Expecting BCCI to help us develop cricket, says Maldives Minister of sports Ahmed Mahloof

Maldives Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, Ahmed Mahloof has expressed his desire of receiving support from BCCI in helping them develop cricket.

"We received a lot of support from the Indian govt in the area of youth & sports. We had a successful meeting with BCCI& we expect they will help us develop cricket here. India's support would mean a lot to us.

"Like Afghanistan Cricket Board was adopted by BCCI, we have expectations that BCCI will help us in the area of cricket. Soon we will work out a strategic plan for sports with technical support from India."

This statement comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Maldives. The PM is set to embark on a trip on Saturday as part of his first bilateral visit post coming back to power. 

The island nation is the only country in the neighborhood that Modi did not visit during his first term as the prime minister.

Maldives President Ibrahim Solih’s government had requested India to construct a cricket stadium which India agreed to, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement. 

In April, President Solih had attended an IPL match in Bengaluru and expressed interest in developing a cricket team in the Maldives and sought India’s assistance in training the team.