Aravinda, Rameez launch 'Future Legends' cricket academy in Dubai

Former Sri Lankan batting great Aravinda de Silva and celebrated Pakistan cricketer turned commentator Rameez Raja  launched a cricket academy in Dubai with a 'different flavour' to nurture young talent and budding cricketers.

The Future Legends Cricket Academy (FLCA) will begin next month across multiple locations in Dubai with future plans of expansion across UAE.

“We both have experienced the thrill of winning a World Cup and the glory it brings. We have embraced what cricket has given us with great affection. FLCA is our way of giving back to the game, which has given us so much, and made us who we are today. This academy and its curriculum is a result of extensive research carried out by us during the past year, identifying the gaps in the coaching programs and the way forward for producing cricketing professionals in UAE,” said former Sri Lanka captain Aravinda.

“Talent is what the youngsters possess and we hope to build on their natural talent and provide them with the necessary and correct technical skills so that they can achieve greatness in cricket,” said Rameez.

FLCA appears to be an extension of a talent search project Aravinda started in Sri Lanka seven years ago.

“I stepped into this project to create champions and to create champions is not an easy task as it is not the talent or enthusiasm alone that makes champions. A lot of work goes behind the scene in the making of a champion,” said Aravinda at a press conference in Dubai on Sunday.

Looking back at how his career started, Aravinda recalled:  “At the age of seven after schooI, I used to stay and watch our seniors practice and every time the ball came beyond the boundary line, I would run, pick the ball and throw it to the field. My dream was to represent my country. I used to listen to 1975 World Cup commentary on a pocket radio as we did not have television at that time. My hero was Viv Richards and every time he played a shot, I would take a golf ball and a ruler and repeat the same stroke."

Aravinda felt he had an advantage because he came under the wing of former national players from the age of eight.

“As soon as I entered competitive school cricket at under 11, I was only nine years old. Then the advantage I had was the the coaches we had at that level were the national players who had represented the country. Therefore, at eight years I learnt exactly what it was needed at the highest level,” said Aravinda who emulated his childhood hero Richards by scoring a century in the 1996 World Cup final against Australia.

“When many said that I was more talented than others, I never believed it and neither will I believe it now. It was the coaching and the hard work which took me to where I reached in cricket. So I want to give that experience to youngsters,” pledged Aravinda, one of the greatest ever Test batsman Sri Lanka has produced.

His intentions were to create something for the younger generation and give something back to the game back in Sri Lanka.

"So I started a talent search project called Aravinda de Silva Cricket Foundation in Sri Lanka. Then we called it Aravinda de Silva Cricket Pathway. After about three years, Coca Cola came along and renamed it Coca Cola Pathway,” recalled Aravinda who then decided to go global and felt Dubai was the ideal location.

“I realised that Dubai was one place where we could start it from and it was far more easier to do it in a place like Dubai than any other location though cricket is very popular in Sri Lanka, India or Pakistan,” he said roping in 1992 Pakistan World Cup winner Rameez for his project.

“Together we have a vision. We have won two world cups but we have never consistently won world cups. The reason being there are so many administrative issues. Also planning for the future and having structured programmes like in Australia. That is the kind of thing that we want to do. Not to be a run of the mill academy. We want to take it to the GCC where we feel there is a huge interest,” said Aravinda.

Ramiz admitted his interest in coaching is basic but was excited to be part of this project.

“I have always believed that coaching kills the natural instinctiveness in your system. I’m not in favour of creating robots. I’m in favour of creating something like Muttiah Muralitharan or Saeed Ajmal or how some of the batsmen are playing these days in T20,” said the former Pakistan opener.

“We are on firm footing here because Aravinda and I feel that while coaching is extremely important it has to be given a new flavour where the natural instinctiveness doesn’t get killed. Because we are dealing with young cricketers here, it is importhat that we keep it simple which we intend to do," he said suggesting to the head coach of FLCA Naveez Nawaz to get a seven-year-old batting right and left hand or bowling right and left hand.

"That is where we want the academy to go and also to involve some of the legends of the game so that interaction becomes that much more meaningful,” said Raja

"We want to attract locals in the UAE but we also want to take this concept back to Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India so that all these expat young kids when they go back home they have future in this game. It’s not going to be just a one-off situation. We will maintain continuity. I’m extremely excited to be part of this unit and I think you’ll see a difference. We are here to make a difference,” he declared.

FLCA has taken on board coaches who have experience in different geographies and are certified by the ICC, ACA and BCCI.

Nawaz, a former Sri Lanka Under 19 coach, will be the head coach of the academy along with Rajesh Chauhan, a fitness coach with the Zimbabwean team. Sameer Nayak, one of top performers in UAE cricket, is also among the coaches along with former Netherlands player Asim Khan and Sri Lanka’s Sampath Perera and Ruvin Prasantha Peiris.

FLCA is registered with Dubai Cricket Council, Sharjah Cricket Council and Emirates Cricket Board.

Apart from the tournaments that will be organised by FLCA, any student who is with the academy for three years would have an opportunity to travel to at least six cricket playing nations such as Australia, England, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

“With an intent of 'Producing Professional Players, predictably’, we are committed in helping cricketers develop skills along with providing the necessary management and administrative support to the players, coaches, parents and all our partners at the academy,” said Sahana Shetty, Head of Operations.

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