Cricket set for low-key debut at Asian Games

New Delhi: India's decision to stay away and the absence of the region's top players has robbed cricket of its star value when it is played for the first time at the Asian Games.

Cricket, a non-Olympic sport, was confirmed for Guangzhou three years ago following the seemingly enthusiastic support from the continent's big four - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. But the countdown to what the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said was "the dawn of a new age for the sport" has been marred by a surprisingly lackadaisical approach by the powers that matter.

The powerful Indian cricket Board angered organisers by refusing to field either a men's or women's team at the Games owing to international commitments and domestic tournaments.

India, whose huge cricket-mad television audiences make them an attractive proposition for any organiser, are due to host New Zealand for a Test and one-day series in November. Pakistan play South Africa in the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka host the West Indies in the same period, which means both the Asian sides will field junior teams.

Bangladesh are also expected to rest their frontline players for the Twenty20 competition in Guangzhou, where the other teams will come from Afghanistan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and hosts China.

Ashraful Huq, the ACC's chief executive, admitted he was shocked that India pulled out. Huq said the present International Cricket Council (ICC) chief Sharad Pawar presided over both the Indian Board and the ACC in 2005 when it was decided that top players will participate in the inaugural event.

"It is fair to say that it was everybody's assumption at the time that (sending the best teams) would indeed be the case," Huq told AFP. Huq, who hails from Bangladesh, preferred to dwell on the positives and looked forward to a rousing competition in Guangzhou between the other young teams.

"These cricketers of the sub-continent are being groomed by their respective Boards to be the stars of the future," he said. "The tournament gives them and their opponents a tremendous opportunity to shine."

Cricket's induction at the Asian Games was expected after the ICC identified China as one of the major new markets along with the United States for the development of the sport. Games' organisers have built a 12,000-seater cricket-specific stadium at the Guangdong University of Technology to host the tournament. With just one ground available, organisers opted for the shorter Twenty20 format to fit in the men's and women's competitions.

"Besides, T20 is a terrific format to capture the attention of a new audience," said Huq. "As with the first Olympics and the first World Cup, we are at the dawn of a new age for the sport."

Cricket was last seen at a major multi-sport event at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur but was dropped for the next three editions in England, Australia and India. Huq said the sport will continue to be played at the Asian Games and was part of the programme for 2014 in the South Korean city of Incheon.