Chinese women's team learning cricket at PCA stadium

A 15-member women cricket team from China, along with their coach and assistant coach, is currently sweating it out in the nets here.

On a special invitation from Punjab Cricket Association, the Chinese team had come here to learn the basics of the sport as cricket -- its Twenty20 format -- has been included in the Asian Games on their home turf next year.

A cricket stadium is also coming up in Guangzhou to host matches during the 2010 Asian Games.

"The sport is still in its early stage in China. We are still going through the learning curve," Mamatha Maben, China's women team coach and former India women's international, told reporters here today.

She said that they had come to PCA on the invitation of ICC's Principal Advisor I S Bindra, who is also PCA president.

Bindra had visited China recently and he has been exploring the ways to promote cricket in China and United States.

Maben said her team had arrived here on October 13 and would stay here till November 6.

In July, a Chinese team had participated in a Twenty20 tournament of Asian non-Test playing nations in Malaysia. China managed to reach semifinal where they were beaten by Thailand.

"We have played many Twenty20 matches in the past few months. On Saturday and Sunday, we will play two T20 matches against Punjab senior team," Maben said.