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Ronald Mashinga, Sports Reporter

THE Old Mutual Heath Streak Cricket Academy Under-16 boys’ team is set to tour India for the Friendship Mangalore T20 Tournament in April.

The six-day tour will see the boys doing battle against Indian team Mangalore Cricket Club, which provides opportunities to young cricketers, members of the Mangalorean community and surrounding areas.

“The academy is trying to offer talented youngsters immense international exposure, developing their potential to the fullest, strengthening their abilities and mental strength to play in tough and challenging conditions,” said Joseph Rego, chief executive officer of the Old Mutual Heath Streak Academy Trust.

Last year, the academy sent an Under-16 team to India for a T20 tournament played at Mangalore Cricket Club and the Mangalore Occasionals.

The academy boys won the tournament after beating Mangalore Cricket Club twice, drawing and losing to Mangalore Occasionals.

The Heath Streak Foundation was established in Mangalore, India, in 2012 to create relationships with some of the leading cricket academies in the cricket-mad country.

This year the Under-18 boys’ and girls’ teams will also travel to India for a tour in December.

Meanwhile, the Under-16 boys’ team is scheduled to tour South Africa in December, while the Under-11 and 13 teams have been invited to the National Schools Cricket Festival in Namibia in August.

The tournament will feature more than 23 schools.