Roberta Moretti Avery: When you bring the Trophy Tour to cities like Poços de Caldas, you bring a sense of belonging to the wider world of cricket

When you bring such an important event, like the Trophy Tour, to cities like Poços de Caldas, a cricket development city, you bring a sense of belonging to the wider world of cricket.

Sometimes when you’re growing the sport in countries that don’t have the same tradition as others, it’s difficult for children, players and coaches, to see what the big picture looks like - and it’s important for them to see they’re part of the big picture.

Our aim with the tour was to give every important part of Cricket Brazil a taste of the trophy. Because it's such a special, and unique, moment for Brazil, we wanted to make sure every step of our development was covered, so we could all live this together, and so there is a link between the tournament and Cricket Brasil.

Cricket has been in the country since 1872, before football was played here, but football took off and cricket is only now becoming more popular. We want children to be inspired when they see the trophy and become more dedicated to the sport, but we also want to use cricket as a way of improving people’s lives.

The Trophy Tour will also have a huge impact on youth cricket in Brazil. Especially when the younger players, or children interested in the sport, feel the connection between the World Cup and the sport they play.

Having the trophy in Poços de Caldas increased the enthusiasm for cricket for a lot of kids, and you could see the smiles and felt the energy from the children on the days the trophy was here.

One day these kids are going to be thinking about the World Cup as part of their development, and you’re seeing them find out how the sport they currently love is part of something as big as the cricketing world.

Because the cricket project in Poços de Caldas is extremely organised, we ended up creating various different ways for children to get involved. We have programs for kids that just want to play and have fun, for kids that want to attend university, become coaches and give back to the community, and also for kids that are extremely talented and want to be a part of the national teams.

As it started small and focused on the key elements - sustainability, fun, and inclusivity - cricket in Brazil and Pocos de Caldas, and the whole cricketing world, can change communities and improve kids’ lives.

I have been involved with cricket for 11 years now, mostly as a player, and with Cricket Brasil for eight years, and the changes I have seen in kids, in projects, and programs, has been amazing.

During this trophy tour, we were joined by Michel Assuncao, who came from one of the more violent areas of Poços de Caldas. He started in the cricket project at the age of 12, and his talent was spotted very quickly, and now, he is considered a role model in his old community. The kids look at him and think: 'I want to be like Michel', because he’s travelled all over South America and became the first person in his family to attend university. And that all happened because of cricket.

But the biggest thing for me is how it affects girls, because, unfortunately, opportunities for them to play sports in Brazil are very rare. We want girls to be a part of the project, and want them to play, but we want them to grow as role models and as leaders, and that’s something that Cricket Brasil does well.