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One Associate team to get a chance to play in the 2016 Asia Cup

One of the four associate nations will qualify to play in the Asia Cup 2016

One ICC Associate team will get the chance to face the likes of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh in the upcoming Asia Cup in 2016, after playing a four-team qualifier in UAE in November, ESPNcricinfo reported. The teams taking part in the qualifier will most probably be Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Oman and host country UAE.

Afghanistan took part in the previous edition of the Asia Cup which was held in 2014, where they stunningly beat Bangladesh. The same five team format will be followed next year as well with the winner of the qualifier taking on the full members.

The qualifier will take place sometime in November and the team which qualifies will play the Asia Cup which is slated to happen between March 1 and 10, just before the start of the T20 World Cup. The Asia Cup will be held in the T20 format as a form of preparation heading into the T20 WC.

Hong Kong is scheduled to play UAE in a four-day match starting on November 10 and will then play two ODI’s on November 16 and 18 respectively before the qualifier. Afghanistan will also play a four-day match against Papua New Guinea from November 21 to 24.    

Dates for the qualifiers haven’t been zeroed in on, but it will take most probably take place at the end of November after Hong Kong and Afghanistan have had enough rest after their exploits at the ICC Intercontinental Cup and WCL Championship.

Tim Cutler, the chief executive of the Hong Kong Cricket Association heaped praise on the ICC and the Asian Cricket Council for holding such tournaments and helping associate teams improve by giving them such opportunities, "We are excited for the opportunity to get vital preparation for the World T20 in India by taking on a group of strong Associates," Cutler said on Friday.

"Major credit should go to the ICC and the Asian Cricket Council for their support in the competitive development of Hong Kong and the other Associate teams who will participate.”

He also went on to say that Hong Kong was looking forward to performing well and take on the full members in the Asia Cup. "We are eager to play our way into the Asia Cup in March for a chance to take on India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but as a whole, these fixtures in November will be a great build up to our first ever home ODIs and T20Is on Hong Kong soil in late January against Scotland as part of our overall preparation for the World Twenty20."

Cutler also said he was trying to get Hong Kong more matches to play going into next year and that he was trying to arrange T20’s against Zimbabwe and Pakistan in early December. Pakistan host England in UAE where they will play three T20’s. They then host India but the dates are yet to be confirmed.  

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