ACC SPORTS MEDICINE AND FITNESS COURSE TO BE HELD IN THAILAND

A participant appreciating the weight of Dr. Paes’s knowledge

The fourth ACC Sports Medicine Course is being held in Chiangmai, Thailand from the 17th to 22nd December. Conducted by ACC Sports Medicine and Fitness Consultant, Dr. Vece Paes the course will have the same participants as those who attended the Kuala Lumpur edition in March 2005. Myanmar and China will be sending attendees for the first time.

“While covering the same fundamentals as in previous courses, Chiang Mai will be more ‘hands-on’ than before with the bulk of each day being devoted to practical application of all the course material,” said Dr. Paes.

FIERCE FAWAD SINKS SINGAPORE

Pacer Syed Mohammed Fawad returned a stunning seven-wicket haul as hosts UAE scored a resounding 124-run victory over Singapore in their three-day match of the Asian Cricket Council Fast Track Countries Tournament at Sharjah.

With this victory UAE won the 2005 ACC Fast Track Countries Tournament, the premier three-day competition in Asia.

2005 FTCT Top Performers

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NEW ASIAN AFFILIATE REPRESENTATIVE

The Asian Cricket Council is pleased to nominate Ahmed Hassan Didi as Asia's Affiliate Representative to the ICC. Mr. Didi is presently attached with the Cricket Control Board of Maldives as its Vice-Chairman. He replaces Ravi Sehgal, President of the Cricket Association of Thailand following Thailand’s accession to Associate Status.

FIRST-CLASS INTERCONTINENTAL CUP BECOMES WORLD-CLASS

The ICC’s first-class competition for non-Test playing countries, the ICC Intercontinental Cup, will switch from a regional to a global tournament from 2006 onwards.

Following the November ICC Development Committee meeting in Kathmandu, it was decided to make the ICC Intercontinental Cup truly more competitive and reflective of the best teams’ performances by changing the format of the competition.

Rather than being primarily regional, the competition is now from the outset set to annually put the best eight Associate nations from around the world up against each other. In a further alteration to the existing set-up, all matches will change from three to four days’ duration after the 2006 season.

Matthew Kennedy

Commenting on the new format, ICC Global Development Manager Mathew Kennedy said: “This new format means we can truly have the best playing the best for the right to be called the top Associate side at first-class level.

The groups for the 2006 tournament have been determined using a combination of current multi-day and one-day rankings together with cost-effective scheduling. Nepal, rated ninth by this method, have been given the chance to play off for a place in the 2006 competition because they are the one side rated inside the top eight in multi-day cricket that is not in the overall top eight because of their one-day form. The UAE are already in the top eight Associate nations.

BAHRAIN TO HOST MCC

The Middle East's oldest cricket Club AWALI of Bahrain celebrates their 70th anniversary at the end of the year and to mark the occasion have invited the MCC to play in a local tournament and conduct some coaching at the Bahrain Cricket Academy.

A six-team tournament featuring sides from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will join players from Bahrain from the MCC in an event to be televised on Ten Sports. The MCC will also be playing a to-day match against Bahrain during their visit.

YEMEN GET THE BALL ROLLING AGAIN

After a gap of six years cricket has returned to the Republic of Yemen with the inception of a tournament in Sana’a.

Early days as yet but there has already been some administrative activity on the basis of creating a national Cricket Association and once that is done, Yemen are in line to become an official member of the global cricket family.