By IANS
Dubai : Come July and women's cricket in Asia is all set to get a big boost with the inaugural Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Women's Tournament in Johor Baru, Malaysia, in which eight teams from the region will take part.
The teams are Hong Kong, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China, Bangladesh, Singapore, Nepal and hosts Thailand, said a press statement by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The tournament will kick-off July 11 with the final slated for July 18.
"The tournament in Malaysia is important and we are optimistic it will play a huge development role in the region. The ACC has released special funds to the non-Test playing teams so they could start their preparations and activities," said Sultan Rana, Development Manager of the ACC.
"We sent two coaches to the UAE and Oman in the recent past while another will shortly visit Iran. These activities and this upcoming tournament should provide girls in the Asia region with a real feel for the game," he added.
And ahead of tournament, and as part of the build-up to that event, Hong Kong's women team will host China in their first-ever cricket match, to be played in Shenzhen Sunday.
The historic match-up between China and Hong Kong, set for Shenzhen University Stadium, will act as the ideal appetizer ahead of the main event and Hong Kong manager Mark Burns said the game was eagerly anticipated.
"The Hong Kong squad has been training hard over the last few months in preparation for the ACC tournament and everyone is excited at the chance to play against China in Shenzhen. It will be really special," he said.
Fixtures:
July 11: Hong Kong vs. Malaysia (Johor Cricket Academy); Bangladesh vs. UAE, (Institute Perguruan Temenggong Ibrahim)
July 12: Thailand vs. Nepal (Johor Cricket Academy); Singapore vs. China (Institute Perguruan Temenggong Ibrahim)
July 13: Hong Kong vs. Thailand (Johor Cricket Academy); Bangladesh vs. Singapore, (Institute Perguruan Temenggong Ibrahim)
July 14: Malaysia vs. Nepal (Johor Cricket Academy); UAE vs. China (Institute Perguruan Temenggong Ibrahim)
July 15: Hong Kong vs. Nepal (Johor Cricket Academy); Bangladesh vs. China (Institute Perguruan Temenggong Ibrahim)
July 16: Malaysia vs. Thailand (Johor Cricket Academy); UAE vs. Singapore (Institute Perguruan Temenggong Ibrahim)
July 17: 1st semi-final (Johor Cricket Academy); 2nd semi-final (Institute Perguruan Temenggong Ibrahim)
July 18: Final