China keen to host 2012 Asia Cup

[Ajfar]

China is making a bid to host its first major international cricket event by showing interest in staging the 2012 Asia Cup in Guangzhou, the venue that hosted the first-ever Asian Games cricket tournament in November.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief executive, Syed Ashraful Huq, told ESPNcricinfo that one of the upshots of the Asian Games was that the Chinese Cricket Association had "expressed its interest" in hosting the 2012 Asia Cup. "If our ACC board agrees, China will have its first full-fledged, major international tournament," he said.

The ACC board will meet on December 12 in Dhaka to decide on the venue for the Asia Cup. The choice is among Guangzhou, Dhaka and either Dubai or Abu Dhabi. "If you ask me where it should go, I don't know, my board would have to decide," Huq said. "But it would be good if it is played in a non-traditional place".

Moving to a new venue, according to Huq, "enhances the profile of the place, creates cricket awareness. You create a new market in the new place." There were, he said, "no new things" to be created by

playing the tournament in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh.

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I really hope they do end up getting it. It will be a huge boost for their cricket.