KUCHING: Sarawak is keen to develop cricket and become a powerhouse for the sport in future, says Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
The state Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister said there was growing interest in cricket, particularly after Sarawak won the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) women's T20 interstate championships last week.
"This is the first time Sarawak has won the MCA tournament, so cricket is growing in popularity.
"We also have a Sarawakian cricket player, Nur Dania Syuhada, as the captain of the Malaysian women's team, which is a big achievement," he said.
Abdul Karim was speaking to reporters after unveiling the trophy for the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup at Kuching Waterfront on Monday (Jan 6).
Kuching is co-hosting the tournament from Jan 18 to 28, with teams from New Zealand, South Africa, Nigeria and Samoa set to play 10 matches in the preliminary round.
Six teams will return to Kuching for the second round, while the final will take place in Kuala Lumpur.
Abdul Karim said the tournament would help to boost interest in cricket, besides attracting a global audience through live broadcast of the matches to over 180 countries.
He noted that cricket was the second most watched sport in the world after football with an estimated 2.5bil viewers worldwide.
"With the hosting of this World Cup, I look to promote Sarawak’s sports tourism, through cricket, to this new and untapped market of cricket viewers on a global scale," he said.
