Web posted at: 29/06/2005 7:30 AM

The ICC announced the outcomes of the ICC Executive Board meeting and ICC Annual Conference that took place on 27 and 28 June at Lord's Cricket Ground.

New members approved

The ICC Annual Conference approved applications from Jersey, Guernsey, Mali and Slovenia as Affiliate members and from Belgium, Botswana, Japan, Kuwait and Thailand to be upgraded from Affiliate to Associate status.

This takes the total membership of the ICC to 96 countries.

Welcoming the approval of the new member countries, ICC President Ehsan Mani said: "It is a tribute to the ICC Development Program that new members are being accepted into the ICC family on a regular basis. For Jersey, Guernsey, Mali and Slovenia the reward is newly-acquired status as Affiliate members while Belgium, Botswana, Japan, Kuwait and Thailand have all demonstrated to our other members they have the necessary structures in place to take the step up to Associate member status."

Asad Baig and Ravi Sehgal at Lord's, June 28 2005 (From www.asiancricket.org)

Kuwait Cricket Association and the Cricket Association of Thailand have been awarded ICC Associate Status. Their elevation comes "as a result of the excellent progress that is being made by cricket within these countries", said Ehsan Mani the ICC President. They join Botswana, Japan and Belgium as new Associates.

Asad Baig of the KCA and Ravi Sehgal of the CAT, representing their countries at the ICC meetings in London were delighted to receive the news. "This is thanks to the hard work of many people in Kuwait and we will do our very best to be worthy of this honour", said Asad Baig. "This kind of recognition will help us to develop the game even further across Thailand," said Ravi Sehgal.