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HK Women Beat Malaysia in Super Over

At the Asean Women’s T20 Cup in Thailand, Hong Kong faced Malaysia in their fourth match, still looking for their first win after a disappointing start to the tournament.

The pitch had dried considerably and upon winning the toss Captain Mariko Hill chose to bat first. After several disappointing performances with the bat there was considerable pressure on the team to post a respectable score. Coach Richard Waite rejigged the batting order opting to have Mariko Hill and Shanzeen Shahzad open the batting. With the early loss of Shanzeen Shahzad in the second over, it looked as though the players hadn’t learnt from the previous games and were failing to adapt to the pitch and the situation.

Yasmin Daswani though scored an elegant half-century (56 from 57 balls) as she and Hill put on 59 for the second wicket. Wicketkeeper Bella Bo Yee came in at number five and the pair added an unbeaten 60 runs to lift Hong Kong to 119 for 3 after 20 overs.

Malaysia got off to a good start but lost opener Yusrina Yaakop at the end of the second over bowled by the 14-year-old Maryam Bibi for 1. Allison Siu bowled Winifred Duraisngam for 6 with the score on 38 after 7.4 overs. Hong Kong’s bowlers though were spraying the ball all over the place, conceding 20 wides in the innings, and Christina Baret (44 not out) and Elysa Yasmin (33) looked to have combined for a match winning partnership with Malaysia needing just five off the last over.

With two runs Shahzad bowled Yasmin with the second to last ball, leaving Mahirah Izzati to score two off the last ball for victory. A scampered single tied the scores to create the first ‘super over’ of the tournament.

Malaysia batted first in the super over and Hill conceded just 5 runs while taking 2 wickets. With Hill and Shahzad opening Hong Kong needed 6 runs to win the match. If Hong Kong scored only 5 they would still win based on amount of boundaries scored during the innings (10 against 4).

Hill faced the first ball and got a single, Shahzad had a big swing and a miss at the second. On the third Shahzad steered the ball past third man for 4. Needing just 1 to win, Shahzad smashed another four to lift Hong Kong to their first win of the tournament.

Hong Kong face Tanzania in their final game on the 13 March.

Additional reporting and images: HK Cricket, Cricket Thai

Women’s ASEAN T20 Cup Squad Announced

Thailand will host the 6-nation Women’s ASEAN T20 Cup which runs from the 5-14th March. The tournament will see teams from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Tanzania & Bhutan compete in a round-robin format with the top placed team being crowned champions after all games have been completed.

The Hong Kong selectors have announced the squad led by Captain Mariko Hill to represent Hong Kong at the tournament. The squad, which departs on Monday 5th March, features a balance of youth and experience including several new faces as the team look to build consistency after a disappointing 4th place finish – after a strong start – in the World T20 Qualifiers last year.

Hong Kong’s fixtures:

Tuesday 6th March: Hong Kong v Bhutan (Terdthai Cricket Ground)
Wednesday 7th March: Hong Kong v Indonesia (Terdthai Cricket Ground)
Friday 9th March: Hong Kong v Thailand (Thailand Cricket Ground)
Saturday 10th March: Hong Kong v Malaysia (Terdthai Cricket Ground)
Tuesday 13th March: Hong Kong v Tanzania (Terdthai Cricket Ground)

Hong Kong Women’s Squad for Women’s ASEAN T20 Cup

Mariko Hill – Captain (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
Kary Chan – Vice Captain (Craigengower Cricket Club)
Anum Ahmad (Kowloon Cricket Club)
Maryam Bibi (Little Sai Wan Cricket Club)
Lemon Cheung (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
Tammy Chu (Craigengower Cricket Club)
Yasmin Daswani (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
Rajvir Kaur (Little Sai Wan Cricket Club)
Emma Lai (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
Bella Poon (Kowloon Cricket Club)
Shanzeen Shahzad (Little Sai Wan Cricket Club)
Alison Sui (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
Ruchita Venkatesh (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
Mehreen Yousaf (Little Sai Wan Cricket Club)

Head Coach: Richard Waite
Assistant Coach: James Chan
Team Manager/Media Liaison: Esther Corder
Physio: Mawinee Puanglumyai

Reserves:
Akasha Yousaf (Little Sai Wan Cricket Club)
Venezia Ogden (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
Corn Wong (Craigengower Cricket Club)

T20 Blitz @ Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground – 11 February, 2018

The T20 Blitz started cool, but by Sunday afternoon as action heated up and the powerful finalists duked it out, even the sun had popped out to take a look at the scintillating batting of Kumar Sangakkara and Nizakat Khan. The legendary Sri Lankan thrilled the crowd with his hitting through the tournament, but it was Hong Kong batsman – denied a hundred when stunning caught on the boundary – who starred in the final.

Click on any photo, or here, for the full gallery of images.

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Hung Hom Jaguars Win T20 Blitz

In a final that enshrined all of the best aspects of what has been an incredible tournament Hung Hom Jaguars gained revenge for their group-stage loss to Galaxy Gladiators Lantau, with Hong Kong stars Nizakat Khan and Kinchit Shah playing crucial roles, and Khan being rewarded with the man of the match trophy.

These two teams put on 450 runs between them on Friday, but in the final a score of 200/7 proved enough for the Jaguars to defend, as the Gladiators fell 6 runs short, despite the incredible efforts of captain and player of the tournament Kumar Sangakkara (76 from 47).

As has been the case throughout the week the Jaguars, captained by Shah, were able to rely on all of their overseas stars to chip in with valuable contributions when it really mattered. Daren Sammy helped Shah to marshal his bowlers in the second half of the Gladiators chase, and it was Sammy himself who took responsibility for ensuring the Jaguars put on such an imposing total after Imran Arif had removed the well-set pair of Khan (93 from 52) and Johan Botha (36 from 22) with consecutive deliveries.

Khan had played impeccably at the top of the order and although Shah (9) and Riki Wessels (5) fell cheaply Sammy smashed a quick-fire 21 from 15 deliveries to set up the victory score, before falling late on to the bowling of Hong Kong youngster Arsham Mohammad. Sammy’s wicket was the 18-year-old’s 10^th of the competition, as he finished as the leading wicket-taker.

For a long time it seemed as though the Gladiators were in control of the chase, and whilst tournament top-scorer and player of the tournament Sangakkara remained at the crease the Gladiators were favourites.

Sagakkara had survived an excellent early examination from another young Hong Kong paceman Kyle Christie, only playing in the tournament after answering a call for players via Facebook. However, by the end of the powerplay Sangakkara was well in to his stride and looked set to follow up his two previous innings of 92 and 94* by setting up victory in the final. Gladiators were certainly right up with the rate to the point of losing their second wicket, Cameron Delport falling for just 6, as they reached 120/2 at the end of the 12^thover.

During the next two overs – Botha’s last and Sammy’s first – only 13 runs were scored. With the run-rate climbing rapidly the pressure on Sangakkara was mounting and off the fourth delivery of the 15^th over he mis-cued a Shah delivery right down Sammy’s throat, as he aimed to smash the 8^th maximum of his innings. With Sangakkara back in the sheds, it seemed for all the world that the contest was over, but the Kiwi pairing of Anton Devcich and James Franklin were not prepared to die wondering.

After Jade Dernbach fell to Sammy for just one, Devcich and Franklin went on the attack in the 18^th over, smashing Christie for 21 and leaving Gladiators requiring only 31 from the final two overs.

Ordinarily, on a ground with relatively short boundaries, 31 might have seemed eminently achievable from 12 balls. However, those deliveries were due to be bowled by last week’s Big Bash League winner Ben Laughlin and the main man himself, Sammy.

Laughlin used all of his experience to restrict the Gladiators to just 9 off the 19^th over, and after Sammy only conceded two singles from the first three deliveries of the final over, the game and the tournament was effectively done and dusted.

Before the match the Blitz Tournament Director Max Abbott had told me all he wanted was a close finish. Well, he certainly got his wish, as both teams put on the sort of spectacle that the tournament deserved, and it was fitting that the Jaguars team – so well balanced between global superstars and emerging Hong Kong-based starlets – emerged as champions.

Congratulations Jaguars! No doubt the party will be long and loud tonight!

Additional reporting and images: HK Cricket

ICC World T20 Asia Qualifier: Hong Kong Beat Malaysia by 35 Runs

Hong Kong batting first rallied strongly from 11/4 to score 77/7 in their 20 overs and bowled Malaysia out for 42 to win their opening ICC World T20 Asia Qualifier match by 35 runs.

Hong Kong, who won the the toss, chose to bat first on an overcast day at the Asiatic Institute of Technology in Bangkok. A delayed start did not dampen the occasion, as Keenu Gill and Yasmin Daswani took strike to start the tournament for the Red Dragons.

On what was a good wicket, it became evidently clear it would be a difficult game with the Malaysian attack bowling well from the outset. Winifred Duraisingam and Zayani Syamimi applied pressure to the Hong Kong top order up with some good stump to stump bowling making in the opening power play

The tough early batting conditions and a very slow outfield made scoring hard. In the 3^rd over with Hong Kong on 7 for no loss, Zayani Syamimi had Gill given out LBW for 4. In came in-form captain Mariko Hill who departed for a golden duck on her birthday after a low full toss found the top edge whilst sweeping and was well caught by the keeper going backwards.

With Hong Kong seeking some stability at 7-2, Kary Chan came to the crease and looked busy while scoring a couple of singles, however, her demise came in the next over through a sharp catch at cover. Shanzeen Shahzad joined Daswani at the crease looking to create a lasting partnership but Syamimi once again firmly put Malaysia in the driving seat with another catch coming from a mishit to mid-off to leave Hong Kong in deep trouble at 10/4 after 5.3 overs.

Daswani and new batswoman Jenefer Davies started to rebuild Hong Kong’s innings finding gaps and running hard pushing the score to 24 before Dawwani was bowled by Jannadiah Halim, 24-5 after 9 overs.

Davies was joined by Natural Yip and both players combined well taking singles and putting pressure on the Malaysian bowlers. Both batters saw out the 2^nd half of the innings punishing the bad ball and testing the arms of the Malaysian fielders. Yip was bowled for 18 by Syamimi in the 19th over -71-6.

The return of Duraisingam saw Davies well caught by Syamimi for a game changing 29 from 36 balls. Marina Lamplough saw off the final two balls to see Hong Kong finish on 77-7 off 20 overs.

Betty Chan (4-1-9-1) and Mariko Hill (2-0-6-1) opened the bowling against the Malaysians who had a tough time against the combination of pace and spin resulting in an early wicket for Hill with her 2nd ball of the game with Davies, who was in the process of putting together a player of the match performance, taking the catch behind the stumps.

Tight bowling and sharp fielding continued to restrict the Malaysian batswomen who played high risk shots resulting in key dismissals to leave the innings stuttering at 14-3 after 6 overs. With pressure mounting, Hong Kong took control of the game with dot ball pressure creating a number of run outs.

Annie Ho (3-0-5-0) and Keenu Gill (2-0-4-1) stifled the Malaysian reply with a clinical partnership in the middle of the innings. Marina Lamplough and Chan Sa Ha combined to finish off the Malaysian tail. Both created havoc with yet another seam/spin combination which finished off the Malaysian innings inside 17 overs.

Hong Kong (77/7) beat Malaysia (42 all out) by 35 runs.

Player of the Match: Jenefer Davies

Hong Kong coach Richard Waite said “Delighted with the character shown by the team after a tough start at the beginning of the Hong Kong innings. The skill and game awareness of Jenefer Davies was crucial to Hong Kong edging up towards a score of 75/80 which ultimately proved to be 35 too many in tricky conditions”

Additional reporting and images: HKcricket

Hong Kong Women Tour India Ahead of T20 Qualifier

The Women’s Hong Kong National Team depart for their T20 World Cup qualifying journey on Sunday the 12th of November 2017. Arriving in Mumbai, India on Sunday the squad will be put through their paces in a grueling 5-day pre-tour before flying directly to Thailand to compete against hosts Thailand, Nepal, the UAE and China.

Coach of the National Women’s team, Richard Waite had this to say about the pre-tour in India “The next week provides a fantastic opportunity for the players to train in conditions not dissimilar to those we will encounter in Thailand, batting on turf wickets at world class facilities will hopefully give us an edge and something we inherently struggle to get in Hong Kong”.

Confidence is high in the camp following the success in the recent East Asia Cup tournament held in Hong Kong, where the hosts went through undefeated. “In the 6 weeks since the East Asia Cup we’ve taken time to analyse what we did well and looked at areas where we can improve in the hope it stands us in good stead to finish in the top two of qualifying in Thailand” Waite continued.

The Asian qualifiers in Thailand will see teams play each other once before the top two play off to decide who will finish top of qualifying in the Asian region.

“Recent stand out performances from opener Yasmin Daswani and the rapid improvement of vice-captain Kary Chan’s bowling lead us to believe we are in a great space to compete against strong opposition to hopefully book our place in the T20 World Qualifiers in the Netherlands to be held in the middle of 2018” said the coach.

Hong Kong will take on Malaysia in their first match of the Asian Qualifiers on Monday the 20th of November 2017 in Thailand.

Tour to India: 12-18 November, 2017

Mariko Hill, Captain, (HKCC), Kary Chan, Vice Captain, (CCC), Yasmin Daswani, (HKCC), Pull To, (CCC), Shanzeen Shahzad, (DSLW), Jenefer Davies (KCC), Natural Yip (HKCC), Annie Ho (HKCC), Bella Poon (KCC), Chan Sau Ha (HKCC), Marina Lamplough (HKCC), Emma Lai (HKCC), Ruchi Venketesh (HKCC), Lemon Cheung (HKCC)

World T20 Asia Region Qualifiers: 18-28 November, 2017

Additional reporting and images: HK cricket

South Africa Win Hong Kong Sixes

The Hong Kong Sixes came down to the last ball of the final, with South Africa edging Pakistan in a thrilling final at Kowloon Cricket Club.

Captain Aubrey Swanepoel won it for his team by hitting the very last ball for a four in the closest and most competitive game over the tournament weekend. The South African squad made the final after defeating New Zealand Kiwis by 18 runs.

This win is South Africa’s fifth victory in 18 editions of the tournament, having held aloft the trophy in 1995, 2006, 2009, 2012, the last time Hong Kong World Sixes was held. It joins England and Pakistan as a five-time winner of this popular event.

Ecstatic with the team’s performance this week, 28-year-old Swanepoel said: “As a cricketer growing up, this is what you dream of, in a tournament like this, to hit the winning run. I have the best team possible here with me, and if it wasn’t for my team, I wouldn’t have been in that situation.”

“Cricket in Hong Kong is growing, it has a bright future. People in Hong Kong want to see all the best teams come to play in this tournament. This event is only get better, and hopefully more teams will get involved. We have a young team, and we are looking forward to hopefully come back next year.” added Swanepoel.

Hong Kong, led by Babar Hayat, gave home fans plenty of cheer about after an inspiring run to win the Plate competition. Following Saturday’s round robin effort of one win and two losses, which put the team into the plate tournament, the local squad came through against the Marylebone Cricket Club with a five-run victory in the final. Nizakat Khan also took out the Ben Hollioake award for the player of the tournament.

Hayat, who narrowly missed out on winning player of the tournament in the 2012 event, commented: “Yesterday didn’t quite go according to plan but in the third game yesterday and today, we were outstanding with the ball and the bat, which was pleasing, and that was why we were able to win the Plate. We hadn’t play sixes for a very long time so it was always going to be tough but once you get going, you can always get some momentum going, which helped. It is a pleasing thing to play in front of a home crowd, with people cheering for you, supporting you. I hope we can play the sixes every year.”

Cricket Hong Kong Director Jonathan Cummings commented: “The two days of the tournament have been amazing. We couldn’t have wished for it to go any better, the weather, the cricket, the fans, and to have the result of the last ball is what makes sixes cricket so exciting. Getting South Africa and Pakistan in the final was great as we knew we would have a humdinger of a final, and to see Hong Kong winning the Plate Championship is fantastic. The event will 100% be back next year. Getting the event back was the first step. The crowds have loved it, the teams have loved it, and the tournament will be back even bigger next time.

What Are the Cricket Sixes?

The Sixes started in 1992 but it’s been five years since the last tournament, so here’s a brief guide to what’s going on!

It’s just like traditional cricket and all the the regular laws of game apply except that each match only takes around 45 minutes to complete.

Why? As the name suggests the game is six players per side compared with the usual 11, which means once the bowler and wicket-keeper are in position there aren’t many fieldsmen that the batting team need to evade to hit lots of ball to an over the boundaries.

Each team faces five overs each, and everyone (except for the wicketkeeper) is required to bowl one over each.

Batsmen are forced to retire at 31, but can come back in once all other batsmen have been dismissed or have retired. This can make for some interesting situations at the end of the innings with the lower-order taking risky singles knowing that if they are out, their in-form batsman can come back in.

This year at the Hong Kong World Sixes, seven international teams plus hosts Hong Kong will play 23 matches over just two days. The eight teams are split into two groups, with the results determining the seeding positions for the second day.

Finals day includes four quarter-finals, with the four losers heading into the plate tournament, while the remaining four teams compete for the major title.

South Africa are the defending champions from 2012 and they will face Hong Kong in the opening game at 8am on Saturday morning. For the full schedule of game times click here.

Hong Kong will be captained by Babar Hayat, who missed out by one vote on winning the player of the tournament award in 2012.

The squad also contains fellow big-hitters Nizakat Khan and Jamie Atkinson, who also experience in the Sixes format.

Hong Kong Squad:
Babar Hayat (Captain), Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Ehsan Khan, Ehsan Nawaz, Jamie Atkinson, Tanveer Ahmed.

HK Cricket Sixes
Date: 28-29 October, 2017
Venue: Kowloon Cricket Club
Tickets: $2,400, $1,300, $1,000, $700, $600, $350 from Ticketflap

Additional reporting and images: HK cricket