Undeterred by the problems faced by the game's biggest powers to find space in the international cricket calendar, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) are carrying on regardless with plans to resurrect the Afro-Asia Cup. The series has enjoyed negligible popularity among fans since it was first staged in 2005, and since has been superseded by the boom in Twenty20 cricket. However, the ACC have entered into a new commercial agreement with Nimbus Sports for the 2009 and 2010 Afro-Asia Cups. Under the new deal Nimbus will market all commercial rights to the events on a global basis.
The parties have agreed to explore new opportunities for the growth of cricket at all levels in Asia and Africa. Last year Nimbus pulled out of the three-year/three-event partnership, for which they had originally bought the rights for US$12million (Dh 44m). The Afro-Asia Cup is an ICC-sanctioned event comprising three One-day Internationals between the best players from Asia and Africa. The 2009 series is scheduled to be held in Kenya and in India in 2010.
"The Afro-Asia Cup was formed primarily to raise vital development funds for cricket in both continent," says ACC Chief Executive Syed Ashraful Huq, "Nimbus shares our passion for the Afro-Asia Cup. We have no doubt that together we can contribute significantly to the phenomenal growth enjoyed by our sport in the African and Asian continents." In the Ramadan Twenty20 Rufi Cup at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Gopal Jasapara took four wickets as Danube beat Al Barraq CC by 53 runs. pradley@thenational.ae
