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KARACHI, Sunday (AFP) - The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has proposed hiring Australian experts to train Asian coaches as part of its effort to develop the sport on the continent, officials said Saturday.

The proposal will be tabled at the council's upcoming development forum set for December 27-28 in the Indian city of Calcutta, ACC development manager Zakir Hussain Syed said.

"The Australian Cricket Board has proposed to us a long-term relationship program through which we would benefit from their expertise in various areas and further develop the game in Asia," Syed said.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, will chair the meeting which will look at development projects and their progress on the continent.

"We have invested 3.3 million dollars this year and another 2.4 million dollar investment is in the pipeline before the year ends," Syed said.

The program aims to consolidate infrastructure in countries like the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Singapore, and the territory of Hong Kong.

The announcement comes as the International Cricket Council (ICC) also pushes to expand development in the region and globally.

Cricket, often considered a Commonwealth sport, is gaining popularity in Africa and Asia, including in Malaysia, Singapore and even war-ravaged Afghanistan, where it is being played once again after the fall of the hardline Taliban regime one year ago.

The ICC has 85 member countries with full, associate or affiliate status, up from 47 when the development program was launched in 1997.

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