GUWAHATI, Aug 1 - In a bid to take the standard of the game of cricket to greater heights, the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) has taken up elaborate plans.
Disclosing their plans in a press conference at the Barsapara cricket stadium premises here today, the ACA officials said, they will hold a six team tournament, billed�ACA Challenge League�which will kick start on August 7. The six teams will be-Upper Assam Zone (led by Pallav Das), Lower Assam Zone (led by Sib Sankar Roy), Southern Assam Zone (led by Jitumomni Kalita), Central Assam Zone (led by Gokul Sharma), Northern Assam Zone (led by Mrinmoy Dutta), Head Quarter Zone (led by Kunal Saikia). The teams will be consisting of senior and junior players. As per the performances in the tournament players will be picked for different tournaments for the coming season.
ACA vice president and spokesman Debajit Saikia said that the new body of the ACA is emphasising on upgrading its academy which is at a sordid state at present. The ACA has appointed Venkat Ram of Jharkhand as the technical director-cum-chief coach of the ACA Cricket Academy. Ram had been closely associated with the BCCI's National Cricket Academy. He also managed the Jharkhand Cricket Academy which produced several reputed players including MS Dhoni.
The ACA is also planning to set up satellite academies in various places in order to spot and groom young talents.
Interestingly, the State cricket body is planning to send Abu Nechim Ahmed, Krishna Das and Arup Das to an Australian cricket academy, based in Queensland for advance training. With hardly three months remaining for the Ranji season, how the pacers will adjust if their bowling styles are changed.
However, the ACA officials did not pick up any batsman for advance training abroad. Assam bowlers are usually doing in the domestic cricket but the batsmen hardly have successful seasons.
The ACA has also appointed chief coaches and other supporting stuffs for various teams. Accordingly-Sunil Joshi (Ranji Trophy), U-19 (Ajay Ratra), U-16 (Pabitra Dutta) will be the chief coaches while for the U-23 and women teams the names of the chief coaches will be announced later.
ACA secretary Pradip Buragohain revealed that the BCCI is planning to start an academy for which they are asking ACA to spot 35 acres of land in and around the city. The ACA is also planned to develop few ground in the city for cricket training.
Other ACA officials Manindra Nath Saikia, Sanjib Handique, Ajoy Sarma, were also present in the press conference.
