The ICC Development Committee has confirmed that the ICC World Cricket League Division 8 will take place in Kuwait.

For the tournament to be held in late 2010, the eight teams will be split into two groups of four, with the finalists gaining promotion to Division 7. Incidentally, the tournament will also be a qualification pathway to the 2015 World Cup.

In addition to Suriname and Gibraltar, the two relegated sides from the World Cricket League Division 7 tournament played in May 2009 in Guernsey, all regions will be represented by one additional team, apart from Asia, who have been allocated two berths based on the strength of the teams' performances in recent ICC World Cricket League events.

The ICC East Asia-Pacific region has already completed its qualifying tournament for the event – the ICC EAP Trophy - with Vanuatu being the top-ranked team outside the World Cricket League rankings, and they will be represent the region in Kuwait.

There are only two Asian countries - Kuwait and Bhutan - participating in the ACC Trophy Elite, who are already part of the ICC World Cricket League structure, and they will be Asia’s representatives at the event.

The other qualifying sides will be determined according to the results of the ICC Africa Division 2, the ICC Americas Division 2 and the ICC European Division 2 tournaments, all of which will be held in the first half of 2010.

Kuwait currently has four turf grounds and has successfully hosted a number of ACC tournaments, including the ACC Under-19 Trophy Elite earlier this year.

Kuwait Cricket is aiming to attract more women cricketers and is holding selection trials at Kuwait Entertainment City cricket ground on May 9 starting at 7.00am. The intention is to enable a team to be sent to the Asian Twenty20 tournament in Malaysia between July 1 and 13.

A restructuring will see the Kuwait Cricket Association become Kuwait Cricket. The move is part of a streamlining of the board’s structure

Kuwait's No. 9, Mohammad Ahsan, scored an unbeaten 91 and added 96 runs with last man Saad Khaliq, who stuck it out for 32 balls to score a run, to take them to an astonishing one-wicket win over Singapore at the Kinrara Academy Oval. Singapore had relied on half-centuries from Chetan Suryawanshi (65 off 68) and Monish Arora (62 off 124), and some generous bowling from Kuwait's bowlers, who conceded 32 extras, to post 237 for 9. Kuwait stuttered to 70 for 5, but a 64-run stand between Hisham Mirza (47) and Mohammad Javed kept them in the hunt. Singapore then grabbed four wickets for eight runs to leave then just a wicket away from victory. But the late-order heroics from Ahsan, who smashed seven sixes and eight fours, took Kuwait to an unlikely triumph.

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Continue reading "Future bright beyond the Test world"

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

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Singapore won the ACC U-15 Elite Cup 2007 last week, beating Kuwait by four wickets in the final played in Bhaktapur.

Kuwait made 121 for 7 in 40 overs after choosing to bat first. Apporv Sanjay Gaur notched 43 while Sarangdev Krishnan took two wickets. In reply, Singapore were down to 17 for 4 at one stage but patient batting from Mohit Kulkarki (24), Man of the Match Prasheen Param (30*) and Usman Manazir (26*) took them to victory in the 35th over.

	Singapore's captain Rezza Gaznavi receives the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup © ACC

The Asian Cricket Council had taken drastic action on Saturday and kicked out hosts and defending champions Nepal as well as Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Thailand after its medical board reported that all the squads from those countries contained players over the stipulated age limit. Sunday's semi-finals - Nepal v Singapore and Afghanistan v Hong Kong - were scrapped.

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Ray Mali, the acting president of the ICC, is to visit Kuwait to watch the semi-finals and final of the inaugural Asian Cricket Council Twenty20 Cup.

Other prominent figures in Asian cricket will be join Mali, including Jayantha Dharmadasa – ACC’s president - Dr. Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and Major General Sina Ibn Jamali, president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

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.

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