MUMBAI: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) will have new home shortly, according to Thilanga Sumathipala, the president of the ACC.
Speaking exclusively over his mobile from London, where he went after attending the ICC Annual Conference in Edinburgh, Sumathipapa says, “Colombo is shortlisted as one of the venues for the ACC Head-Quarter. We have received positive response from other three Test playing countries (India, Bangladesh and Pakistan) and we also have received the positive response from our independent audit firm (M/s. Deloitte, an audit and advisory consulting firm)”.
The other two countries which have / had submitted the bids are / were UAE and Mauritius.
But Sumathipala claims to have received support from Singapore and Malaysia Cricket Boards.
“Sri Lanka is a full-member country and it is better to have the ACC Head Quarter here. Colombo is well-equipped with the facilities. We will support the move”, Malinga Vallipuram, the president of the Malaysia Cricket Association, speaking exclusively, said. “The ACC is still holds the legal entity and eventually it is a good decision to revive it. Most important is that the ACC will be revived and this augurs well for all member-countries”, he added.
The ICC has undertaken the development of the game in the Asian countries and absorbed few of the ACC staff-members.
Sri Lanka’s former captain Bandula Warnapura, who was serving with the ACC, moved to ICC to look after the development affairs. The 63-year-old Warnapura is likely to retire from the ICC now, it is learnt here.
“We have scheduled our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 21st August in Colombo, where further discussions will take place on this issue”, he further added.
Sumathipala will relinquish the presidentship of the ACC and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB ) chairman Shahryar Khan, at the age of 82, will be the new president post-AGM. The ACC presidentship is on a rotation-basis among four Test playing countries.
The revived ACC will also establish a new academy in Dharamshala, India. It will be known as ACC Centre of Excellence.
