Hong Kong romped to an impressively comprehensive eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in the final of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup to book a spot at the next U-19 World Cup.

It brought Afghanistan cricket back down to earth after all the success for both the senior and U-19 side in recent weeks. They were supported by a vocal crowd, but Hong Kong proved too efficient in all areas of the game as they comfortably chased down 216 with three overs to spare.

James Atkinson, the captain, crunched 94 from 114 balls while Nizakat Khan made an unbeaten 46. Shakeel Haq also played his part with 51 to ensure a potentially testing target was passed with ease in a tournament where the scoring has been on the low side. Atkinson led from the front before falling 36 runs from victory and his innings earned the Man-of-the-Match award.

Afghanistan had been put on the back foot early as they slumped to 21 for 4 in the seventh over and did exceptionally well to reach 215. Asghar Hotak (70) and Zard Ali (68) held the middle order together to keep them in the contest, but there was to be no fairytale finish this time.

Nepal beat Qatar by a convincing seven wickets to earn them third place in the first playoff of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup. Qatar were rolled over for just 142 – only Minas Khais (50 from 82) threatened to build an innings – with Prithu Baskota picking up 3 for 24. Nepal raced to their target in 37.1 overs as Gyanendra Malla smacked ten fours in his unbeaten 67.

In the day’s other playoff, Malaysia chased down 176 to comfortably beat UAE by four wickets in the 5th and 6th position playoffs. UAE only mustered 175 largely thanks to a 76-ball 75 from Taimoor Khalil, as Abdul Rashid (4 for 43) cut through the middle order. Malaysia lost six wickets in their chase, but Faris Almas made 52 while Aminuddin Ramly cracked 68 from 79 to guide them home.

	Man-of-the-Match Aimal Wafa is lifted from the field after Afghanistan's win © ACC

Nepal batted on winning the toss, but while the first two overs produced 23 runs, two wickets fell and thereafter the innings struggled for any momentum. Only Prithu Baskota looked to take the attack to the bowlers, hammering three sixes on his way to 81. Some late hitting helped Nepal to 186 for 8, with 73 coming off the last ten overs after they had been 113 for 6.

Afghanistan also wobbled early on, and at 54 for 3 in the 16th over, Nepal appeared to be back on track. But Man of the Match Aimal Wafa (61*) and Asgher Hotak (478) came together at 84 for 4 and not only consolidated but also kept up with the required rate, adding an unbeaten 106 for the fifth wicket to see their side home.

There was less drama in the other semi-final where Hong Kong beat Qatar by 23 runs, despite only making 161 themselves.

Nepal, the odds-on favourites who have dominated recent Asian Cricket Council Under-19 tournaments, were brought down to earth with a bump by Hong Kong who sent them crashing to a 36-run defeat. The result means both teams go through to the semi-finals.

Irfan Ahmed was the star of the show for Hong Kong, thumping 103 off 101 balls in a score of 193 for 7. Nepal struggled from the off and were bowled out for 157, Irfan Ahmed making the Man-of-the-Match adjudication a formality with 3 for 72 while Shakeel Haq took 4 for 17.
In the other Group A match, Singapore beat Saudi Arabia by 39 runs.

With Afghanistan already through from Group B, the other place was between UAE and Qatar, and it was Qatar who went through, bowling Bhutan out for 69 and coasting to a nine-wicket win - UAE’s 130-run defeat of Oman wasn’t enough.

Afghanistan will play a shell-shocked Nepal, while Hong Kong meet Qatar

Nepal, the odds-on favourites who have dominated recent Asian Cricket Council Under-19 tournaments, were brought down to earth with a bump by Hong Kong who sent them crashing to a 36-run defeat. The result means both teams go through to the semi-finals.

Irfan Ahmed was the star of the show for Hong Kong, thumping 103 off 101 balls in a score of 193 for 7. Nepal struggled from the off and were bowled out for 157, Irfan Ahmed making the Man-of-the-Match adjudication a formality with 3 for 72 while Shakeel Haq took 4 for 17.
In the other Group A match, Singapore beat Saudi Arabia by 39 runs.

With Afghanistan already through from Group B, the other place was between UAE and Qatar, and it was Qatar who went through, bowling Bhutan out for 69 and coasting to a nine-wicket win - UAE’s 130-run defeat of Oman wasn’t enough.

Afghanistan will play a shell-shocked Nepal, while Hong Kong meet Qatar

An outstanding all-round display from Irfan Ahmed stole the show at Unity as he almost single-handily carried Hong Kong to a 36-run against Nepal. Ahmed hit an unbeaten 103 as most of the other batsmen struggled, then he followed that up three wickets as Nepal were bowled out for 157.

Qatar raced to a nine-wicket win against Bhutan who were bowled out for just 69 as Ali Ishtiaq took 4 for 11.

Oman were overwhelmed by UAE’s batting strength, falling to a 130-run defeat, after Rahul Chattwani hit a fine 98 to form the cornerstone of UAE’s 329.

Singapore eased past Saudi Arabia by 69 runs as Prem Dadlani’s 70 led them to 201 which proved too much of a run chase for the Saudis.

Afghanistan continued their good form on the fifth day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait, beating Qatar by 108 runs, while Hong Kong and Oman also notched easy victories.

Hong Kong took no time to dismiss Malaysia for just 83 in 27 overs, racing to a comprehensive six-wicket win to keep their hopes of a semi-final place alive. Aizaz Khan and Niaz Ali gained just enough movement with the new ball to make life tricky for Malaysia’s top-order, but it was Irfan Ahmed who ripped through their middle order with 6 for 22. Hong Kong lost four wickets in chasing 84 but were never in any trouble chasing such a slim target.

Afghanistan humbled Qatar by 108 runs at Hubara, compiling a dominant 292 for 5 before skittling their opponents for 184 in 45 overs. Bhutan were thrashed by Oman at Unity, as they were bowled out for just 86 chasing 222.

Afghanistan notched a tense three-wicket win over UAE on the fourth day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait. Malaysia and Nepal also registered wins.

Chasing 192 Afghanistan took their time, and appeared to have blown their chance of victory, and the slow pitch wasn’t helping their scoring either. Yet despite needing more than a run-a-ball, at 126 for 6, they were gifted two dropped chances by UAE’s fielders and Asgher Hotak stroked 85 to see them home.

Meanwhile, Nepal reached their target of 171 for the loss of seven wickets with more than five overs to spare, beating Singapore by three wickets. And Malaysia romped home against Saudi Arabia, reaching their target of 128 in just 17 overs.

Saudi Arabia pulled off a massive upset with a five-wicket win over Hong Kong on the third day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait. There were also wins for Qatar and UAE.

Hong Kong crashed to 89 for 7 after winning the toss, but an eighth-wicket stand of 137 between Waqas Barkat (84) and Aizaz Khan (66) appeared to have got them out of jail and they finished on 241. The Saudis lost early wickets but then Abdul Salam (68) and Hasan Bukhari (57*) added 118 for the fifth wicket before Salam was run out. While Bukhari kept his end up, Waqas Khalid thumped 40 from 29 balls to the Saudi Arabia home with 25 balls to spare.

UAE bounced back from their opening-day loss to beat Bhutan, but again they were well below par as they squeezed to a three-wicket win. Qatar had no problems seeing off Oman, bowling them out for 107 and then easing to a seven-wicket victory with almost 20 overs in hand.

Nepal and Afghanistan made it two wins out of two on the second day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait.

Nepal’s win was against Malaysia, one of the pre-tournament favourites, and it extended their winning run against them to seven matches. Malaysia batted on winning the toss and scored 203, built around 90 from Keithan. Gyanendra Malla, Nepal’s captain, made 86 not out as they passed the target with six wickets in hand.

Afghanistan dismissed Oman for 188 (their last five wickets fell for 20) and then cruised to an eight-wicket win as Iqbal Maliki (86)and Noor ul Haq (79) put on 157 for the first wicket.

Hong Kong opened their account with a four-wicket win over Singapore who they bowled out for 124, aided by no fewer than five run-outs. Jamie Atkinson, who made his first-class debut for Durham UCCE earlier this month, hit 61 to spearhead the chase.

Pre-tournament favourites Malaysia and Nepal cruised to easy wins on the opening day of the ten-team ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait. Afghanistan, whose senior side were the success story of the recent ICC World Cup Qualifiers, also got off to a flying start, but there was a surprise defeat for UAE.

Malaysia eased to a five-wicket win with more than ten overs to spare over Singapore after bowling them out for 183, Prem Dadlani providing the bulk of Singapore’s run with 96.

Nepal had more trouble in beating Saudi Arabia, and they had Amrit Bhattarai to thank as his 82 helped them to 233 after they had slipped to 76 for 7. That was too much for the Saudis who were bowled out for 96.

Afghanistan thrashed Bhutan by eight wickets after bowling them out for 63, ambling home in 13 overs.

UAE were bundled to a two-wicket defeat by Qatar after being bowled out for 164.

The Asian Cricket Council has announced its rankings for non Test-playing countries and Singapore have emerged as the leading side with Nepal and UAE second and third.

The rankings were based on two years’ performances in various levels of competition, including Under -15, U-17, U-19 and ACC Trophy events.

Click here for the full rankings.

Malaysia beat Qatar by 55 runs to reach the final of the ACC Under-17 Elite Cup, where they will take on home side Nepal who beat UAE by 21 runs. Click here for a full report.

Odds-on favourites Oman crushed Bhutan by 213 runs in the final of the Asian Cricket Council Challenge in Chiang Mai. Put into bat, Oman amassed 322 for 9 and then dismissed Bhutan for 109
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China finally turned in a performance to quell if not silence criticism of their large-scale funding in beating Myanmar by 118 runs in the Asian Cricket Council Challenge, a game one wag labelled "the battle of the dictatorships". That the victory was in the bottom-place play-off and came after three massive defeats will not be lost on those watching China's progress carefully.

Click here for full report

Oman and Thailand retained their unbeaten records with emphatic wins over Myanmar and China on the fourth day of the Asian Cricket Council Trophy Challenge in Chiang Mai, Thailand, but the standard of the teams continued to cause concern.

Click here for the full round-up.

Maldives and Bhutan recorded decisive wins on the third day of the Asian Cricket Council Challenge in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Click here for the full report.

Afghanistan beat Oman by 42 runs to win the Asian Cricket Council's Under-17 Challenge Cup in Bangkok, but the event was hardly an inspiring advertisement for the sport in general, and China's development programme in particular.

Click here for the full report of the tournament ... and China's nightmare

The top sides in Asia outside of the Test arena gather in Malaysia for the highly anticipated ACC Trophy. While the UAE starts the event as strong favourites, having not lost a single match since 2000 in this tournament, they are likely to face some tough competition at the event.

Continue reading "UAE start as favourites for ACC trophy"

Cricinfo has learned that the Afro-Asia Cup, which was reported to have been quietly sidelined after the 2007 event in Bangalore, has been revived.

Plans had been discussed whereby the existing Asia Cup, which takes place in Pakistan next month, would be supplemented with an African Cup. The winners of the two tournaments would then play off in an Afro-Asia final.

However, the packed international schedule meant that it was too difficult to find room for the African competition in 2008 and so a competition using the old three-ODI format will be held in Kenya during 2009.

Although the event has raised valuable funds for the African Cricket Association and the Asian Cricket Council, it has been less than a hit with audiences and has struggled to find a niche in the calendar. Despite the best intentions of the two associations, the weight of cricket means that it is still by no means certain to proceed.

The Asian Cricket Council has confirmed Malaysia as the venue for the 2008 ACC Trophy Elite Division. The 10-team tournament will be held from July 25 to August 3, with all matches likely to be staged in Kuala Lumpur.

It was also confirmed the ACC Trophy will be held as two separate tournaments for the first time.

The ACC Trophy Elite tournament will be contested by the top 10 ranked ACC members: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the holders, the United Arab Emirates.

The ACC Trophy Challenge for the remaining ACC members is likely to be staged in Kuwait from January 11-17, 2009. Among the invitees are Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, China, Iran, the Maldives, Oman and Thailand, although it remains to be seen whether China fields a team.
Tony Munro

Not have the ICC cut the number of Associates at the next World Cup from six to four at the behest of the hosts, but the Asian Cricket Council hopes that two of those slots will be taken by Asian counties.

"India beating Australia is very good for cricket in Asia and will encourage nations like Bangladesh, United Arab Emirates, China and Afghanistan," Ashraful Huq, a former secretary of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, told AFP. "I watched both the finals in Australia and was amazed how the young Indian team paid the Australians back, both on and off the field."

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Saudi Arabia won the ACC Under-19 Challenge Cup, but the tournament was marred by six of the ten participants withdrawing.

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Thailand may be a cricketing backwater, but the game these has a decent foothold and it also attracts touring sides to the prestigious Chaing Mai Sixes.

However, the national board continues to attract much criticism and that is now spilling over into the country’s main competition, the Bangkok Cricket League, which is due to start its new season this month.

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Afghanistan and Oman tied the final of the ACC Twenty20 Cup in Kuwait.

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A few of you have contacted us to ask how the inaugural ACC Twenty20 Cup is getting along. We're struggling to find actual scorecards, but can tell you that Nepal have beaten Malaysia in the opening round.

Nepal recovered from 84/6 to accumulate 121/9 in 20 overs –thanks to 38-run seventh wicket stand by Basant Regmi and captain Binod Das. Malaysia was bowled out for 100 runs in 18.5 overs.

A full report is available at Nepal's enthusiastically updated website. According to the Kuwait Cricket Association's site, Nepal were today beaten by Qatar.

Do get in touch if you have any photos to share.

The 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup gets underway on October 27, a ten-team tournament held in Kuwait.

Hong Kong Cricket's website, which Cricinfo hosts, will have more once the tournament gets underway.