Nepal was the last Asian country to become an associate of the ICC, way back in 1986. The ACC Chief Executive, Syed Ashraful Huq, has now identified Kuwait, The Maldives and Thailand as potential candidates for associate membership.

Kuwait enjoyed a stirring run in the latest ACC Trophy held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in June 2004, beating the Maldives on the way to third place overall.

-Associate membership of the ICC brings with it greater responsibilities in terms of administration but also a chance to play cricket in more testing environments as well an entitlement to greater funding for facilities, coaching and player development.

They qualify for such consideration by virtue of their sustained series of recent performances in regional tournaments. Junior cricket in these countries is "encouragingly strong as the respective associations are doing a lot to support the game", says Mr. Huq.

Nepal has emerged as one of the strongest associate teams in the region in recent times and but such is the pace of change at present, there is every chance that within a few years the young cricketers of Kuwait, The Maldives and Thailand could be rubbing shoulders with their heroes on television.

The ACC Development Officer, Zakir Hussain Syed confirms, that "the foundations of the game are in place and have been for some time. What is particularly encouraging are the large numbers of local boys playing in these countries. Chiang Mai School in Thailand is a great example of how Thai boys have taken to cricket."

A vote on these nations' associate status will be taken at the next ICC Council Meeting in 2005.

Filed September 10th 2004