ACC Women's T20: Two teams to make cut for Asia Cup

The two finalists of the ACC Women's T20, returning after a hiatus of nine years, will qualify for the Women's T20 Asia Cup to be held in Bangladesh in October this year. Ten nations -- UAE, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Nepal, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Bahrain, Singapore and Bhutan -- will be vying for the two spots in the tournament that will conclude on June 25. The tournament will begin here on Friday. The teams, divided into two groups, shall play single round-robin matches and the top two teams from each group will play the semifinals, followed by the final.

''This is a first in the history of ACC Women's T20 Championship, where the top two qualifying teams will make it to the Women's T20 Asia Cup,'' Jay Shah, president of the Asian Cricket Council, said in a statement.

The Women's T20 Asia Cup will have regional heavyweights India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Thailand.

The ACC Women's T20 Championship was held last time in 2013.

''The revival was long overdue, and this, I believe, will set the tone for us to move faster towards the development of women's pathway programmes in Asia. The development of women's cricket programmes is an integral component that must be pushed forward,'' Shah added.