The KCC Board delegation led by President Mr. Haider Farman along with General Secretary Mr. Emad Al Jasem and Director General Mr. Sajid Ashraf successfully participated in the recently concluded ICC Annual Conference and ICC Annual General Meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The event, held from 18th to 23rd July 2024, brought together all 108 ICC members and focused on the theme "Capitalizing on the Olympic Opportunity," in light of cricket's inclusion in the LA28 Olympics.
Key decisions included the allocation of regional qualifying spots for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and the expansion of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup to 16 teams by 2030.
Mr. Mubashshir Usmani from the Emirates Cricket Board was elected as the new Chairman of Associate members whereas Mr. Imran Khawaja and Mr. Mahinda Villapuram will take the honors of AM Directors. KCC Board wishes them all heartiest congratulations.
Kuwait is all set to host the GCC Men’s T20I Championship in December later this year and it was also confirmed on the sidelines of the ICC AGM, amongst the GCC members, that the next Women’s T20I Championship will take place in Oman in Q1 2025.
In another major breakthrough, Kuwait will also host a tri-nation T20I series with Malaysia and Hong Kong from 20th to 28th August 2024 in Kuala Lumpur. This will lead up to the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers that kick start from the 30th of August in the same picturesque city. Malaysia will be Kuwait’s commercial partners for this event.
Kuwait Cricket highlighted its continuous progress by showcasing the recent qualification of List A status for the men's category on the ICC Photo Wall, as well as the movement of anti-corruption in domestic cricket, which was recognized and appreciated by the ICC top brass. ICC Anti Corruption Unit is all set to visit Kuwait in September before the start of the new domestic season 2024-25.
Mr. Haider Farman expressed immense satisfaction with the conference's outcomes that are much in favor of Kuwait Cricket’s furure programs. He also expressed gratitude for the ICC's support. Mr. Sajid Ashraf noted that 2024 is turning out to be pathbreaking with all that’s been achieved thus far and with everything that’s been lined up, especially with regards to the preparations that are underway for the upcoming GCC T20I Championship in Kuwait later this year.