The decision to approve a proposal to include Cricket in Guangzhou was taken at the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) General Assembly in Kuwait.

Both men’s and women’s cricket teams will participate in the Games.

 

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and host nation China will all automatically qualify for the tournament while other Asian countries will have to play a qualifying round to fight it out for additional three spots.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, the president of the OCA, said, "India and Pakistan were the drivers.

 

"Pakistan and India will come with their best teams because it will be a big competition.”

 

Forty-two disciplines will be featured in Guangzhou, three more than in the 2006 Doha Games, including some uniquely Asian sports as Kabaddi, Sepaktakraw, Chess and Wushu.

 

Randhir Singh, who is the secretary of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) as well as the general secretary of the OCA, said China, although not a cricketing country was keen to have cricket in Guangzhou.

 

He said: “As far as we are concerned we are ready."

The Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games will be held from November 12 to November 27 in 2010.

 

Though India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be involved in home Test matches and one day internations during that month they have pledged to send their strongest available teams.

 

During the Asian Games, competing countries cannot include expatriate players as only national passport holders can play in the Asian and Olympic Games.

 

The decision to include cricket in the Asian Games is some consolation for the sport after it failed to be included on the programme for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

 

Even more importantly, it is a massive boost for cricket's plans to launch a bid for inclusion in the 2020 Olympics.

 

Cricket has not been part of the Games since Britain won the gold medal at the 1900 Olympics in Paris.