PESHAWAR, July 20: The combined annual general meeting of International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) held in London on June 26, has approved the participation of Afghanistan in the tournaments played among the Asian and African countries.

This was stated by Taj Malik Alam, secretary general of the Afghanistan Cricket Federation (ACF) while talking to Dawn on Wednesday.

“The meeting approved the agreement between Asia and Africa region that had enabled us to take part in the tournaments being played among the Asia and African teams,” said, Mr Aslam, who is also coach of Afghan team.

According to him, the council has also approved the budget for the member countries for the year 2005-06 and Afghanistan will receive $60,000 for the development of cricket.

“I have met many people and they all had shown great interest to help Afghanistan cricket,” he said, adding that he had also held meeting with Shaharyar Khan, chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The PCB’s chief, he said had approved a 10-day training camp in Peshawar for under-17 players of Afghanistan which is underway now at the Peshawar Cricket Academy. Mr Alam said that he had also met the Sri Lankan Cricket Board’s vice president, who had extended an invitation to the Afghanistan national cricket team to play six matches in Sri Lanka in November this year.

To promote the game, he said that he had also contacted the president of the Canadian Cricket Association, who he said was very keen to invite Afghanistan national team to Toronto in near future.

“We have also held talks with the representatives of the International Group of Cricket (IGC), who had invited the Afghanistan national cricket team to the United Kingdom in April next year for 21 days tour,” he said, adding that Afghanistan will play matches against counties and the team of old English cricket players.

Regarding the development of cricket back home, he said that construction work on cricket stadium in Kabul was under way, saying that as the first step, the levelling of the ground has been completed.

“Afghanistan will be able to invite other teams to Kabul for matches very soon,” he said. “Work on the National Cricket Academy has been completed, which is now open for all the players,” he said, adding that an amount of US$45,000 has been spent on the cricket academy, which is located in Ghazi Stadium, Kabul. All the facilities required for players are available and laying of grass will start soon.