed by both administrators, governments and even West Indies Legends like Sir Wes Hall, Michael Holding and others, that in order to change our prospects for the future of the game we need to focus on player development at a basic youth level and a focus should be on establishing academies. This is one such step in that direction, partnering with one of the most successful international franchises in cricket in the world.
The training and development opportunities for young players are enormous. Those not involved in the sport, will never know the work, sacrifice of players, parents, coaches and administrators and the effort it takes to produce a national or international player. Raw talent is not enough, it must be moulded with proper technical refining and mental preparedness. While I see persons, who have probably never even bowled a cricket ball, disparaging this project, I believe, as well as many in the cricketing fraternity, the this academy will offer immense opportunities, for player development and overall cricket development, locally and regionally.
I believe it was Albert Einstein who said, “the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and
over and expecting a different result.” In the West Indies we seemed to have been doing just that
and expecting magical success.
This cricket academy investment by the Mumbai Indians offers an opportunity to do something different.
While those with myopic perspectives can only see the negatives, I believe I speak for many in the cricketing fraternity, especially at the grassroot level, when I say I fully support this project. The opportunities to develop local players will enhance their skillsets and we may be able to incorporate a thing or two from a country which has seemed to have figured out the cricket development puzzle. I believe in this election cycle, politics will offer blinders to those opposed to the government and any project will be opposed for the sake of opposing. It is easy to find reasons to say no, but in my opinion, there are even more reasons to say yes to this proposed cricket academy.
Vyash Nandlal hold a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and an MSc in International Finance. He has more than 12 years’ experience in the field of economic research and analysis. He currently works as an economic researcher and advisor in the Office of the Prime Minister and sits on the boards of several state and non-profit organisations. The opinions and comments expressed by him are not necessarily those of AZP News, a Division of Complete Image Limited.