Maxtalent Cricket Academy plan to play more longer format matches regularly following their successful tour of the UK.

The Dubai-based institution arrived back from England last week where their Under-12 and U-16 sides tested themselves against their peers in 30, 35-over and two-day matches.

Altogether, they won six of their eight matches and head coach Sudhakar Shetty said adjusting to the longer formats is something that their aspiring cricketers will have to get used to.

“It was a very good tour for us in England and something that the kids learned a lot,” he said. “In the UAE, there is a lot of emphasis on T20 cricket but we didn’t want them to play that in England. Over there, the emphasis is also on the longer format and this is something we wanted to address.

“All the games were 30-overs and above. Some were 35-overs and then there was a two-day game. It was all part of the learning process because for kids to become the best cricketers, they have to learn how to adapt their game.”

He added: “When boys are at a young age and given their knowledge of playing so many T20 games, it’s very easy for them to lose track of their temperament and skill development as their mindset is all about scoring as many runs as they can. That means you are compromising on things and they don’t get the chance to build any partnerships. We hope that by playing in England, they have learned valuable lessons, especially about building an innings.”

As well the matches, Maxtalent also trained at the MCC Academy at Lord’s while also working with Surrey’s coach Keith Medlycott. He passed on his knowledge in the training nets as well as overseeing strengthening drills.

Shetty added: “Overall it was a fantastic tour for us. The players impressed and really gave the English clubs a tough time which was good to see because there are some really talented cricketers. We hope that they have learnt a lot and that will help them develop their game.”

END OF TOUR AWARDS

Under-16

Best Batsman:  Amrit Pal Singh

Best Bowler: Krish Bandivdekar

Best All-rounder: Sreekar Gudipati

Most Hardworking: Yash Hegde

Most Promising: Harjot Singh

Under-13:

Best Batsman: Rayan Javed

Best Bowler: Jardel Fernandes

Best All-rounder: Shahyan Reddy

Most Hard-working: Ahmed Nadeem

Most Promising: Sanjith Ram

Players’ choice medal award: Armann Joshi