ICC reward Afghanistan

The ICC have pledged vital funds for Afghanistan's fledgling team after they won a tournament that could pave the way for a 2011 World Cup berth, an official said.

KABUL // The International Cricket Council have pledged vital funds for Afghanistan's fledgling team after they won a tournament that could pave the way for a 2011 World Cup berth, an official said. The governing body made the decision last week as part of their incentive programme designed to reward nations new to the sport that have shone in regional tournaments. "The Afghanistan Cricket Federation [ACF] will receive between five to six hundred thousand dollars for the coming five years from the ICC," the ACF head Allah Daad Noori said.

Afghanistan went unbeaten in two World Cup qualifying tournaments this year, the second of which was the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 in Tanzania, where they clinched a place in next January's Division 3 competition in Argentina. The top two sides from the six nations competing there will progress to the 12-team World Cup Qualifier, which was to be held in UAE but will now be held in South Africa in April.

* Reuters