POSTED: Friday January 9th 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From Australia, Catch the Spirit flag now travels to Bangladesh

The flag will fly to ICC Members across the globe to promote the centenary

Following the launch of the ICC centenary year in Sydney last week, the Catch the Spirit flag will now travel to Bangladesh which will celebrate its Catch the Spirit week during the triangular ODI series to be staged in Mirpur from 10 to 16 January.

 

The flag, which will fly to ICC Members across the globe to promote the centenary and the spirit of cricket, will be carried by ICC General Manager – Cricket and former South Africa wicketkeeper David Richardson.

 

Throughout the year, the ICC will be asking people to sign the flag as it makes its way throughout the cricket world.

 

That process began in Sydney where former captains Tony Greig (England), Richie Benaud, Mark Taylor, Ian Chappell, Stephen Waugh, Bill Lawry, Ian Healy and Shane Warne (Australia) and women\‘s players Lisa Sthalekar (Australia) and Isa Guha and Holly Colvin (England) and several other cricketing figures all supplied their autographs.

 

By the end of the year the flag will represent a year in the life of world cricket.

 

During the Bangladesh Catch the Spirit week, Mr Richardson will also watch the tri-nation series opener between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe on Saturday and interact with a range of stakeholders including the Bangladesh Cricket Board and local media.

 

The Catch the Spirit activities in Bangladesh will include:

 

·         Free match access for selected school children

·         On-field cricket demonstration from young players

·         HIV/AIDS awareness-raising activities

·         Catch the Spirit flag signing and stakeholder interaction

 

Further information on the events to be held during the Bangladesh Catch the Spirit week can be obtained from Rabeed Imam, BCB Manager – Media and Communications, at +880 171 304 6531 or rabeed.imam@gmail.com; rimam@bcb-cricket.com or Ben Cummings, ICC Centenary Project Officer at +971 50 640 8759.

 

About the ICC centenary year

 

ICC President David Morgan and Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat officially launched the ICC centenary year in Sydney, Australia on 2 January by announcing the formation of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, in association with the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA).

 

The ICC’s centenary year of 2009 will be a global celebration with events taking place around the world to reflect all that is great about the game.

 

On the field these events include the ICC Women’s World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier, the ICC World Twenty20 event for men and women and the ICC Champions Trophy.

 

And off it there will be the opening of the ICC Global Cricket Academy and the inauguration of the ICC’s new headquarters, both of which are in Dubai, and an ICC cricket history conference at St Antony’s College, Oxford in the United Kingdom in July.

 

The ICC will also be celebrating the contribution of volunteers across the world through the award of 1000 centenary medals and will announce new developments to its social responsibility partnership on HIV/AIDS.

 

During the course of 2009, each of the ICC’s 104 Members will be hosting activities inspired by the special spirit of cricket as part of the global Catch the Spirit centenary celebration.

 

To promote this theme and the launch of the ICC’s centenary year website, http://www.catchthespirit.com, stars of the international game have named their “Catch the Spirit” moments which best encapsulate the spirit of cricket.

 

Among those stars that can be seen on the website, Yuvraj Singh of India speaks of his experiences in Pakistan – India matches and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis reflects on his side’s famous chase of 438 to beat Australia in an ODI in Johannesburg.

 

During the course of the year fans will be able to upload their own “Catch the Spirit” moments onto the website, so supporters across the world can celebrate the spirit of cricket.

 

-ENDS-

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Keywords · ICC · cricket

Name: James Fitzgerald
Organization: ICC
Email:
Phone: +971 4 368 8347
URL: http://icc-cricket.yahoo.com

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