Welcoming the players, coaches and officials from the three teams the Minister said: “Having two of the highest ranked teams in the world play cricket in Belfast will raise the profile of the game in Ireland and beyond.
“I know that all cricket fans are looking forward to their games against Ireland over the weekend and the One Day Series between these two countries at Stormont. It promises to be a real feast of cricket for all those who love the game.
“At home cricket has been enjoying a revival in recent years. When a national team is being successful, it has the knock-on effect of helping the game at every level. That is certainly the case in Northern Ireland as children with makeshift stumps play the game for the first time or take it up again with renewed enthusiasm. Players like yourselves become the role models for young people who aspire to be the next generation of cricket stars.”
The Minister said that the forthcoming game at Stormont against India would be Ireland’s 18th One Day International, quite an achievement given that they only played their first One Day International just over a year ago.
Praising the work of all who made the tournament possible, Edwin Poots continued: “On behalf of all sports fans, and in particular cricket fans, I want to thank all those who have made this possible. In particular Warren Deutrom and his team persevered and managed to overcome all the difficulties to ensure that this tournament would happen. Such a high profile sporting event once again puts Northern Ireland on the world stage for all the right reasons."
The Minister concluded: “It is great to see so many of cricket’s stars here in Northern Ireland and I wish them well over the coming week for all the games. I look forward to hearing how Ireland performs against two of the world’s top cricket nations.”
Notes to Editors:
Media enquiries to Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure Press Office. Tel: 028 9025 8901 or email press.office@dcalni.gov.uk
