Asian Cricket Council (ACC) conducted their Annual General Meeting (AGM) via video conferencing on 30th January 2021. The major development during the meeting was the appointment of Jay Shah, the secretary of the BCCI, as the new President of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), replacing Nazmul Hasan of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
“I accept this honor and I thank my esteemed colleagues at the BCCI for nominating me and considering me worthy of this prestigious position. Formed with a view to organize, develop and promote the sport in the region, the ACC has steadily grown in stature. The ACC continues to foster healthy rivalry among some of the biggest cricket playing nations while it also takes the sport deeper into the smaller pockets. We must remain committed to this cause and ensure there is an all-round development in the region.” Shah said after the appointment as the new President.
Among other developments, Cricket Board of Maldives President Mohamed Faisal and Emirates Cricket Board Vice Chairman Khalid Al Zarooni were elected as Directors of the Executive Board of the Asian Cricket Council, while Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) secretary Ashok Nath Pyakuryal has been elected to the ACC Development Committee.
Cricket Association of Cambodia has also been included as an active member in the council and will be eligible to take part in the regional tournaments in age-group and senior formats. Cambodia were members since 2012 but were in inactive status, as ACC received funding from ICC and Cambodia were not members with the ICC. After ACC became independent from ICC funding, Cambodia applied for renewal of active status and hence, will now be eligible to take part in the regional events.
The immediate priority for the ACC will be to finalize the stance on the proposed Asia Cup tournament, and the qualifiers to determine the final entrant into the main draw. While Pakistan hold the current hosting rights for the 2021 edition, it could be shifted to Sri Lanka to accommodate India’s stance of not travelling to Pakistan currently. UAE, Kuwait, Singapore and Hong Kong are scheduled to compete for the final spot in the Asia Cup qualifiers, but so far nothing set is announced in terms of scheduling.
Development of the sport at the grass-root level, age-groups and the women’s game across the region are some of the top priorities for the Executive Board and due to COVID-19 pandemic, the proposed yearly calendar of events is not yet announced. The tentative schedule will include U19 Asia Cup, Men’s Asia Cup Qualifiers, Women’s Asia Cup Qualifiers, Women’s Asia Cup, Men’s Asia Cup and Emerging Nations Men’s Asia Cup tournaments.
Oman Cricket Director Pankaj Khimji has also been appointed as the Vice-President of Asian Cricket Council, to be effective from the 2021-2022 Annual General Meeting, which might take place in June 2021.
