Jay Shah-led ACC announces Women's Under-19 T20 Asia Cup

Last year, the inaugural Women's Under-19 T20 World Cup successfully spread its wings and showed the true potential of junior-level cricket. Now in the latest move, after the apex cricket governing body ICC (International Cricket Council), the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), which is the governing body of the sub-continent, announced a major cricket event.

The ACC has launched the T20 Asia Cup for Women's Under-19 category. Notably, the tournament will be held every two years in a bid to help Asian-based cricket teams prepare for the marquee event of the Under-19 T20 World Cup. The ACC took the big step during an executive board meeting which was held on Wednesday in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur.

The council plans to host the inaugural tournament somewhere around mid-December. This would essentially mean that the tournament will be a build-up to the global ICC T20 event. The Women's T20 World Cup is slated to take place between January and February 2025, in Malaysia.

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Pivotal moment for cricket in Asia, introduction of Women's U-19 Asia Cup is monumental: Shah

However, uncertainty still looms over the venues for the upcoming Asia Cup 2024 along with the number of teams participating in the intercontinental tournament. Speaking on the occasion, the new ICC chairman and the current ACC president, Jay Shah, said that the introduction of the new tournament will help budding women cricketers to hone their skills and showcase them on a bigger stage.

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"Today marks a pivotal moment for cricket in Asia. The introduction of the Women's U-19 Asia Cup is a monumental achievement, providing a much-needed platform for young women cricketers to develop their skills and showcase their talent," Shah was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.

"This initiative strengthens the future of women's cricket in Asia, and we are proud of the lasting impact these decisions will have, not only within our member nations but across the global cricketing community," he concluded.