Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Junior Tournaments

ACC Select U15 XI © ICC

The best of the U15 cricketers selected from the recently completed ACC U15 Cup in April, played two two-day matches and two one-day matches during their landmark tour of Karachi. With wide coverage in the local media, the ACC Select U15 XI did extremely well by drawing their two day matches and sharing the honours in the one day matches. "We were overwhelmed by the support and hospitality of the hosts", said team manager Iqbal Sikander.

The ACC U17 Cup will be contested amongst 14 countries and played in Malyasia at six venues across three cities; Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor Bahru from Friday 5th--Sunday 13th August. Charlie Chelliah, Organizing Committee Chairman, says: "We all expect this to be a very competitive tournament. Judging by the performances in the recent ACC U-15 Cup, any number of teams are in with a chance of winning, not least Malaysia who have the home advantage."

The ACC have been impressed with the standards of play amongst their developing youth sides, with so many cricketers on the verge of senior representation, this is a strong indicator of a country's future cricketing strength.

With an Under-19 tournament on the horizon, ACC member countries will be able to gauge their progress relative to each other very easily in 2005-2006. Sultan Rana, ACC Development Manager, states, "All this competition and preparation can only raise playing standards and I am sure I will be impressed by the cricketers on display."