Inkra Debelle and Jess Bee to take on special vs cricket challenges.

Ahead of a busy summer of international cricket at the Kia Oval, Inkra and Jess will take part in a special Women’s Ashes themed cricket challenge overseen by ACE Director Chevy Green and other members of the ACE programme.

Both Inkra and Jess are looking to improve on the performance previously shown by professional boxers Denzel 2Sharp Bentley, Isaac IC Chamberlain and Super Dan Azeez.

The boxers practiced bowling, bowling and batting practice as Dan Azeez achieved the current cricket record by hitting consecutive balls on a bowling machine at 75 kmph.

London-born singer-songwriter Inkra Debelle caught the ear of music lovers with her incredible voice and her debut single Nah is no doubt familiar to listeners of national radio stations such as Radio 1. He hopes to get the attention of ACE’s program director, Chevy. Green when he visits the Kia Oval later this month.

Chevy said: So far we’ve had two professional athletes take on the cricket challenge with mixed results, so it’ll be interesting to see how the musicians and dancers stack up!

Inkra is joined by dancer and choreographer Jess Bee, who has worked with the country’s biggest and best-known brands. In addition to dancing, he has traveled around the world teaching and DJing in different parts of the world.

Speaking to KiaOval.com, Inkra Debelle said: I’m really looking forward to it. I only tried cricket at primary school and I’m generally okay with batting, but we’ll see when I test with more realistic bowling speeds! I’m sporty and love anything active, so I’m very excited.

The work that Chevy and the ACE program are doing trying to get underrepresented communities into the sport is very inspiring and I can’t wait to hear more about their journey.

Jess Bee added: I was more than happy to accept Chevys offer to come to the Kia Oval and meet some of the kids from the ACE program.

I’m also competitive, so I watched Dan Azeez record against the bowling machine. 75 mph isn’t too bad, I don’t think I have a chance.

It’s going to be a great day and I’m looking forward to meeting the kids in the ACE program.

The Vs Cricket Challenge is a partnership between Surrey County Cricket Club and the ACE Programme. Open to sportspersons or personalities from all walks of life, it is designed to showcase how enjoyable cricket can be.

ACE Director Chevy Green said: I’m excited to see the vs cricket challenge continue to grow and I can’t wait to see how the music vs cricket section progresses.

I truly believe that everyone can enjoy cricket, but we need to keep reaching out to new audiences and showcasing our game.

I think Inkra and Jess will be great to have at the Kia Oval and I look forward to hearing more of their personal stories. The young people of the ACE program learn a lot by meeting top performers not only from other sports but also from other industries.

Our current record holder is Dan Azeez who was very impressive with the cricket bat. Hitting cricket balls consistently when fired at 75 kmph is no easy feat. However, Dan is a professional athlete, so it remains to be seen if a musician or dancer can match that level.

Well find out soon!

Stay tuned to Surrey County Cricket Club’s social media channels to see how Inkra and Jess get on.

Click to buy tickets for the Women’s Ashes Vitality IT20 match on July 5 here