New Delhi, Mar 30 (IANS): Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Jay Shah is keen on reviving the Afro-Asian Cricket Project, which was first mooted in 2005 by the late Jagmohan Dalmiya but ended prematurely in 2009.

Shah has proposed a model that is commercially viable, financially feasible and technically sustainable.

"The project will ensure that there is a real transformation at the grassroots level with age-group cricketers being the focus. The plan is formulated to give more opportunities to cricketers at U-16, U-19 and U-23 levels by having qualified coaches nurturing and mentoring them, having a strong competition layout where they have more game-time and more importantly get to test their skills against up-and-coming players from across the continent," Shah said in a statement.

With Asia now being the game's biggest market, Shah wants to use the game's popularity in the region, its structure, its technical expertise to reach out to African nations and help them strengthen their grassroots and age-group system.

Both Asia and Africa now constitute 47 member countries and with the African Cricket Association's (AFC) member nations having a strong cricket following population of over 570 million, Shah's proposed project will ensure both ACC and AFC benefit from this unique partnership.