India, Aug. 23 -- China is taking its cricket quite seriously. The opening of a new stadium earlier this month has been a big statement of intent from the world's second most populous country after India. China joined the ICC as an affiliated member back in 2004 before they were handed the Associate Member status in 2017 after the global cricket governing body got rid of the affiliated level.

But cricket in China has not really caught on. Their teams, across men's and women's, keep featuring in ICC-organised events in the lower tier but they have not made their presence felt yet. Qualifying for an ICC top-level event will be the first step towards global recognition. The Shaxi Town Cricket Centre in Taicang, however, is expected to bring...