‘I love cricket…’: UK PM Rishi Sunak's big package announcement before T20 World Cup

England and Wales are set to host the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup while England, Scotland and Ireland will host the 2030 men's edition.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday announced a 35 million pounds ($44.35 million) package that will primarily go into the construction of 16 all-weather domes in cities that will host T20 World Cup matches in 2026 and 2030.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announces a 35 million pounds ($44.35 million) package to build 16 all-weather domes.(File)

England and Wales are set to host the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup while England, Scotland and Ireland will host the 2030 men's edition, with Rishi Sunak saying the domes will help participation in cricket throughout the year at the grasroots level.

“I love cricket, that’s no secret. So I’m pleased that today we can support even more young people to get into the game. We’re investing £35 million in grassroots cricket to help over 900,000 young people into playing cricket,” Rishi Sunak wrote on X (formally Twitter) while announcing the package.

British PM announces multi-million-pound boost for grassroots cricket: Key takeaways

• 35 million pounds package will deliver the construction of 16 new cricket domes in cities due to host the Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026 and Men’s T20 World Cup in 2030.
• Funding will also help extend England and Wales Cricket Board’s primary and secondary schools programme to get over 900,000 young people into playing cricket over the next five years, including 80,000 children with special educational needs.
• The package includes 14 million pounds towards accessible cricket, including for children with special education needs and disabilities and for young people of African and Caribbean heritage.
• The announcement marks the latest part of the government's investment in grassroots sport and drive to get 1 million more young people active by 2030.

What Rishi Sunak said?

"For young people watching their first match today, the draw of getting outside and enjoying the game is just as strong, particularly as we look forward to hosting the women's and men's T20 World Cups," Rishi Sunak said in a statement.