India set to rebuff Asiad cricket again

Cricket may have got a repreive at the Asian Games, but powerhouse India's reluctance to join the party threatens the sport's future at multi-sport events.

A top Indian cricket official revealed to AFP that he could not guarantee the country's participation at the next Games to be held in the South Korean city of Incheon in 2014.

"There is still some time for that, but we are not very excited about taking part in events like the the Asian Games," the official said from New Delhi.

"We have a packed schedule in the next Future Tours Program and 2014 will be no exception. India cannot just dismiss its international and domestic commitments."

Those comments will come as a body blow to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), who encouraged the sport's inclusion in Guangzhou and fought hard to retain it for the next edition.

The powerful Indian cricket board (BCCI) has already annoyed the Olympic Council of Asia and the ACC by refusing to field teams for cricket's debut at the ongoing Asian Games.

India, whose huge cricket-mad television audiences make them an attractive proposition for any organiser, cited a busy international and domestic schedule for their absence from China.

"It will be a pity if India do not take part in the Asian Games," said ACC chief executive Ashraful Huq. "Their presence is needed to spread cricket across the continent.

"We will try and convince them to come to Incheon."

The inaugural event in Guangzhou has already been robbed of its star value as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the other Test-playing nations in Asia, have chosen to field second-string teams.

Officials are hoping the men's competition, which starts from Sunday, will make up for the lacklustre women's event where hosts China made their debut at the international stage.

The handful of fans, who have braved the trip to the Guangzhou cricket stadium over the last few days, would hardly have been inspired by the Twenty20 fare that was dished out.

Hong Kong's women were shot out for just 25 runs in 3.4 overs by Bangladesh, Thailand went for 49 against Pakistan and Japan managed only 57 runs in 20 overs against Bangladesh.

Hosts China, billed as the suprise package of the competition, are on the verge of an early exit after being thrashed by nine wickets by Pakistan.

The men's event has at least drawn a sprinkling of established names like Mohammad Ashraful of Bangladesh, Khalid Latif of Pakistan and Malinga Bandara, Nuwan Zoysa and Jehan Mubarak from Sri Lanka.

Then there is the fast-improving Afghanistan, who qualified for the World Twenty20 this year and narrowly missed qualifying for next year's 50-over World Cup in South Asia.

If only the locals were enthused enough since the International Cricket Council has identified China as one of the major new markets along with the United States for the development of the sport.

u00a0