Islamabad, November 28:

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Development Committee has approved an annual budget of $5.5 million for financial year 2007-08 in a meeting chaired by Dr Nasim Ashraf, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief.

Ashraf said that the ACC had finalised a five-year development programme, reported the Daily Times. “The ACC is looking to promote school cricket among the upcoming cricket nations and the PCB has asked all Asian countries to get facilities from Pakistan in terms of coaching and other technical assistances. However, the PCB is also ready to facilitate non-Test playing Asian nations at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore,” he added.

He said that the ACC had also finalised plan for the next five years in which the ACC would provide $300 million to regional countries including Nepal and Bahrain. “Cricket is progressing in China quickly and they have arranged 71 high level coaching courses in different areas of the country. “Robin Singh, former Indian player, is coaching the Hong Kong while Sri Lankan cricketer Roy Dias is the coach of the Nepal team,” he maintained.

Syed Ashraful Haq, chief executive, Sultan Rana, development manager, Ganesan Sundarammoorty, programme coordinator, Ashan Hamid Malik, marketing and communication director, Mushtaq Ahmed, finance general manager at the PCB and members Binay Raj Pandey (president of Cricket Association of Nepal), John Cribbin, Nadeem Naqvi and Asad Baig also participated in the proceedings.