Build it and they will come, NT Cricket has been saying.

For the game in the Territory that famous phrase is not about Marrara Stadium itself. But for aspirational remote Indigenous community school students, part of their field of dreams involved playing a small role of a bona fide Twenty20 International.

Darwin hosted two cricket fixtures between Australia and South Africa last Sunday and Tuesday, and a mix of primary-age and middle-school students not only watched a night or two from behind the boundary fence but also took part on the field during the innings break.

Stepping out on the lush outfield at Marrara made all those days out whacking or chasing a ball across their own dry, dusty fields worth it.

It has been a remarkable journey not only to reach the bright lights of Darwin for some of these students, but their journey in the sport over the past 12 months amid the direction of NT Cricket's popular Blast program.

Most of the Indigenous children in attendance from Tennant Creek, Borroloola and Belyuen had not even picked up a cricket bat or ball before this year.

"They don't all play registered cricket necessarily, but they're in school Blast programs now – we have run these Blast programs out of these schools and they are all involved and actively engaged in that," Jack Doyle, NT Cricket's Participation and Growth Lead, said.

To travel from Tennant Creek, bang in the middle of the heart of the Territory, it was worth the 20 teens from the Clontarf Foundation to stay for both games considering that the previous recent fixture involving Australia in Darwin was 17 years ago, well before the students were even born.

The experience in front of thrilling sold-out crowds that included Clontarf's Indigenous students from its nearby Palmerston College campus participated in high-catching and six-hitting competitions to the raucous sounds of oohs and aahs of the enthusiastic spectators.

"Our lads had a blast considering they are so new to cricket," Clontarf Foundation cricket coordinator at Palmerston College, Allister Evans, told NT Cricket afterwards.

Borroloola students, who live on Yanyuwa Country south of the Gulf of Carpentaria close to the border of Queensland, flew for nearly two hours just to get the chance to walk through the Marrara gates.

"Such a great experience for our kids – they had so much fun," Borroloola School assistant principal Katie Honan said.

"There are definitely some more new cricket fans there now."

The Belyuen Community is little more than a half an hour ferry away departing from the Cox Peninsula to Darwin, but its locality on the other side of the Timor Sea is a vast world away.

"It's not something they would have the chance to do every day," Belyuen School teacher Telia Coverdale said.

NT Cricket has built up a special bond with the eight children whose eyes lit up on the night.

"We have developed some pretty strong relationships over there with them after spending a week sort of immersing ourselves in their Community last term," Doyle said.

The Blast programs are the first steps for NT Cricket's growing remote carnivals onto future selection to represent the Northern Territory at the National Indigenous championships or playing for an Aboriginal-based side in the Imparja Cup each year.

The junior promotion that has the financial support from one of Australia's largest supermarket chains also travels to Lajamanu (880km from Darwin), Kalkarindji (770km) and Yarralin (700km) and, according to Doyle, has "come a long way in the last 12 months" to reach Indigenous kids in remote communities.

"We now have in excess of 500 young Indigenous male and female participants right now across the Territory that are enrolled in the Blast or other junior cricket programs," he said.

Numbers have, according to NT Cricket's own website, is peaking around 200 young Indigenous females towards a pathway to playing the game.

An increase in NT Cricket's staff numbers in recent times has seen a massive turnaround of "getting out there and promoting cricket to be fun and accessible".

"Our end goal is to make cricket fun but importantly accessible to all Territorians, including Indigenous communities," Doyle said.

NT Cricket is promoting the game – outside of physical activity or increasing participation in club cricket – to be a vehicle for physical and mental wellbeing, building up teamwork and leadership skills, and to also provide an opportunity to engage with people from a range of diverse backgrounds.

While cricket's issue among remote Indigenous communities fundamentally comes down to luring talent away from the organic popularity of the AFL season, NT Cricket is starting to make small strides that was previously once tied by geographic tyranny.

Bringing in students from around the Territory to the T20 experience has gone a long way to help bring in a new cricketing culture to communities.

"For us, this was more about providing an opportunity for those students that have never got that opportunity previously being out in Indigenous communities where they may not have access to the same kind of facilities to everyday sort of students living in Darwin," Doyle said.

"We just wanted to provide an opportunity so they can have the same experience."

The Territory Government's announced back in May a $2 million commitment across the next four years to drive Indigenous cricket participation across the entire Northern Territory.