The ICC Under-17 Asia Cup is starting in Pakistan on Saturday July 15. The tournament is being held under the ICC's policy of promoting cricket in the lesser-developed countries of Asia including those where the game has just taken the roots.

The 10 countries of the region i.e. Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are participating in the championship. India was also invited but they declined to enter their team.

The teams have been divided into two pools with the matches to be played at Karachi, Haydrabad, Quetta and Thatha. The tournament starts on July 15 with four matches to be played at Karachi. The final of the tournament will be played at National Stadium Karachi on July 25.

Such tournaments are designed for the introduction, promotion and further development of cricket in the areas where the public interest in the game is growing or just taking roots. Among the participants, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the regular members of the ICC while Malaysia, Singapore, UAE and Nepal are the associate members. Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are the new entrants in the game, requiring recognition to earn the associate members slot. It is not known at what level cricket is played in these countries. This tournament will provide a golden opportunity to these countries to show their prowess in the game atleast at the junior level.

The youngsters participating in the championship will learn a lot from the players of better teams so as to step into the shoes of senior players and jump to higher tiers of the game.

From cricket administration point of view, they will also learn the staging of an international tournament. From the known standards of the game, one can conclude that Pakistan and Sri Lanka will secure the top slots to play the finals.

© CricInfo