ACC Twenty20 Cup set for lift - off

28272 ACC Twenty20 dec2 2011
28272 ACC Twenty20 dec2 2011

This Saturday sees the opening round of fixtures in the all-important ACC Twenty20 Cup in Nepal.

Nine teams will be aiming to join Afghanistan as one of four qualifiers out of this tournament for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE in March.

Holders Afghanistan compete in Group A along with Malaysia, Oman, Bhutan and Maldives. Meanwhile, hosts Nepal are joined by Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in Group B.

Four semi-finalists will come out of these groups with the final at Tribhuvan University on Sunday December 11.

The opening day of fixtures offers Malaysia a baptism of fire against strong favourites Afghanistan while Bhutan and Oman also meet at the Engineering Ground. Nepal get Group B underway against Hong Kong with Kuwait and UAE also facing each other at Tribhuvan University.

Nepal are likely to be boosted by home crowds of up to 10,000 for their matches with Paras Khadka seen as their potential matchwinner. UAE are expected to challenge strongly but Group B seems difficult to predict going into the tournament.

By contrast, it would be a massive shock if all the other teams in Group A were not competing for second place behind Afghanistan.

As defending champions and with experience of playing in last year's ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies, all the pressure will be on the Afghans to prove their superiority at this level. They have already pre-qualified for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier by dint of their ODI status but will be looking to warm-up for that competition with a strong showing in Nepal.

Oman are boosted by new coach Roy Dias, the former Sri Lanka batsman, and, along with Malaysia could be the strongest challengers to Afghanistan in Group A. Bhutan and Maldives are the outsiders due to their relative lack of experience but no team should be underestimated in this format.

The imagination of the host nation has been captured with the home team likely to receive huge support both at the ground and on television. Nepal TV will be broadcasting all of Nepal's matches, starting with the game against Hong Kong on Saturday, along with one semi-final and the Final live.