Essex and SACA agree three-year arrangement

The new partnership with Essex will see SACA set up their latest base at Leyton, with players from the programme linking up with the county's development team, while an Essex XI is set to face a SACA XI at Chelmsford on May 15

Essex players prepare to take to the field at Chelmsford [Getty Images]

Essex have signed a three-year partnership with the South Asian Cricket Academy after previously enlisting Tom Brown, the initiative's co-founder, to support their player pathway through the findings of his PhD study.

The scheme was founded in 2021 based on Brown's research in order to tackle inequality and the lack of British South Asian representation in professional cricket.

It has already seen several graduates earn trials with county second teams, while some – Kashif Ali, Andy Umeed and Zain-ul-Hassan – have signed professional deals with counties.

The new partnership with Essex will see SACA set up their latest base at Leyton. In early February, SACA held a showcase session in the indoor centre at Leyton Cricket Ground for some of the initiative's leading players, which was attended by scouting representatives from three counties.

"We are proud to be partnering with SACA ahead of the upcoming season," said Dan Feist, Essex's cricket operations director.

"They have achieved a huge amount over the last few years, and we are looking forward to helping them develop in the future for the greater good of cricket development in east London.

^{Essex and SACA have agreed a three-year partnership (Jacques Feeney/Getty Images)}

"Working with the next generation of cricketers and coaches in our local communities is important to Essex Cricket and the game, the opportunities SACA are creating for young cricketers will help grow the game and the talent in the region along supporting players on the pathway or just off the pathway."

SACA will also link up with the East London Development Programme, which oversees boys' and girls' cricket across the boroughs of east London; 55 per cent of Essex's player pathway come from an ethnic background.

Players from SACA's programme will also link up with Essex's development team, while an Essex XI is set to face a SACA XI at Chelmsford on May 15.

SACA have a separate partnership with Cricket Scotland, as well as another with Warwickshire Cricket Board, with a focus on girls' cricket. They have also used Gloucestershire's facilities and hosted spin days at their second-team grounds.

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