Singapore eyes year-end tournament

In a bid to promote the game in that part of the world, the Singapore Cricket Association is planning to stage a tournament later this year, which they hope will involve teams such as India and Australia.

Speaking to a news agency, Kiran Deshpande, the SCA president, said, "We are looking to organise an international event in this calendar year and we will get a much clearer picture in a couple of months' time. We are still in the process of identifying which countries can suit our schedule ... given a choice, we are looking at some big countries like India and Australia."

The tournament is likely to involve at least four nations, though it has yet to be determined whether it will be played over the traditional 50-overs-a-side format, or something even more abbreviated - like Twenty20 cricket which has proved popular in both England and South Africa.

Almost 3000 students in Singapore play cricket, but it has yet to find a niche in the popular psyche in a region where English Premiership football is king.