Asia Cup increased from four teams to six (3 Sep 1999)

2 September 1999

Asia Cup increased from four teams to six

Last Monday's meeting of the Asian Cricket Council has endorsed a move to increase the number of participating teams in next year's Asia Cup from four to six.

Such approval has given Associate members two extra places at next year's event, to be staged in Bangladesh.

The 2000 version will be the last where Bangladesh will have qualified via the ACC Trophy, with the meeting likely to ratify the country's automatic qualification to future Cups.

Outgoing Asian Cricket Council President, Mr.Thilanga Sumathapala,said it was all part of the ICC's expansion programme.

"The idea is to support globalisation, and help the Associates by giving them the opportunity to compete at that level," Mr. Sumathapala said.

"It might be a financial disaster, but the idea is to broaden the base."

However, even after a successful ACC vote, the increase will still need the approval of the Asia Cup television broadcaster, TWI.

"The contract with TWI at this stage is only for four teams so they would have to agree to six," Mr. Sumathapala added.

A potential logistical problem is selecting which of the losing semi-finalists from last year's ACC Trophy qualify, as there was no third place-play-off.

Mr.Sumathapala said he was pleased with how development was going.

"I am very pleased to see Nepal coming on in strength. The game is very popular there and Nepal has done well at Under 19 level in the recent Asia Youth Cup."

The meeting saw a changing of the ACC's constitution to enable it to take a more proactive attitude to stimulating growth through committees covering areas such as Development and Finance & Marketing.

He said he did not see a need to proactively pursue national associations such as those in Bahrain, Oman and Yemen which are not members of either the ACC or ICC.