Global ICC Honour for Bahrain Cricket
For more than two decades, Prachur Kumar Shukla has quietly worked behind the scenes to shape Bahrain's cricketing future. Today, that dedication has earned global recognition.
The High Performance Director of Bahrain Cricket received the prestigious ICC Long Service Award from ICC Chairman Jay Shah at the ICC Annual Conference 2026 in Edinburgh, Scotland, honouring 21 years of service to the sport.
The recognition comes alongside another landmark achievement. Shukla has also become one of only four ICC Lead Master Coach Educators in the world, placing Bahrain at the centre of international coach education.
"This gives Bahrain cricket a direct line into ICC's global coaching standards," Shukla told The Daily Tribune. "The pathway we build for our players - from grassroots to the national team will now be shaped by the same frameworks used at the highest level of world cricket."
The appointment means Bahrain can increasingly deliver internationally recognised ICC coaching courses locally, reducing the need for coaches to travel overseas for certification. The Kingdom has already hosted the ICC Global Level 3 Coaching Programme, attracting participants from 21 countries, while dozens of Bahraini coaches and national team players have earned Level 2 qualifications at home.
As an ICC Lead Master Coach Educator, Shukla's role extends beyond coaching players. He is responsible for training the next generation of coach educators, maintaining global coaching standards and leading programmes across different countries. His next assignment will take him to Malaysia later this month to conduct another ICC Global Level 3 course.
Looking back, Shukla said Bahrain's cricket landscape has been transformed over the past two decades.
"When I started, structured coaching pathways barely existed. Today, Bahrain produces ICC-certified coaches locally, has reached 25th in the ICC T20I rankings and operates five high-performance squads. We are also preparing for a new international cricket ground with turf wickets and floodlights."
Shukla attributed much of that progress to the continued support of Bahrain Cricket's leadership. He thanked His Highness Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Patron of Bahrain Cricket, and Bahrain Cricket Federation Board and Advisory Board Chairman Mohammed Mansoor for consistently backing the federation's high-performance and coach education programmes, helping them grow over the years.
He also acknowledged his employer, Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), for supporting his voluntary work alongside his full-time role for more than two decades. From launching the Alba Cricket Tournament in 2007 to establishing the Alba Club Cricket Academy, Shukla said Alba's management, led by CEO Ali Al Baqali, encouraged his commitment to developing cricket. He dedicated the honour to the players, coaches, volunteers and administrators who have contributed to Bahrain cricket's journey.
For Shukla, however, the award is not the finish line.
"My ambition is to make Bahrain a regional hub for coach education," he said. "More importantly, I want to build a system that develops more local coaches, umpires and administrators so the game continues to grow long after any one individual."
QUOTE - "The pathway we build for our players - from grassroots to the national team will now be shaped by the same frameworks used at the highest level of world cricket." - Prachur Kumar Shukla
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