One of England’s most successful County Championship sides has decided to commit to Dubai for the long term future taking advantage of the world-class facilities at the ICC Academy during their pre-season training.
Lancashire County Cricket Club (LCCC), who are coached by former England spinner Ashley Giles, have nine County Championship titles to their name and are the current NatWest T20 Blast champions.
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An impressive 2015 season was capped by securing promotion to Division 1 of the First Class County Championship, their decision to use the facilities at Dubai Sports City as their pre-season training hub for the next four years beginning in 2016 reflects the importance of quality pre-season preparation.
The deal with ICC Academy means that the County side, which is the home of England duo James Anderson and Jos Buttler, will prepare on the Academy’s English training wickets, as well as make use of their newly constructed Power Base gym in addition to playing two, two-day games against other visiting English First Class sides on the Academy’s ovals.
LCCC Cricket Director and Head Coach Ashley Giles said: “Pre-season is crucial for our preparation ahead of a new season and to have secured a venue with such fantastic facilities and ideal conditions is fantastic news for the Club.”
ICC Academy are no strangers to hosting top-class sides having seen many other County and International sides use the venue for training camps and fixtures in the past. The Academy is also the permanent base of the UAE National Team and the ICC High Performance Programme.
Will Kitchen, the ICC Academy Manager spoke about his delight that sides are now signing up for the long-term.
“We’re really happy and proud that Lancashire have decided to use ICC Academy as their pre-season home for the long-term future,” Kitchen said. “We feel we can offer the whole package with what I think is the best cricket preparation environment in the world.
“Having a side such as Lancashire with us means we are achieving what we set out to do, to be the best base for cricket sides around the world as well as inspiring the younger generation here in the UAE.”
Laurie Berryman, Emirates Vice President, UK, said: “Emirates is incredibly proud to sponsor Lancashire County Cricket Club. They have a long history of success and are home to some of the best cricketers in the country. We are pleased that they have chosen to use the excellent facilities in Dubai for their pre-season training and look forward to hosting them during their time with us.”
ICC Academy have made it clear that games and training sessions will be open to the public so that fans of Lancashire and cricket can come and watch their heroes play.