An event attempting to investigate the reasons behind the lack of British Asian professional sportspeople will be hosted by Leicestershire County Cricket Club later this week (10 August).

The club is working with equality body the Asian Sports Foundation to host an evening titled Asians in Cricket in Conversation.

Wasim Khan, chief executive of Leicestershire CCC, and Tracey Francis, head of growth at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), will give keynote speeches.

They will be joined on a panel discussion by chair of the National Asian Cricket Council Gulfraz Riaz, ECB national growth manager for diverse communities Mohammed Arif and Leicestershire CCC player Jigar Naik.

The discussion will focus on the challenges of pursuing a professional sports career within the Asian community, how the benefits of sport participation could be better articulated to the Asian community, and how sport-led programmes can promote social cohesion.

Panellists will offer advice on how to “break down cultural and religious barriers” by “providing sporting benefits to an underrepresented minority ethnic community”.