International Cricket Council chief Malcolm Speed will travel to China next week to witness efforts to promote cricket in the world's most populous country, where officials hope for 150,000 players by 2020.

Speed will be accompanied by Shaharyar Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and ICC global development manager Matthew Kennedy during the September 18-22 visit to Beijing and Shanghai, the Asian Cricket Council said in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The delegation will visit the site of a potential cricket center outside Beijing and inspect the progress of the latest coaching course being conducted by the ACC, it said a statement.

"The opportunity China presents to the world of cricket is immense," ACC President Jayantha Dharmadasa was quoted as saying.

"Cricket cannot call itself a global game or even hope to compete with football and American sports if it doesn't reach out to new communities and countries," he said.

The ACC has run four coaching courses in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Kunming, Guangzhou and Dalian during the past 12 months. The courses - administered by Cricket Australia - led to 63 people linked to some of the premier universities, colleges and schools in China being certified as accredited coaches.

Also during the past year, nearly 6,500 Chinese have received cricket training and over 50 men's and women's teams in schools, colleges and universities have been established.

The Chinese Cricket Association's goal is to have 15,000 cricketers by 2009 and 60,000 by 2012. By 2020, the association envisages establishing a national league playing international club matches as well as a credible national team.

The association expects "cricket to be played actively by 150,000 men, women and children" by 2020, it said.

Chinese can do well in cricket "because this is a game that emphasizes skills, tactics and team work," CCC Chairman Zhang Xiaoning was quoted as saying.
 
(Shanghai Daily September 15, 2006)