Kapil Dev sees great future for Asian Tour
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

KUALA LUMPUR (Malaysia): Indian sporting legend Kapil Dev, who became an ardent golf supporter after retiring from cricket, says increasing corporate support in the booming economies of China and India will make the Asian Tour a major player in world golf.

Dev, a prolific all-rounder who captained India to its first cricket World Cup victory in 1983, recently joined the board of the Asian Tour which.

“There is a lot of corporate interest in Asia and we have to make sure that corporate golf can complement the Asian Tour,” Dev was quoted in an Asian Tour statement Friday, released during the ongoing Malaysian Open.

“This is the place. The economy of the world is dependent on this part of the world, which is very important,” he said. “The way China and India are growing economically, it is up to us to get big companies to be involved.”

Last season the Asian Tour staged and sanctioned 22 tournaments, offering a record total prize purse of US$12.3 million ($9.5 million). In the first half of the 2005 season alone, the Asian Tour will sanction 16 events offering nearly US$14 million ($10.7 million).

Dev, who now plays golf with a handicap of two, said there was no need for Asian players to go to Europe or America as long as they get “bigger incentives” to play in Asia.

“We need to put everything together and give sponsors value for their money. If we have a US$5 million ($3.8 million) tournament tomorrow, Asians will leave the U.S. Tour to play here,” he was quoted as saying.

Dev said he was putting all his efforts to help the Asian Tour grow bigger even though it was cricket that gave him fame.

“I’m a sports person, not just a cricketer. I’ll go to places which require help and I think golf needs a little push over here at this stage,” he said.

Claiming 434 wickets from 131 tests, Dev once held the record for most wickets in test cricket until he was overtaken by Courtney Walsh of the West Indies. Australia’s Shane Warne is now the highest test wicket taker in the world with 566 dismissals from 120 matches.

Dev said Asia needs more golfing heroes, someone like Tiger Woods.

“You can’t compare us yet to the Americans or Europeans as they have played professional golf for much longer than we have. (But) we have the passion for the game and we have the resources for money to be put into the game,” he said.●