Cricket in Iran has two things which most Asian countries outside the subcontinent cannot boast - nearly a dozen establlished clubs and a high indigenous participation rate.

So, Iranian Cricket Council official, Juggo Sawhney, cannot understand why the Asian Cricket Council will not process his country's application for membership of the International Cricket Council.

"The main obstacle in progress and promotion is the indifferent attitude of the Asian Crciket Council...towards Iran."

Mr Sawhney laments that the Iranian Cricket Council has been frustrated by an ACC which he says will not reciprocate attempts to establish communication and start the membership application process.

"Iran is a very well known member of baseball which is being widely played because of extended assistance of the International baseball Committee who have been promoting the game by providing all types of technical assistance such as coaches, umpires, training and plans for promotion of the game."

Cricket, though, thanks to the number of Iranians who have worked and studied in India and Pakistan, has consolidated somewhat, even if lacking some structure.

It enjoys a geographical spread with four clubs in Tehran and seven dotted across the country's south and east, in Iranshah, Chabahar on the southern coast, Zahedan on the Pakistani border, Masshad near the Turkmenistan border and Konacak.

Tehran hosts four clubs - Indo-Iranian CC, Mehraj CC, Azadi CC and Tehran CC; Chabahar two - Chabahar Free Trade Zone and Esteghhil CC; Konacak two - Dashr CC and Makran CC; Iranshah one (Iranshah CC) with Meraj Sports Club and Bombay Iranian CC (home cities unknown) make up the 11.

If one is a keen traveller it is possible to play cricket in Iran all year round - Tehran's cricketers prefer playing in the norhern winter with the season running from (April to September) to avoid thte heat. The fanatic can then move to Chabahar or any of the other southern centres and play from September to March.

Whether it's in Tehran or anywhere else, though, the cricket is purely social, with no league or tournament structure in place. Iran's cricketers exist on a idiet of 50 over friendlies.

Those cricketers tend to be Indians, Pakistanis or Sri Lankans (especially in Tehrran) with the odd Englishman, but as with the seasons it's a diferent story in the southern centres, where Iranians form by far the largest nationality playing the game.

Naturally, it was the expatriates who intruduced the game prior to the revolution of 1979, but it was the Iranians returning from aborad who kickstarted the second revivial about 10 years ago.

While Iran's previously isolationist government cautiously opens up to the international 'family o nations', Mr. Sawhney's knows the game's future in the country will depend on how quickly the internaitonal cricket community accepts the Iranian Cricket Council into the fold.

© CricInfo Ltd