Pre-tournament favourites Afghanistan will open their ACC Twenty20 Cup campaign with a tough match against Hong Kong on December 3, according to fixtures announced by the Asian Cricket Council.

Group A consists of Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Oman, Kuwait and Maldives, while Group B features the fancied Nepal side along with Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Bhutan and Saudi Arabia.

The tournament forms part of the qualifying process for ICC World Twenty20 2012 in Sri Lanka. The top three teams from this competition, in addition to Afghanistan who have pre-qualified, join the Associate teams with ODI in the 16-team ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier to be played in the UAE in early 2012.

The other regional teams in the qualifier will come from Europe (2), Africa (2), Americas (2) and East Asia - Pacific (1).

Click here for the full schedule

The International Cricket Council has announced the 14-man squads for the six teams – Nigeria, Kuwait, Fiji, Guernsey, Jersey and Malaysia - participating in ICC World Cricket League Division 6 next month in Malaysia.

The finalists of the event, which will be played from 17 to 24 September, will be promoted to ICC World Cricket League Division 5 which will be staged in Singapore in early 2012.

The tournament will be played on three grounds in Kuala Lumpur, Kinrara Oval, Selangor Turf Club and Bayuemas Oval. These venues were also used for the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup which was held in Malaysia in 2009.

The full squads are as follows:

Fiji: Joe Rika (captain), Viliame Yabaki, Iniasi Cakacaka, Sakaraia Lomani, Kitione Tavo, Sekove Ravoka, Jikoi Kida, Colin Rika, Waisake Tukana, Josefa Baleicicia, Tasheed Tawheed, Maciu Gauna, Joji Bulabalavu, Mohammed Khan.

Guernsey: Stuart Le Provost (captain), Gary Rich, Tom Kimber, Jeremy Frith, James Nussbaumer, Ben Ferbrache, David Hooper, Tim Ravenscroft, Ross Kneller, Chris van Vliet, Stuart Bisson, Lee Savident, Adam Martel, GH Smit

Jersey: Peter Gough (captain), Ed Farley, Thomas Minty, Sam de la Haye, Charles Perchard, James Faudemer, Ben Stevens, Anthony Hawkins-Kay, Ben Silva, Dean Morrison, Alex Cooke, Paul Connolly, Corey Bisson, Daniel Garton

Kuwait: Hisham Mirza (captain), Sibtain Raza, Muhammad Amin, Abid Mushtaq, Aamir Javed, Irfan Bhatti, Ahsan Naseer, Azmatullah Nazeer, Abdullah, Mohammad Murad, Sharjeel Tahir, Jagath Roshantha, Saud Qamar

Malaysia: Suhan Kumar Alagaratanam (captain), Sureah Navaratnam, Rakesh Madhavan, Hammad Ullah Khan, Hassan Ghulam Muhammad, Ahmad Faiz Noor, Shukri Abdul Rahim, Eszrafiq Azis, Abdul Rashid Ahad, Shafiq Sharf, Faris Almas-Lee Rosmanizam, Aminudin Ramly, Shahrulnizam Yusof, Hiran Brahman Ralalage

Nigeria: Endurance Ofem (captain), Ademola Onikoya, Obejide Bejide, Varun Behani, Chukwu James, Ramit Gill, Joshua Ogunlola, Saheed Akolade, Segun Olayinka, Chibuike Iteogu, Seun Odeku, Lekan Awolowo, Seye Olympio, Kunle Adegbola

The full schedule for WCL Div. 6 is as follows:

Fixtures

15 September – Team Arrivals
16 September – Practice
17 September – Guernsey v Jersey (Kinrara Oval), Malaysia v Kuwait (Selangor Turf Club), Fiji v Nigeria (Bayuemas Oval)
18 September – Malaysia v Nigeria (Kinrara Oval), Kuwait v Jersey (Selangor Turf Club), Guernsey v Fiji (Bayuemas Oval)
19 September – Reserve Day
20 September – Malaysia v Fiji (Kinrara Oval), Jersey v Nigeria (Selangor Turf Club), Kuwait v Guernsey (Bayuemas Oval)
21 September – Fiji v Kuwait (Kinrara Oval), Nigeria v Guernsey (Selangor Turf Club), Malaysia v Jersey (Bayuemas Oval)
22 September – Reserve Day
23 September – Malaysia v Guernsey (Kinrara Oval), Jersey v Fiji (Selangor Turf Club), Nigeria v Kuwait (Bayuemas Oval)
24 September – Final (Kinrara Oval), 3rd/4th Play-off (Selangor Turf Club), 5th/6th Play-off (Bayuemas Oval)

Papua New Guinea 204 for 5 (Amini 71*, Ura 57, Arifin 1-24, Rahim 1-22) beat Malaysia 158 (Alagaratham 49, Dikana 2 for 14, Areni 2 for 27, Dai 2 for 41) by 46 runs

Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Singapore have scored comfortable wins on day one of the Air Niugini Supa Series in Port Moresby on Wednesday.

The home side beat Malaysia by 46 runs at Amini Park thanks to a strong batting performance, while Singapore exposed Hong Kong's inexperience to win by 90 runs at Colts Ground.

Malaysia won the toss and sent PNG in on a bouncy wicket. The PNG batsmen, led by Chris Amini, responded with 204 from 50 overs. Openers, Vani Vagi Morea and Tony Ura gave the PNG innings a firm base putting on 51 runs for the first wicket. Ura continued to reach first half-century for the Barramundis while in partnership with Chris Amini. The more experienced Amini batted in his usual attractive manner to close the innings out with an unbeaten 71.

The PNG attack bowled tightly to ensure Malaysia's reply never really got going. Captain Rarua Dikana maintained pressure, bowling 10 overs and conceding just 14 runs and snaring two wickets in the process. Malaysia captain, Suhan Kumar, attempting to increase the tempo in a rousing innings of 49, but eventually his team was bowled out for 158 in the 47th over to give the home team a comfortable win.

PNG coach, Andy Bichel, was pleased with his batsmen’s show. "The pitch this morning was quite bouncy and there was genuine turn, so to have our top order bats really perform was critical to our success today. Tony Ura made his first 50 as a Barramundi and looked strong in doing so, whilst Chris Amini fired up to score 75 not out. I was pleased that we had enough wickets in hand at the end of the game to perform strongly in the Powerplay.”

Singapore 252 for 8 (Suryawanshi 32, Mendis 41, Param 53, Arora 42, Z Ali 3-31, Amar 3-47) beat Hong Kong 162 (Gul 58, Mulewa 3-23, Tripathi 3-26) by 90 runs

In the other game at the Colts Ground, Singapore bowlers, Rohan Tripathi and Dharmichand Mulewa, capitalised on a good effort from their batsmen to give their team a 90-run win over Hong Kong.

Singapore elected to bat and there were contributions all round from Anish Param who top-scored with 53 and Munish Arora (42), while openers Buddhika Mendis and Chetan Suryawanshi set the tone.

Hong Kong, a Division Three team in the World Cricket League but fielding a young squad in this tournament, started smoothly in their response. It needed the guile of Mulewa to take three quick wickets to halt Hong Kong's momentum, while Rohan Tripathi cleaned up the lower-order with four wickets.

Tony Munro

Malaysia captain Suhan Kumar Alagaratnam has credited his team's youthful exhuberance for its sem-final placing at the ACC Trophy in Kuwait last week. It was Malaysia's first semi-final appearance since 2002.

"With an average age of 23 we were clearly the underdogs from the start and just allowed us to play with more freedom," said skipper Suhan Kumar Alagaratnam, himself aged 23.

Coming off just knocking United Arab Emirates out of the tournament, his team were completely unfazed when Nepal set a stiff target to get into the final. "We did not for once thought that we had lost after giving 271 runs and was 2-6 when I walked in and the camp was always chirpy till the last over and everyone of us believed that we can do it."

Alagaratnam and experienced all-rounder, Suresh Navaratnam knew what needed to be done. "The wicket was flat and if we batted out our overs we would come close - when Suresh joined me at the crease we told each other that one of us [must] bat through and make a ton if we were to be a chance but tough luck we lost by 8 runs."

Navaratnam hit a feisty 115 from 103 which included six fours and three sixes to propel Malaysia close to the second major upset in two days after the giant-killing effort the day before to dispose of UAE.

A product of the Malaysia Cricket Association youth system, Alagaratnam added the mix of youngsters with veterans such as Navaratnam and Rakesh Madhavan was a catalyst for the improvement. "The difference this time around that I have seen is the team is well blended with raw young talent and experience."

Alagaratnam said Navaratnam had been determined to bounce back from World Cricket League Division Six tournament where he was not at his best. "He was struggling with a few injuries and he took a break which did him all the good and worked on his game very hard. Suresh has always played well for us and we are very grateful to have a player like him. His form on this tour has been amazing both with the bat and ball. With all his experience I always think he is always informative - he's an inspiration to all the youngsters in the team and is a great team man. As a young captain I'm still learning a lot from the legend."

Malaysia finished off their tournament with a seven run loss to Hong Kong in the third/fourth place play-off. That other veteran in the Malaysian team, Rakesh Madhavan, displayed some exuberance of his own in smashing 129 from 137 deliveries, including four sixes and nine fours. Malaysia didn't win the tournament but it was a confidence booster according to Alagaratnam. "Now that we know we can beat teams like them its the question of maintaining a certain standard and keep playing good cricket like the other strong cricketing nation."

Tony Munro

Malaysia has caused the boil-over of the 2010 ACC Trophy Elite tournament in Kuwait by knocking out tradtional heavyweight United Arab Emirates (UAE) on net run-rate to snare a semi-final berth. It will be the first ACC Trophy since 1998 without UAE in the final, let alone the semi-finals – ironically 1998 was the last time Malaysia was a finalist.

After UAE chose to bat, allrounder Suresh Navaratnam proved to be the catalyst for the upset, taking four for 29 from his 10 overs, including UAE openers Arshad Ali and Indika Sampath. Navaratnam's haul helped reduce the UAE to 7 for 70 before vital late-order runs from Salman Farooq (40), Shadeep Silva (20) and Shoaib Sanwar (13) lifted the final total to 152 from 40 overs.

The South East Asians knew they needed to not only win, but do so quickly to squeeze into the semi-finals on net run-rate. Their reply, though, was in early trouble at 2-13 when openers Rakesh Madhavan (0) and Damith Warusavithana (1) departed within the first five overs. Ahmad Faiz (43 from 51) and captain Suhan Kumar fought back in robust fashion, putting on 77 in 12.5 overs to position Malaysia favourably. Kumar earned the Man-of-the-Match award for his run-a-ball 65, which included a six and six fours. A middle-order callapse saw Malaysia skid from 2 for 70 to 6 for 106. Kumar then combined with Hassan Ghulam who made an unbeaten 20 from 17 balls to lift Malaysia to 7 for 132 and within sight of victory before Kumar was bowled. Paceman Qasim Zubair was UAE's chief wicket-taker (2-36). Malaysia scraped home by two wickets and will now play Nepal in its semi-final on Wednesday.

Defending champions Hong Kong put it past Oman to enter the semi-finals in a match that was reduced to 39 overs per side, after a wet outfield delayed the start. Hong Kong won the toss and sent Oman in. Opener Hemin Desai continued his wretched tournament, dismissed in the first over for six. Deep Trivedi and Vibhav Wategaonkar put on the biggest stand of the Oman innings, worth 46 in 11 overs. Moner Ahmed stifled the hopes of the middle order, taking 4 for 19 as Oman managed 168 for 9. Hong Kong's reply was just as cumbersome, at one stage faltering at 106 for 5, needing 63 off 12 overs. Nizakat Khan came to the rescue, striking 57 from 72 balls, including three fours and three sixes. Aided by Waqas Barkat (16 from 12), Hong Kong secured their semi-final berth, to face Afghanistan on Wednesday.

The last match was a useful hit-out for Nepal against Kuwait, who were already out of semi-final contention. Kuwait was dismissed for 120 in 42 overs, with no top-order batsman reaching 20. Saud Iqbal showed some staying power in compiling 26 from 48 balls to top-score for the hosts. Binod Das took 3-24 to ensure Kuwait never got going. Openers Mahesh Chettri (63) and Anil Mandal (33) put on 80 for the first wicket as Nepal galloped home, reaching the target of 121 in quick time.

Adnan Ilyas’s unbeaten 82 helped Oman ease to a comfortable victory over Kuwait at Unity, ensuring Oman hold on to their No. 2 position in Group B. Deep Trividi (4 for 36) led a solid bowling effort from Oman, which halted any hopes of the Kuwait batsmen making the most of a series of good starts. Six passed 20 but Khalid Butt’s dashing 55 was the only score half-century of the innings. At 176 for 7, Kuwait were struggling to post a competitive total but a 47-run eighth-wicket stand between Muhammad Javed and Muhammad Akhudzada helped lift the total 247. Oman were reduced to 72 for 3 in reply but 111-run partnership between Ilyas and captain Sultan Ahmed carried Oman towards touching distance of the target. Ahmed made 52 at almost a run a ball before he fell to Saud Iqbal and Aamir Khaleem and Ilyas ensured there was no slip up and Oman cantered home by five wickets.

Nadeem Ahmed starred with 5 for 35 to help Hong Kong beat Singapore in their bottom-of-the-table match at Hubara. In a day dominated by the bowlers, Hong Kong slipped to a perilous 118 for 8 after 33 overs. It was left to Moner Ahmed and Nadeem to rescue Hong Kong with a crucial 52-run stand. Moner ran well between the wickets during his run-a-ball 44 while Nadeem was content to hang around, making a patient 28 from 43 balls. When they fell in quick succession to the impressive Narender Reddy (4 for 28) Hong Kong were bowled out for 194, 22 balls short of their 50-over quota. What looked a below-par total proved to be enough as Singapore’s batsmen were unable to build on the good work done by their bowlers. Munish Arora did his best to anchor the innings with a patient 52 but regular wickets kept falling as Nadeem completed an excellent all-round game to take his side to a 45-run victory.

Bhutan subsided to their third heavy defeat in a row as Malaysia romped home by 10-wickets at KEC. After UAE and Afghanistan butchered Bhutan’s bowlers in the first two games, Bhutan opted to bat first when they won the toss. However, Ghulam’s 4 for 18 and Shahgul’s 3 for 15 halted any hopes of a competitive total as Bhutan collapsed to 68 all out. Their bowlers promptly picked up from where they left off and Damidh savaged six fours and three sixes on his way to a man-of-the-match earning 53 not out as Malaysia reached the target in 38 balls.

Hamid Hasan’s five-wicket haul triggered a late-innings collapse that derailed Malaysia’s chase, as Afghanistan sneaked home by one run at Hubara. Afghanistan’s top order laid a strong foundation after they won the toss, but the rest of the batsmen could not drive home the advantage. Karim Sadiq started well with a run-a-ball 46, and Asghar Stanikzai lent good support to lift the score to 82 for 2, and later 117 for 3, in good time. Thereafter, the lower order lost the plot and it was left to Raees Ahmadzai to hold things together with a 59-ball 64, as Afghanistan posted 236 for 9. Malaysia’s captain Suhan Kumar anchored the chase with 61, and significant contributions from the top order, barring opener Rakesh Madhavan, put their side on course, at 219 for 4. Hasan then took over, as three wickets fell without the addition of a run. Malaysia pressed the panic button, and sensing an opportunity, Afghanistan closed in on the kill. A ten-run stand for the final wicket nearly achieved the impossible, before Nowroz Mangal removed number 11 Sharulnizam Yusof to give Afghanistan victory by the slimmest of margins.

Nepal’s openers made short work of Singapore’s score of 216, to take their team to a comfortable seven-wicket win. Singapore’s batsmen failed to capitalize on their starts after winning the toss, as the top four all fell for scores between 30 and 40. Nepal turned in a tidy bowling effort to stifle the progress, and the lower order responded by falling to a spate of run outs, five in all. Mahesh Chettri and Anil Mandal got the chase off to a solid start, adding 135 in 26.5 overs. Mandal was the more adventurous of the two, hitting seven fours and a six in his 93-ball 83. Chettri made 87 off 111 balls, and the only sore point for Nepal was that neither opener could reach three figures, as the target was reached in the 44th over.

The deputy president of the troubled Malaysian Cricket Association, Datuk Dr Amarjit Singh, has resigned, citing time constraints as the reason for his decision.

"There is no need to say anything more nor do I want to hurt anybody. I have come to a decision to resign and that's it," Dr Amarjit told Bernama, the Malaysian National News Agency.

His resignation is a major setback for the MCA, which is in the midst of a slew of resignations, and has yet to find replacements for the two vice-presidential posts left vacant after Mahindra Vallipuran’s resignation and the death of Affendi Tuan Stephens last year. The association is reportedly also in financial difficulties.

"But I hope the president will take a serious look at the situation and fill up the vacancies, including that of ordinary member Gopal Sreenavasan who has also resigned,” added Dr Amarjit, who runs a clinic in Kuala Lumpur and was also the chairman of the MCA development committee. "If not, it's only fair that a re-election be called soon."

Bernama reported on its website that Dr Amarjit had been in the process of organising a golf tournament to help raise funds for cricket development but his plans were not given support, prompting his resignation.

"If I were him I would have felt very frustrated too,” said the president of the Johor Cricket Council, Datuk Dr Harjit Singh. “Dr Amarjit has the interest of cricket at heart and it's sad to see him go. Malaysian cricket has lost a good man.

“But I think there is more to it. In fact, Malaysian cricket is in a shambles right now. Something must be done to put things right again. Malaysian cricket cannot function like it is now.”

Buddika Mendis continues to shine for Singapore, who remained unbeaten in the fourth round of matches in the ICC World Cricket League Division 6. Botswana and Malaysia also notched wins, but Guernsey suffered yet another defeat. Click here for the full round-up.

There were wins for Singapore, Bahrain and Malaysia in the second round of matches of the ICC World Cricket League Division Six, currently underway in Singapore. Here's the full round-up.

There were wins for the hosts, Singapore, along with Norway and Bahrain on the opening day of the ICC World Cricket League Division 6. Click here for a full round-up, and be sure to read our exclusive player diaries from the leading figures in the tournament.

Six teams start their next step towards the 2015 World Cup on Saturday, as the ICC World Cricket League Division 6 gets underway in Singapore. The diverse nations of Bahrain, Botswana, Malaysia, Guernsey, Norway and Singapore will compete for the two places to gain promotion to Division 5, which is due to be held in Nepal in February 2010.

Click here for the full report

Full coverage, including scorecards, reports and photographs will be on Cricinfo throughout the tournament

Malaysia received a boost ahead of the ICC World Cricket League Division 6 when they beat Singapore to win the annual Stan Nagaiah Trophy. Click here for the full story.

Nepal and Afghanistan made it two wins out of two on the second day of the ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait.

Nepal’s win was against Malaysia, one of the pre-tournament favourites, and it extended their winning run against them to seven matches. Malaysia batted on winning the toss and scored 203, built around 90 from Keithan. Gyanendra Malla, Nepal’s captain, made 86 not out as they passed the target with six wickets in hand.

Afghanistan dismissed Oman for 188 (their last five wickets fell for 20) and then cruised to an eight-wicket win as Iqbal Maliki (86)and Noor ul Haq (79) put on 157 for the first wicket.

Hong Kong opened their account with a four-wicket win over Singapore who they bowled out for 124, aided by no fewer than five run-outs. Jamie Atkinson, who made his first-class debut for Durham UCCE earlier this month, hit 61 to spearhead the chase.

Pre-tournament favourites Malaysia and Nepal cruised to easy wins on the opening day of the ten-team ACC Under-19 Elite Cup in Kuwait. Afghanistan, whose senior side were the success story of the recent ICC World Cup Qualifiers, also got off to a flying start, but there was a surprise defeat for UAE.

Malaysia eased to a five-wicket win with more than ten overs to spare over Singapore after bowling them out for 183, Prem Dadlani providing the bulk of Singapore’s run with 96.

Nepal had more trouble in beating Saudi Arabia, and they had Amrit Bhattarai to thank as his 82 helped them to 233 after they had slipped to 76 for 7. That was too much for the Saudis who were bowled out for 96.

Afghanistan thrashed Bhutan by eight wickets after bowling them out for 63, ambling home in 13 overs.

UAE were bundled to a two-wicket defeat by Qatar after being bowled out for 164.

Nepal beat Malaysia by ten wickets in front of 8000 spectators to win the ACC Under-17 Elite Cup.

Malaysia were always second best in front of a passionate home crowd and were bowled out for 124 in 37.1 overs. Nepal cruised to victory in 23.3 overs, Sagar Pun scoring 65 and Aakash Pariyar 53.

Organisers have been delighted with excellent crowds throughout the competition, and strict checking of all teams ensured there were none of the embarrassing rows over the age of players which have marred recent events.

That spared Nepal, who, it is reported, had 16 of their original 30-man squad outside the stipulated age qualifications.

Malaysia beat Qatar by 55 runs to reach the final of the ACC Under-17 Elite Cup, where they will take on home side Nepal who beat UAE by 21 runs. Click here for a full report.

Hosts Malaysia posted 267 after choosing to bat against Bahrain in their match at Kinrara Academy Oval, thanks to sixties from middle-order batsmen M Krishnamurthi and Eszrafiq Azis. The other major contributor was No. 3 Suhan Alagaratnam, who made a patient 46. Bahrain looked on target for a win as opener Imran Sajjad cracked five sixes and seven fours in a 53-ball 73 but were derailed by legspinner Dinesh Sockalingham's four wickets. Azis followed up his whirlwind batting effort with a tight spell of 10-0-28-1 as Malaysia completed a 33-run victory.

Next week's ICC annual get-together promises to have more than its fair share of politicking, posturing and controversy. But, unless there is a major about-turn, it should also be a watershed for the Associates and Affiliates.

In 2009, income from the ICC's six-year media deal with ESPN-Star, worth over US$1 billion, kicks in, and while the game's big boys will still keep the lion's share, the rest will see substantial increases in their incomes.

Although the ICC draws considerable flak on many fronts, it is quietly committed to promoting the game in as many countries as possible, and it does that by means of a myriad of competitions and initiatives. Most do not warrant much media attention, but they are there and they work.

Until now, the gripe of the smaller countries, and especially those bubbling just underneath the top flight, has been about the inequality of the way in which the game is financed. That was never more apparent than when it came to earnings from last year's World Cup.

Ireland got a flat fee of US$125,000 a year for four years for taking part, and on top of that they received another $50,000 for reaching the Super Eights. However, because of the extra costs involved in their progression, not least because their players are not professional cricketers and their absences from their full-time jobs had to be underwritten, Ireland's success actually left the board out of pocket.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, turned up, tied with Ireland and never threatened to progress after being thumped by Pakistan and West Indies. For those three matches, Zimbabwe Cricket received US$11 million, their share of the pot as a Full Member.

The top six Associates receive no more than US$500,000 a year - some substantially less - to fund their entire operations. Out of that they have to pay all their cricketing and administration costs. Only those with a low cost of living, such as Kenya, can hope to maintain a professional squad on that kind of money.

The gulf between the haves and have-nots is further widened by the limited sums Associates can earn from sponsorship and media contracts. Zimbabwe can exploit home series against, say, India to carve out lucrative TV deals worth millions, and on the back of that, attract shirt- and other corporate sponsorship. As highlighted by Scotland's failure to secure any TV deal for their forthcoming ODI against England, the Associates struggle to get such income streams.

The new deals will provide a substantial increase for Associates, especially for the countries who are pressing for space at the top table. Until now the share has been roughly equal, rewarding Netherlands and Kenya on par with Thailand and Fiji. The new system will see more demarcation between the top Associates and the rest.

The leading ten could earn as much as US$1.5 million a year from 2009. There will then be an onus on them to professionalise their administrations, but several of them are already well down that route. They will also be more accountable - the ICC does not want a repeat of the mess that came following a spike in Kenya's funding earlier in the decade.

The second-string Associates will also get more - around US$160,000 as a base figure - but then again the demands on them are less. Even Affiliates will receive US$15,000, with the opportunity for more should they make a good enough case. There will also be more cash in the pot for participating and hosting competitions.

There have never been more opportunities for development outside the Full Member countries, but there remain some nagging worries.

The main one is how to bridge the gap between semi and full-blown professionalism. Almost all the Associates rely on dedicated amateurs, both on and off the field. As the number of ICC competitions has increased - and they have to be welcomed - the pressure has begun to tell. Scotland and Ireland particularly have already found players cannot meet all their commitments, and even the increased income will not allow them to employ a full-time squad.

"So much of putting players on full-time retainers depends on how many fixtures we can command," Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland's chief executive, said. "At the moment, all we can promise the squad in 2009 is a World Cup qualifying campaign, eight FP Trophy matches, an England game, and probably some Intercontinental Cup matches. Of course, we hope to have more, but can't be sure at the moment.

"Our top players are already plying their trade in county cricket, while others have full-time jobs which they may not wish to give up. The actual number of players that the coach will want to put on a full-time contract, or else the number that even want to have one, may not be that many."

The other quandary is how to get them fixtures. Kenya, widely regarded as the leading Associate, have found it almost impossible to get Full Member countries to visit or host them. As a result they invariably play other Associates. Good for the win-loss ratio, not so clever in providing the kind of experience that no amount of money can buy.

These issues will need to be addressed, but for now the future has never looked so promising beyond the Test world.

Romesh Kaluwitharana, who was in the Sri Lankan side which won the 1996 World Cup, has been appointed coach of the Malaysian squad on a short-term contract.

Click here for more.

Singapore have beaten Malaysia 3-0 in the Stan Nagaiah Trophy one-day series in Kuala Lumpur. They won the first and last matches by convincing margins, although they only squeezed home by three wickets in the penultimate over in the middle game. Singapore now head to Europe for the ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Guernsey.

Bangladesh romped to a nine-wicket win over Malaysia in the third-place play-off in the CLICO International Under-15 tournament in Trinidad. Ireland defeated ICC Americas by two wickets to secure fifth place, while Netherlands thumped Kenya to take seventh.

Click here for the full report

There were big wins for West Indies, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Malaysia on the second day of the CLICO International U-15 Championship in the Caribbean. Of the three, only Bangladesh are not guaranteed a semi-final place, meaning the winner of their match against Ireland will progress to the last four.

Click here for the full round-up

John Campbell struck 112 for West Indies Under-15s in the CLICO International Under-15 Championship. Click here for the full report. Scorelines and cards for the other matches can be found below.

West Indies 237 (Campbell 112) beat Bangladesh 200 (Nelson 3-43) by 37 runs
Scorecard

Ireland 111 for 3 (Getkate 31*) beat Kenya 110 (Karim 46, Getkate 4-17) by seven wickets
Scorecard

Pakistan 332 for 5 (Naeem 90) beat Netherlands 102 (Worries 20, Gohar 3-32) by 230 runs
Scorecard

Malaysia 157 for 8 (Goonasagaran 33, Hazim 19*) beat Americas 156 (Joshi 64, Zahid 3-36) by two wickets
Scorecard

An unbeaten 122 from Kraigg Brathwaite was the highlight of the opening matches in the Clico International Under-15 Championships. His innings steered West Indies to 240 for 6 and they then bowled out Malaysia for 94 to record a 146-run victory. Click here for a full report.

The match between Bangladesh and Netherlands turned out to be a one-sided affair with the Dutch being bundled out for 94 after being put in to bat. Netherlands, who were 58 for 9 at one stage, only saved face with a last-wicket stand of 36. Khaza Khairuddin was the most successful bowler for Bangladesh taking 3 for 24. Bangladesh cruised to 95 for 1 with the captain, Nazeef Ahmed, scoring 32 and Ahamedul Kabir 43 not out.

Bangladesh now meet the winner of the game between Pakistan and Ireland, which is scheduled for Sunday April 20, 2008.

The Asian Cricket Council has confirmed Malaysia as the venue for the 2008 ACC Trophy Elite Division. The 10-team tournament will be held from July 25 to August 3, with all matches likely to be staged in Kuala Lumpur.

It was also confirmed the ACC Trophy will be held as two separate tournaments for the first time.

The ACC Trophy Elite tournament will be contested by the top 10 ranked ACC members: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the holders, the United Arab Emirates.

The ACC Trophy Challenge for the remaining ACC members is likely to be staged in Kuwait from January 11-17, 2009. Among the invitees are Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, China, Iran, the Maldives, Oman and Thailand, although it remains to be seen whether China fields a team.
Tony Munro

The number of people actively participating in cricket outside the Test-playing countries increased 17% in 2007, according to the ICC.

The research, carried out by the ICC's development program, was collated from 33 Associate and 58 Affiliate members. It showed that there were 338,051 male and female players in those countries in 2007, an increase of 49,158 on the previous year. Since 2002, when there were 144,047 participants, there has been a 135% rise.

Click here for the full story.

	Singapore's captain Rezza Gaznavi receives the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup © ACC

Singapore defeated Kuwait by six wickets to win the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup in Bhaktapur, Nepal. It was, however, a slightly hollow victory, as eight of the ten competing sides had earlier been disqualified for fielding over-age players, and so Singapore and Kuwait contested the final as they were the only teams remaining in the competition.

The Asian Cricket Council had taken drastic action on Saturday and kicked out hosts and defending champions Nepal as well as Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Thailand after its medical board reported that all the squads from those countries contained players over the stipulated age limit. Sunday's semi-finals - Nepal v Singapore and Afghanistan v Hong Kong - were scrapped.

Click here for the full story.

The 2007 ACC Twenty20 Cup gets underway on October 27, a ten-team tournament held in Kuwait.

Hong Kong Cricket's website, which Cricinfo hosts, will have more once the tournament gets underway.

Australia Under-19s walloped Malaysia by 183 runs in the first of two one-day friendlies at Kelab Aman in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The New Straits Times has a full report:

Four Australians posted half centuries as they compiled 306 runs in 50 overs before dismissing Malaysia for 123 runs in 43 overs.

Isaiah Borgas, batting at No 4 for Australia, knocked an elegant 81 runs off 72 balls which included seven boundaries and three sixes, Anthony Murphy chipped in with 60 off 84 balls, Tim Buzzard scored 54 and James Faulkner was unbeaten on 50.

In reply, Malaysia lost the wicket of opener Faris Almas Lee (2) in the fourth over before Shafiq Sharif (16) and Faizal Abu Hassan (8) exited cheaply as Malaysia struggled against the Australian seamers and spinners.

Seven bowlers each from Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal and the UAE will be sent to the MRF Pace Foundation, run by Dennis Lillee, ahead of the 2007 and 2008 World Cricket League.

"It is the ACC's intention that these teams do well in the World Cricket League and the MRF camp in Chennai is to prepare the five qualifiers for World Cup qualification. An invitation was extended to the Malaysian Under-19 squad to train at MRF as they have pre-qualified for the 2008 U-19 World Cup next February and can benefit from the opportunity to train from this year," says ACC Development Manager Sultan Rana.

It won't get many column inches in the mainstream cricket press, but the World Cricket League, which started in Nairobi yesterday and continues into next week, features the best of the rest, the six sides just under the ten Test-playing countries. For the two finalists, the rewards are bountiful - a place among the big boys in the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa this September, along with $250,000. For countries used to surviving on annual handouts from the ICC of less than $200,000, that's big money.

With the exception of Bermuda, cricket is not a mainstream sport in any of the participants. And yet it survives, and in some instances thrives, despite the lack of attention and a relatively small number of enthusiasts.

The ICC, who do sterling work in supporting the game's second and third tiers, will rightly use the event to highlight that cricket is not just about the Indians and Australias of the world.

But there remains a nagging worry. The ICC boasts that the game is spreading across the world. But is that right? Is it taking root or is it surviving because more people from its hotbed - south-east Asia - are emigrating and keeping it alive for the duration of their careers?

In last year's Wisden Almanack, Matthew Engel raised this very issue. "Overwhelmingly, the game in non-traditional countries is played by expatriates, mostly South Asian. Journalists were kidded into believing that cricket was about to burst on China, on the basis of some warm comments by civil servants and a couple of coaching courses. I have seen not one shred of evidence to back this up. Are the kids playing with tapeballs on the streets of Shanghai? Are they heck!"

Take Canada. Of the squad in Nairobi at the moment, only three were born in the country, and two of those are over 35. Of the rest, five come from the Caribbean, four from India and each from Pakistan and Uganda. Whereas other Associates have a smattering of expats, Canada are utterly reliant on them.

Engel's comment attracted fierce criticism from those who either argued that England had more than their share of "imports" or that the game only spread in Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Caribbean through expats playing it in the first place.

The worry in some countries is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants

With regards to England, yes there have been quite a few non English-born players who have been picked for the side, but the game still has a massive stronghold in the country. The selection has been more about improving a solid side. And as for the ex-pats argument? Well, yes, but that's the crucial point. In the regions flagged the game was brought in but it was then embraced by the indigenous population and taken on as their own. This is exemplified no better than in CLR James's seminal work, Beyond A Boundary.

The worry in some countries - and again I come back to Canada - is that rather the game is not being continued by the second and third generations but is only being maintained by a steady flow of new immigrants. Canada's cricket heritage is rich but there is little sign that it has been built on. This is best underlined by the selection of former West Indies international Anderson Cummins. Forty years old and without a major match to his name since 1995-96, he made his debut in Mombasa last week. What message does that send out about the strength in depth of cricket in Canada?

It's not just Canada. Look at the USA, whose 2004 Champions Trophy side was a collection of ageing expats whose performances verged on the disgraceful. And the UAE, which is almost entirely dependant on its ex-pat workforce to keep the game alive.

Cricket's expansion should not be about filling teams with expats and expecting the locals to get excited about it. The only way cricket can gain a foothold in emerging countries is by actually getting the indigenous population to embrace the game, and two excellent examples where this is happening are Nepal and Uganda.

Anderson Cummins of Barbados, West Inbies ... and now Canada © Eddie Norfolk

Does it matter? Yes, because as the ICC looks to develop the game in as many places as possible, that means the financial cake has to be cut in ever thinner slices. The ICC needs to concentrate on a smaller number of countries where the chances of the game taking off. It is invidious that Uganda gets the same basic allowance as Belgium.

Cricket is in trouble in its traditional homes in Africa - Zimbabwe are hell-bent on destruction and South Africa seems to be falling out of love with the game. So efforts should be made in Uganda . And in Asia, which everyone accepts is the game's stronghold, a side like Nepal should really be given the leg up. It's about targeting rather than a scattergun approach.

In fairness to the ICC, they have a tough time and a lot of countries scrambling for a share of the spoils. It's about weeding out the weak and really looking to grow the game in areas where it has the best chance of taking root. It's an almost impossible ask. Look at the repeated failure of American Football to crack Europe ... and if football itself still battles for acceptance outside expats and schools in the USA, then the size of the ICC's task becomes clear.

Of course expats have a key role to play in expansion. But if the game is basically played by them, is it the game spreading or is it more about diehards clinging to the traditions of their homelands? In the UK there are baseball and American football sides, but they are almost all expat Americans and so few would seriously claim the games have taken hold. However, basketball and ice hockey are widely played by locals, boosted by some imported players and expats, and, crucially, the national side can stand on its own two feet. That's the difference.

Malaysia put on a brave front before going down by five wickets against Sri Lanka in the opening match of the HSBC Malaysian Under-19 Invitational tri-series at the Kinrara Oval.

It was a result which the young Malaysians, led by skipper Faris Almas-Lee, should not look into with sadness or shame but instead hold their heads high at the end of the day as there was so much excitement provided by the hosts which had the Test-playing nation gripped with nail-biting anxiety.

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Australia could prepare for their 2006-07 season with a tri-series in Malaysia according to Bernama, a Malaysian news agency:

The tournament would most likely comprise six pool matches and a final, with four matches to be played in Malaysia and three in Singapore.

The tournament would be Australia's first international series since it toured Bangladesh in April, and would be the first step in what will be a massive six-month period which includes the Champions Trophy, the home Ashes series against England and the World Cup in the Caribbean, starting in March.

The Asian Cricket Council Development Committee has proposed that the next ACC Trophy be held in Kuala Lumpur in August. Eighteen teams will participate.