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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.

Hong Kong Beat Ireland by 5 Runs

Four wickets in 7 balls across the 18th and 19th overs sealed Hong Kong’s win over one of the tournament favourites Ireland. The win also means that Hong Kong have to win one of their two remaining games against the USA and Namibia to qualify for the knock-out stage of the ICC World T20 Qualifier.

Batting first Hong Kong scored 129/8 on a damp night in Dublin. Mark Chapman top scoring with 30 while Anshuman Rath, Nizakat Khan scored 22 and 25 respectively. Tanwir Afzal added a crucial 18 at the end. Despite starting strong with a 43 run partnership between Stirling and Porterfield, Ireland’s chase disintegrated amidst some fine tight bowling with Nizakat Khan and Irfan Ahmed outstanding. Ahmed only conceding 3 runs of the 19th over while taking two wickets to take Man of the Match with figures of 3/11.

Hong Kong Beat Nepal by 5 Wickets at World T20 Qualifier

Hong Kong finally found their groove at the ICC World T20 Qualifier to beat Nepal by 5 wickets with 5 balls remaining.

Hong Kong, who won the toss and elected to field, tore the Nepal top order apart with Haseeb Amjad taking two wickets in his first over and a third in his second to have Nepal 17/4 after 6.1 overs. Hong Kong’s bowlers kept the pressure up taking wickets regularly and bowling Nepal out off the last ball of the twentieth over.

Man of the Match Haseeb Amjad with those three early wickets was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4-for-16 from his four overs. Aizaz Khan was miserly conceding just 7 runs in four overs while taking the wicket of Regmi.

In reply Hong Kong lost Irfan Ahmed early but calm batting from Anshuman Rath on debut and top scorer Nizakat Khan steadied the nerves and Hong Kong cruised to their first win after a loss in game 1 and a no-result in game 2.