The game of cricket has a long history in Qatar.
Artistic shelters have been erected at a cricket pitch in Qatar’s Lusail city, Qatar Museums Chairperson Sheikh Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani confirmed.
The shelters embody a distinctive mixture of art and sports and were designed by artists Marco Bruno and Michael Perrone in coordination with Qatar Museums.
Made of a frame that consists of metal pipes covered with synthetic mesh, the shelters provide shade, seating and essential safety gear for members of the cricket-playing community. The entire structure is removable and can be transported and positioned in different locations.
“Lovely seeing the public art scene around Qatar portraying the fusion of arts and sports through a new piece, ‘Shelters’!” Sheikha Al Mayassa said in a post on Instagram.
“I am pleased to see this colourful collaboration between Marco Bruno and Michael Perrone invite Qatar’s cricket community to relax and connect by providing shade and resting areas, as cricket is a popular sport among the South Asian community.
“I look forward to seeing more creative designs and art that enrich the lives of our communities,” she added.
The renowned artists designed the shelters to help shift the current perception of street cricket in Doha, and comes months after a number of cricket tournaments were hosted in Qatar.
In February, the country hosted the Legends League Cricket Masters, months after successfully wrapping up the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Earlier this summer, the Qatar Cricket Association (QCA) announced it would host the Gulf T20 Championship, which is set to swing this September.
The Gulf T20 Championship will be played for ten days, with 16 live matches featuring senior men’s teams from around the Middle East, including the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.
QCA President Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Saoud Al Thani depicted the upcoming tournament as a “testament to the strong bond and cooperation of GCC”.
“This tournament will be a testament to the strong bond and cooperation of GCC countries in building relationships and to develop the sport in the region. The plan is to make this an annual feature on the global cricket calendar with each country taking up hosting duties on a rotation basis,” the QCA President added.
