Sri Lankan Ambassador honoured at Bahrain’s Arabian Cricket Carnival

Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, on behalf of the Bahrain Cricket Center, presents a memento to Ambassador Dr. Mendis and the Sri Lankan community for their contribution and efforts to promote cricket in Bahrain

The Arabian Cricket Carnival T20 cricket matches were held at the Bahrain National Stadium over a 10-day period last week and featured a number of teams from many Test-playing countries. 

The promotion of cricket in Bahrain is conducted under the patronage of Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the third son of the King of Bahrain and First Deputy President of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports. 

A number of Test cricketers from many countries, including Sri Lanka, participated in this ongoing mega cricket tournament. According to Chief Organiser Aref Sadeq of the Bahrain Cricket Centre, it is the future of the modern game and the perfect tool to take the game across the unexplored boundaries. 

In order to promote, espouse and advance cricket in Bahrain, the Bahrain Cricket Centre held a number of press conferences to educate and enlighten the populace of Bahrain. Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Dr. A. Saj U. Mendis, addressed the press conferences as the Guest of Honour, encouraging the people of Bahrain to participate in this mega cricket tournament, thus enabling them to witness some of the finest Test cricketers playing in Bahrain. 

This event will encourage sports tourism and create a spillover effect in other spheres such as hospitality, investments, construction, education and healthcare. It may further be noted that Bahrain hosts a large population of Asians, mainly from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Today all these countries are full-fledged Test-playing countries.

Ambassador Dr. Saj Mendis, in his remarks, stated that particularly sports and music could strengthen, deepen and elevate bilateral as well as multilateral relations between and amongst the countries, thus leading to a greater degree of economic and commercial activity, amiability, stability and peace as well as people-to-people contact, among other things. 

He also stated that Bahrain was located at one of the epicentres for cricket in the Middle East. Ambassador Dr. Mendis has been assisting, facilitating and fostering these efforts and initiatives of the Bahrain Cricket Center under the patronage of Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa since May of this year.  The Sri Lankan Test cricketers who participated in the event were the Test batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan and fast bowler Dilhara Fernando. 

The final match of the tournament was played at the national stadium of Bahrain in the presence of the diplomatic corps, a galaxy of Bollywood celebrities, former Test cricketers, political leaders and royalty as well as other dignitaries. 

On behalf of the Bahrain Cricket Center, Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Khalifa felicitated Ambassador Dr. Mendis and the Sri Lankan community domiciled in the Kingdom of Bahrain by presenting him with a memento of appreciation and recognition of the contribution extended to promote and augment cricket in Bahrain.