The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : ICC eyes China

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 15, 2006
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Sport - Cricket

ICC eyes China

Special Correspondent

Kuala Lumpur: ICC CEO Malcolm Speed and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan will visit Beijing and Shanghai next week to assess China's potential in expanding cricket's horizons, according to an Asian Cricket Council (ACC) release here.

"This is my first visit to China as ICC CEO, and it is an exciting prospect both personally and professionally," said Speed, who will be spend five days, assessing the standard of play, coaching and facilities established so far and meeting Beijing Olympic Games Organising Committee vice-chairman Zhang Xiaoning among others.

Khan, who has been appointed to chair a `Committee to Evaluate China', said he was "impressed by the rigour and the scale" of the strategic thinking of Chinese officials he had met earlier.

China joined the Asian Cricket Council in 2004 and the ICC in 2005. The Chinese Cricket Associations goal is to have 15,000 cricketers by 2009. These numbers are forecast to rise to 60,000 by 2012 and 150,000 by 2020.

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