Annual Asia Cups, Developing Women’s And Associate Cricket Part Of Jay Shah’s Rejuvenated ACC

When Jay Shah, all-powerful India cricket boss, stepped into the hot seat at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) early last year he wanted to get straight to business, sensing golden opportunities at a sleeping giant.

“The ACC is untapped in terms of commercialization and sponsorship,” said ACC head of commercial and events Prabhakaran Thanraj, who formerly worked at India’s governing body. “Jay Shah wanted to see how could we create more visibility for the ACC and explore the possibilities with this property.”

Established in 1983, the ACC’s goal is to develop and promote cricket in Asia while fostering better relations with member nations. The regional body currently has 24 members and is most known for organizing its marquee Asia Cup, which was generally played biennially up until the last edition of 2018.

The Asia Cup, which features six teams and is set to be played in August-September, is highly lucrative because it ensures one or two matches between rivals India and Pakistan, who rarely play against each other due to political differences.

Thus there is a proposal for the Asia Cup to be held annually – interchanging between T20 and ODI formats. “The entire monetization of the broadcast is based on this one match between India and Pakistan,” Thanraj said.

The planned resurrection of the Afro-Asia Cup, which I first reported last month and would see India and Pakistan players form part of an Asian XI, is also likely to attract significant interest and large broadcast numbers.

Discussions on these plans, which would require an always busy India to squeeze space in their hectic schedule, will be held on the sidelines of the ICC’s Annual Conference starting on July 23.

“The men’s Asia Cup is where almost all the funds come from for the ACC,” Thanraj said. “Monetization will help put funds back into cricket.”

The rebrand of the ACC, complete with an update of its well-worn 1980s logo, isn’t just about strengthening the Asia Cup and further enriching the power nations in the region.

It’s easy to raise eyebrows at all-powerful India’s motives, but Shah, who according to sources is contemplating contesting the ICC chair later in the year, is determined to shake things up with bold plans and transform the ACC into a behemoth.

“Jay Shah has been pushing the boundaries of what we can do past the Asia Cup,” Thanraj said. “A revamp of the ACC is hoped to give confidence in Associate nations and we are particularly focusing on women’s cricket and how to monetize and ensure it is commercially viable.”

Like its counterpart, the women’s Asia Cup – which is scheduled to be played in Bangladesh later this year and could be held in India in 2023 – is set to be staged annually while an U19 tournament is in the works.

Other new ACC initiatives include U13 and U16 Asia Junior Cups and ACC West and East Cups for Associates to qualify for Asia Cups. Junior competitions will likely be streamed through a cutting edge ACC app and on its website.

“A lot of teens in the region are moving into football, so grassroots programs are vital,” said ACC chairman of development committee Mahinda Vallipuram. “Development is a cost centre but we can’t run away. Development is the key to get more engagement and participation. We need to grow the value and compete with other sports.

“This is how we can grow the game by letting more countries play. It will be an investment.”

These competitions are hoped to shine a light on emerging players in the Associates whose career prospects could skyrocket. “We need to create more tournaments so the talent scouts of the IPL and BBL and other leagues can see how these players from the Associates perform,” Thanraj said.

“The future will be ACC/ICC competitions and T20 franchise leagues. We have to develop the pathway tournaments and get broadcasters or create livestreams so the players are seen.

“It’s a big cost for us. We put 80-90 per cent back to development.”

Other left-field opportunities for the ACC are in e-sports gaming and NFTs. “How can we grow the game laterally and out of the box?” Thanraj said. “We need to keep fan engagement up, which is key.”

On the back of the Indian Premier League’s jaw-dropping media rights deal, Shah is riding high and successfully rejuvenating the ACC, whose administrators insist is not in competition with the ICC, would be a significant feather in his cap.

It might just become a template and help start greater collaboration in the regions, which have rarely been aligned over the years. “The Asian Cricket Council has a direct connection with their Full Members,” said Vanuatu cricket boss Mark Stafford.

“The West Indies doesn’t have the capacity to do it for their region. Australia and New Zealand have never shown a great deal of interest to do a lot in the Pacific.”

“We are spending money,” Thanraj said. “We want to show the world what we are doing and work with different regions.

“We want to be a bridge across the continents.”