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T20: Hong Kong lose to Oman by 6 Wickets

Oman’s Sultan Ahmed won the toss against Hong Kong’s Tanwir Afzal, and his bowlers did the rest as Hong Kong were soundly beaten in the first of three Twenty20 Internationals losing by 6 wickets in a match played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

After losing the toss Hong Kong were asked to bat. Openers Anshuman Rath and Waqas Barkat could not set the same platform as they had in the second ODI against United Arab Emirates, Rath could only score 5 before being dismissed by Bilal Khan in the 1st over.

Babar Hayat joined Barkat at the crease and quickly raced to 16 with a run of boundaries before being caught in the third over. Hayat was the first of three wickets to fall for just 4 runs as Hong Kong were reduced to 31 for 4 as Barkat and Nizakat Khan quickly followed. Skipper Tanwir Afzal and Mark Chapman then put on 21 before Afzal perished caught at extra cover as he drove on the up. Chris Carter and Waqas Khan then began to rebuild the innings in a 36-run partnership, that lifted Hong Kong’s total to 92. But disaster struck in the 17th over as first Waqas Khan (19) was ran out and Chris Carter (15) was caught at long on by Adnan Ilyas. Hong Kong finally closed on 106 for 9 from their 20 overs probably 20 short of par for a wicket that was playing low and slow.

For Oman Bilal Khan (3 for 29) and Mehran Khan (2 for 20) were the pick of the bowlers

Hong Kong set about defending of the total as Haseeb Amjad and Tanwir Afzal kept things tight early which brought about the dismissal of opener Khawar Ali trapped lbw by Afzal as he looked to hit across a full ball.

Jatinder Singh (16) joined opener Aaqib Sulehri (12) at the crease and the pair took the total to 25 from 5 overs, before Sulehri was caught behind by Chris Carter to a superb diving catch to his right. Adnan Ilyas was removed by Skipper Afzal and Singh was bowled in the 10th over by Anshuman Rath after a period of pressure. This brought Zeeshan Siddiqui (33*) and Sultan Ahmed (37*) together and the pair set about building the match winning partnership of 30 for Oman, who eventually reached their target of 107 with 9 balls to spare.

Skipper Tanwir Afzal claimed two wickets while Aizaz Khan and Anshuman Rath chipped in with one wicket each for Hong Kong as Oman won the match by 6 wickets in Abu Dhabi.

Man-of-the-Match Tanwir Afzal Smashes Hong Kong to Victory

Tanwir Afzal led from the front with a captain’s knock of 73 to lead his team to victory, and the top of the World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) table, with a 136-run win over host UAE in the second and final ODI of the series.

The day belonged to the Hong Kong skipper, who not only continued his winning streak with the toss, but went on to top score with a 33-ball 73 and snare three wickets in an unforgettable Man of the Match performance.Tanwir’s flashy 24-ball half-century was the equal third-fastest ever by an Associate player in ODI cricket. The knock steadied the sluggish Hong Kong innings and helped post a competitive total of 282 that had seemed unlikely earlier in the match.

After electing to bat, Hong Kong’s Anshuman Rath (53), Waqas Barkat (27) and Mark Chapman (27) all contributed runs, but the side regularly lost wickets and struggled for the most part to keep the run rate competitive. Three run outs in less than 13 overs added more pressure to the batting side, though it benefitted from three dropped catches in the field. With the score precariously placed at 159 for six from 36.6 overs, the skipper came to the crease, and quickly set about finding the buildings outside of the boundary rope.

Seemingly inspired by the captain’s fireworks, number nine batsman Aizaz Khan struck three consecutive sixes on his way to an unbeaten 37 from only 31 balls, and the pair put on a match winning 101-run partnership for the eight wicket at an astonishing run-rate of 11.22. The partnership was the highest stand for the eighth wicket in the competition, and the sixth-highest partnership overall.

Hong Kong piled on 109 runs in the last 10 overs, the second highest total by an Associate team in that part of the innings, to post a reassuring total of 282 for eight.

The UAE responded in similarly heavy hitting fashion, but stumbled with the loss of four early wickets to be 38 for four after 6.2 overs. Dangerman Shaiman Anwar held the innings together with a stylish 71, and the tailenders held their ground doggedly against the Hong Kong bowling attack for six more overs to add six runs, before Anshuman Rath delivered the final ball to dismiss the hosts for 146 runs in 40.1 overs.

The win seals a successful week for Hong Kong, which beat the UAE by 89 in the first WCLC ODI and by 276 in their four-day, first class ICC Intercontinental Cup clash.

Mark Chapman’s Century Powers Hong Kong to Victory

A record-breaking maiden century by Mark Chapman, making his ODI debut for Hong Kong, earned his team an 89-run victory in its World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) clash against host UAE in Dubai.

Making his ODI debut alongside Chris Carter, the 21-year-old vice-captain waltzed into the record books with an undefeated 116-ball 124, the second-highest ODI score ever made by a batsman on debut. Chapman is second only to West Indies’ Desmond Haynes (148), and he is the 10th player in ODI history to score a century on debut.

His undefeated knock of 124, which included two sixes and 11 boundaries, anchored the Hong Kong’s total of 298 for the loss of only four wickets after its 50 overs, before dismissing the UAE for 209 all out to record an 89-run victory.

Earlier, openers Anshuman Rath (36) and Kinchit Shah (34 retired) put on a 77-run partnership, but a collision between the two as they scampered between wickets sent Kinchit back to the dressing room with an injured shoulder. Number three Babar Hayat (45) continued his run-scoring streak and put on a 90-run partnership with Chapman, the highest partnership of the game. But it was Chapman, who arrived in Dubai on Saturday, who dominated the crease with a measured but aggressive knock that saw him still at the crease at the end of 50 overs.

Nizakat Khan added a career-best 28, and for the UAE, Ahmed Raza and Zaheer Maqsood picked up two wickets each.

If the UAE were intimidated by either the record-breaking centurion or the imposing run chase, it did not show it. Amjab Ali (18) and Shaiman Anwar (76) quickly set about striking boundaries, but the Hong Kong bowlers managed to take regular wickets around them. 18-year-old Anshuman Rath starred with three wickets 22 runs, while Haseeb Amjad picked up three for 49.

The sides will return for the second match in the two-ODI WCLC encounter on Wednesday 18 November.

Match Reports: Women’s League 14-15 November, 2015

Women’s League

Saturday, 14th November 2015

HKCC Cavaliers v CCC Fung Wong
In the Women’s League, HKCC Cavaliers beat CCC Fung Wong by 94 runs. Cavaliers batted first after winning the toss and they reached 6/213 from 33 overs with opener Ruchitha Venkatesh continuing her recent good form by carrying her bat for 80 not out. Kary Chan was the pick of the Fung Wong bowlers as she claimed 3/51 from seven overs.

In reply, Cindy Ho also carried her bat for 52 not out, but hers was a lone hand as CCC Fung Wong were bowled out for 119.
At PKVR Reservoir: HKCC Cavaliers 6/213 from 33 overs beat CCC Fung Wong 119 from 23 overs by 94 runs.

Sunday, 15th November 2015

PACC v HKCC Willow Wielders
At PKVR Reservoir: PACC gave a walk-over to HKCC Willow Wielders.

DLSWCC Wasps v KCC Maidens
At KCC: DLSWCC Wasps and KCC Maidens abandoned due to wet weather.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 14 November, 2015

Saturday Championship Division 1

KCC Crusaders v Centaurs
KCC Crusaders earned their first win of the season with a 58-run victory over Centaurs. Crusaders batted first and scored 160 with Ashley Caddy hitting 52 and Chirag Kothari 30. Nasir Hameed was the best of the Centaurs’ bowlers with 3/33 from six overs while Keith Frith grabbed 3/37. After a promising start, Centaurs folded meekly and could only muster 102 in their reply. Chirag Kothari completed a good double with 4/15 from seven overs while Steve Pratt grabbed 4/26, also from seven overs.
At KCC: KCC Crusaders 160 from 31.4 overs beat Centaurs 102 from 31.1 overs by 58 runs.

KCC Tartars v HKCC Witherers
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, KCC Tartars batted strongly to beat HKCC Witherers by seven wickets.

Batting first after winning the toss, Witherers reached 175 in 34.2 overs thanks largely to the efforts of skipper Charlie Bright and Jonathan Worby who scored 34 and 58 respectively. Ateeq ul Rehman was the pick of the Tartars’ bowlers with 3/35 from his seven over spell.

In reply, Tartars’s openers got them off to a flyer by putting on 105 runs for the first wicket with Gurjant Singh hitting 54. Skipper Akash Sureka contributed 39 as Tartars scorched home in 27 overs to earn a bonus point with Najeeb Amar also hitting an unbeaten 35.
At HKCC: HKCC Witherers 175 from 34.2 overs lost to KCC Tartars 3/181 from 27 overs by 7 wickets.

Saturday Championship Division 2

USRC/MCC v DLSWCC Spartans
In Division 2 action at Mission Road, USRC/MCC walloped DLSWCC Spartans by 71 runs.

Batting first, USRC/MCC recovered from 8/64 to score 161 with number 10 Babar Ali hitting 56. Suresh Pandey was the pick of the Spartans’ bowlers with figures of 3/19 off his seven overs.

After losing an early wicket, Spartans recovered to 1/40 but a middle-order slump saw them reduced to 5/54. They recovered to 6/88 but then folded for 90. Mohammad Usman did the major damage with the ball, claiming 5/26.
At MR: USRC/MCC 161 from 34.3 overs beat DLSWCC Spartans 90 from 26 overs by 71 runs.

Kai Tak CC v HKUCC
At PKVR Park, Kai Tak CC defeated HKUCC by three wickets. Kai Tak won the toss and put HKU into bat. HKU were dismissed for 117 in 28.3 overs with Brett Hutton claiming 4/9 for Kai Tak.

In reply, Kai Tak lost seven wickets in chasing down the total but they got there in 27.5 overs to earn a bonus point. Peter Williams was the mainstay of their innings with 33.
At PKVR Park: HKUCC 117 from 28.3 overs lost to Kai Tak CC 7/118 from 27.5 overs by three wickets.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 15 November, 2015

Sunday Championship

HKCA Dragons v SLCC
The HKCA Dragons suffered their second loss of the season when they were thrashed by Headwin Tritons SLCC by 175 runs at Mission Road.

The Dragons bowlers would have been reasonably satisfied with their bowling effort, having restricted the SLCC batting line-up to 6/264 from their 50 overs. Asad Arif (45) and skipper Mukhtar Ahmed (44) laid the foundation for SLCC while Akbar Khan finished things off with an unbeaten 75.

The Dragons batters struggled from the outset after losing opener Vincent Chu for a golden duck. Hamid Khan grabbed three early wickets as Dragons were reduced to 5/44. A 38-run partnership between Eddie Ang and Li kai Ming got Dragons to 79 but Ashad Rasheed then wrapped up the match with a spell of 5/3 in three overs, including a hat-trick, as Dragons were routed for 89. Hamid Khan finished with figures of 3/19.
At Mission Road: Headwin Tritons SLCC 6/264 from 50 overs beat HKCA Dragons 89 from 26 overs by 175 runs.

HKCC Wanderers v USRC/MCC
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, there was a thrilling finish as HKCC Wanderers scored a narrow one-run wicket victory over USRC/MCC.

USRC/MCC elected to bat first in seaming conditions but they were soon reduced to 4/47 with Angus Robson claiming three wickets. Tim Cutler grabbed 4/31 in a damaging spell as none of the USRC/MCC batsmen could reach 25 and Robson picked up his fourth wicket as the USRC/MCC innings was eventually wrapped up for 124.

The Wanderers innings followed much the same pattern as USRC/MCC’s. They lost wickets regularly and were struggling at 6/71 with still plenty to do. Tim Cutler and Christopher White combined for the day’s best partnership of 40 runs to lift Wanderers 6/111 but three quick wickets saw them reduced to 9/113. Cutler and Angus Robson however held strong for Wanderers as they eked out the last few runs in a nail-biting finish. Cutler finished on 28 not out while Banny Singh claimed 3/37 for USRC/MCC.
At HKCC: USRC/MCC 124 from 32.4 overs lost to HKCC Wanderers 9/125 overs from 33.2 overs by one wicket.

Hong Kong’s Bowlers Rout UAE to Secure Historic Win

Hong Kong’s bowlers routed the UAE to secure an historic first ICC Intercontinental Cup victory with Babar Hayat declared Man of the Match for his two match winning innings. The win earns Hong Kong maximum points and moves the team up to third in the competition.

Hong Kong secured their magnificent 276 run victory when opening bowlers Haseeb Amjad and Aizaz Khan ripped through the UAE top order, claiming five wickets in the first 15 balls of the day while conceding only one run to leave the host reeling on five for six in under six overs.

With the UAE needing 377 runs for victory on the fourth and final day, the day could not have started worse for the host. Haseeb was on a hat trick with the first three balls, stunning the hosts to dismiss dangermen Amjad Ali lbw (1) and Usman Mushtaq (0), before narrowly missing the key wicket of Swapnil Patil. However, Patil fell the following over to 22-year-old Aizaz, who struck twice to dismiss Swapnil (0) and opener Asif Iqbal (3).

When Haseeb‘s medium-fast pace struck again in the following over, the UAE were at risk of being humiliated, but the lower-order mounted a disciplined defence, until Nadeem Ahmed broke through in the 21st over to send Qais Farooq (26) back to the pavilion. Nadeem took the last four wickets of the day, including the only UAE player to hit a half century (Laxman Sreekumar (61) to finish with figures of four for 40 alongside Haseeb’s superb figures of four for 10. Aizaz finished with a tidy two for twenty.

The four-day, first class clash saw Hong Kong showcase its all-round talents, with centurions Babar Hayat and captain Tanwir Azal the second and fourth-highest run-scorers in the competition to date. Haseeb is now Hong Kong’s leading wicket taker in the tournament, with 10 wickets in two matches, and he is second only to Ireland’s George Dockrell overall.

Hong Kong coach Simon Cook was delighted with the convincing victory. “The game has pretty much gone to script as far as we are concerned. This was the icing on the cake, to do it so convincingly in the first session. We had discussed about how important the first hour was today, and that would really set up the day, and it proved so, with the UAE losing five wickets for one run in the space of about 15 balls. That really set us up.”

Captain Tanwir Afzal could not contain his happiness with the result. “It was an amazing victory, our fist ever win in a first class game. I am so happy that the guys all showed up and did really well.”

“It was an amazing start from the first ball, and then the second ball, and then the next over was also an amazing start. The guys stuck with the plan, so I don’t think we needed more than three bowlers after that.”

He said that his side had not felt pressure on the final day of the clash. “The bowlers were very relaxed. They didn’t have pressure because we know that it was a big total, that UAE couldn’t chase that. We had our plans in place but we stuck with the basic things, and the guys did a really good job.”

Man of the Match Babar Hayat said the historic victory has an unforgettable one. “It’s a great day for Hong Kong, beating the UAE in a first class game – it is a special day for Hong Kong and for the whole team. It’s a really special day for us.”

“I am really happy with my batting performance. I used to bat number five or six, but I talked to Simon Cook and he said you are going to move up. I’m really happy batting at this position and am really looking forward to the next few games here on the same pitch, and hopefully get some more runs.”

The sides now turn their minds to their upcoming World Cricket League Championship matches, with the two One-Day Internationals to be played on 16 and 18 November in Dubai.

Hong Kong won by 276 runs
Man of the Match: Babar Hayat
Hong Kong first innings 378 all out, 125.2 overs
Babar Hayat 113, Tanwir Afszal 104, Kinshit Shah 62;
Asif Iqbal 3-38, Raja Adeel 2-104, Ahmed Raza 2-103

UAE first innings 181 all out, 92.3 overs
Swapnil Patil 75, Usman Mushtaq 45;
Anshuman Rath 4-34, Tanwir Afzal 2-21, Nadeem Ahmed 2-47, Ehsan Nawaz 1-19, Aizaz Khan 1-30

Hong Kong second innings 184 all out, 51.3 overs
(Babar Hayat 73, Anshuman Rath 32, Jaimie Atkinson 30;
Ahmed Raza 5-61Nasir Aziz 4-90

UAE second innings 105 all out, 29.2 overs
L Sreekumar 61;
Haseeb Amjad 4-10, Nadeem Ahmed 4-40, Aizaz Khan 2-20

Hong Kong Set UAE 382 to Win

A strong all-round team performance saw Hong Kong strengthen it’s grip on the game as they lead UAE by 376 runs with one day remaining in the four day ICC Intercontinental Cup match in Dubai.

Sixteen wickets fell on day 3, as Hong Kong captured first innings honours and six points after restricting their hosts to a first innings total of 181, an innings deficit of 197. Debutant Anshuman Rath shone in the critical morning session as he ripped through the lower order, taking four scalps for 34 runs.

Hong Kong then added 184 runs in its second innings as they looked for quick runs to establish a match winning lead. With the last Hong Kong wicket falling late in the day, the UAE was forced to pad up and bat for three overs, seeing out the last 15 minutes without losing a wicket. The host will return tomorrow needing 377 more runs for victory.

The day swung on the crucial morning session, with UAE batsmen Usman Mushtaq (45) and Swapnil Patil (75) putting on a 139-run partnership before 18-year-old Anhsuman Rath snared the key wicket of Usman. The wicket proved fatal for the host, which lost their remaining four wickets for 48 runs, with Anshuman also snaring the prized scalp of Patil in his four-wicket haul.

Not to be outdone, UAE skipper Ahmed Raza took full advantage of the ball in the afternoon session, ripping through the Hong Kong innings to finish with figures of five for 61, the best bowling figures of a UAE bowler to date in the competition.

Hong Kong, clearly in a hurry to put runs on the board in its second innings, completing the innings in less than two sessions to finish on 184 runs all out. Babar Hayat again led with the bat, striking 73 to become Hong Kong’s leading run-scorer in the competition, while Anshuman contributed a quickfire 32.

Coach Simon Cook believed his team’s bowling was key to the day’s success. “I think the partnership that Anshuman had with Nadeem was excellent, it really ripped the heart out of their batting, and it came off the back of some great work from Ehsan and Aizaz and Haseeb and Tanwir as well.”

“We identified this morning would be a crucial period in the game, and it proved that. We really put the UAE batters under a lot of pressure. And the fact that we bowled the previous evening so tight meant that when those wickets did come, the UAE hadn’t really gone anywhere. So to then dismiss them and give us a lead of 197 going into our second innings really helped us.”

The former English county cricketer said his team had handled the pressure well. “There’s a little bit of pressure when you know you have to bowl the opposition out for under your score, because in this competition, you get points for first innings leads, so that was a bit of pressure there. But I said to the guys to just stick to the process that was applied so well the day before, and the result will come – it’s just a case of being patient and being able to stick in there.”

Anshuman Rath was delighted with his four-for-34 on debut for Hong Kong. “The wicket was turning quite a bit, and that does help me as a spinner. I am just glad that I can contribute in a big way to the team.”

“I was having a chat to Simon Cook as to what we should do to get those batsmen out. They looked quite comfortable. So we the simple things well – we bogged them down, we tried to get as many dot balls as possible and make them make a mistake, and that is what happened. Both of them fell under the pressure.”

The final day of the four-day, first class ICC Intercontinental Cup match is Saturday, at 0930 local time at ICC Academy 1, Dubai, UAE, with the host chasing 377 runs for victory.