Chinese fans cheer cricket on its Games debut

After Chinese spectators sat through a short video explaining the basics of the game, cricket made its Asian Games debut on Saturday.

The crowd swiftly caught on and cheered every run on a slightly parched pitch as China's women beat Malaysia on a sunny afternoon.

"They were the best. In terms of their fielding they were very well drilled," said Roger Golding, an English spectator in the crowd. "They didn't miss a trick."

China has underscored the state's vast commitment to sports as a symbol of national pride by hiring top coaches and pumping money into less popular sports -- and getting very good at them.

"It was very strange at first but we're slowly getting the hang of it," said 19-year-old Chinese fan Li Zibo of cricket, hugely popular in Commonwealth nations but little-known in China.

"It's very fresh and we've never seen it before," added Deng Xiaozhu, another young spectator who said he had been given a free ticket for the match.

A rapid-fire North American-style commentator was employed to liven up proceedings for the Chinese fans but stands were half-empty even though organisers had said that tickets for all weekend cricket had sold out.

DEVELOPMENT PRIORITY

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has identified China as a promising frontier and made the game's development a priority in the world's most populous nation.

The Olympic Council of Asia, however, is divided over cricket's future at the Asian Games, with delegates demanding it be dropped from the programme at a more streamlined 2014 Games in Incheon, South Korea.

The tournament's credibility also suffered a blow when world power India declined to bring even a second-string team.

"I hope with our performance at this Asian Games cricket can be kept in the Games," said team manager Liu Rongyao, who has big aspirations for his young side.

"(We want to be) world champions, of course. As an old saying in China goes, a soldier who does not want to be a general is not a good soldier."

On the pitch, China's women made an edgy start with their two openers getting out with just seven runs between them before captain Sun Huan stepped to the crease and calmed Chinese nerves with a solid 47.

Displaying powerful batting at times, China went on to score 116 runs in 20 overs for the loss of six wickets.

Malaysia could only respond with 61 in the face of a pace onslaught from players such as Mei Chunhua, who took three wickets for eight runs on a fast wicket.