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Hong Kong Ready to Shine at ICC World Twenty20

hk cricket 2016

Hong Kong will face off against Zimbabwe in the opening match of the ICC World Twenty20 on 8 March at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. The Hong Kong Dragons are currently ranked 12th in the game’s shortest format and captain Tanwir Afzal has declared his team’s intention to show the world that the Dragons are not there just to make up the numbers.

The 27-year-old all-rounder spoke to media on the eve of the tournament’s opening match, and said that his young side was both well prepared and excited about facing the Test nation. “We have worked really hard in our preparation for this tournament, and we arrived early in India for some warm-up matches. The team is really excited about playing on the international stage, especially here in India where the people love cricket so much. We have a young side and believe in our ability. We know that Zimbabwe is an experienced side, and they have a few good players. So we know the statistics of the players, and we have a plan; we will work on their weaknesses.”

In the ICC World Twenty20 fist round, Hong Kong have been drawn in Group B with Zimbabwe, Scotland and Afghanistan for a place in the Super 10 stage. One team from the group will advance. If Hong Kong tops the table it will advance to Group 1 where it will join 2010 winner England, South Africa, 2014 champion Sri Lanka and 2012 winner West Indies. Hong Kong’s first Group 1 match would be against the reigning champion, Sri Lanka, at Eden Gardens.

Hong Kong and Zimbabwe have only met once before, in a last-ball thriller won by Hong Kong in a warm up match ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 2014. Hong Kong went on to record one of the biggest upsets of the tournament when it defeated host Bangladesh by two wickets, it’s first-ever win against a Test-playing nation in an official international match.

Hong Kong is appearing in its second consecutive ICC World Twenty20 event after gaining T20I status in 2014, and the skipper said that playing in the tournament is important for the growth of the game in Hong Kong. “If you see the last few years, we have come through the international process. A few years ago, we were in Division 3. We then got T20I and one-day status two years ago. Any success we get helps to grow cricket back home, and impact on our new generation.”

ICC World Twenty20 2016 Schedule

8 March: Hong Kong v Zimbabwe, VCA Stadium, Nagpur, at 5:30pm (15:00 IST)

10 March: Hong Kong v Afghanistan, VCA Stadium, Nagpur, at Midnight (19:30 IST)

12 March: Hong Kong v Scotland, VCA Stadium, Nagpur, at Midnight (19:30 IST)

Hong Kong Squad
Tanwir Afzal (Captain), Mark Chapman (Vice Captain), Haseeb Amjad, Nadeem Ahmed, Adil Mehmood, James Atkinson, Waqas Barkat, Ryan Campbell, Christopher Carter, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Waqas Khan, Kinchit Shah, Anshuman RathI

HK Cricket Match Report: Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 28 February 2016

Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 28th February 2016

Only two of the three Women’s T20 Cup games were played this weekend with PACC unable to field a team against USRC while HKCC Willow Wielders enjoyed a bye.

KCC Maidens v CCC Fung Wong
In the early game, played in sunny conditions, KCC Maidens beat CCC Fung Wong by 40 runs.

The CCC women elected to field first but they spent the next twenty overs chasing leather as KCC notched up a score of 7/146 from their 20 overs. Keenu Gill top scored with 74.

In reply, Kary Chan and Pull To both hit 31 but their efforts weren’t enough to overcome the KCC team’s score. In the end, CCC Fung Wong reached 6/106 off their twenty overs.
At PKVR Reservoir: KCC Maidens 7/146 from 20 overs beat CCC Fung Wong 6/106 from 20 overs by 40 runs.

DLSWCC Wasps v HKCC Cavaliers
In the second match, between DLSWCC Wasps and HKCC Cavaliers, the Wasps took first use of the crease after winning the toss. They managed to score 4/118 from their 20 overs with Wasps’ skipper Shanzeen Shahzad hitting an unbeaten on 68 while Jaswinder Kaur also scored 21.

In reply, Natural Yip hit 57 and Mary Henderson scored 34 in an opening partnership of 92 that effectively won the game for HKCC Cavaliers. However, the HKCC team still managed to lose four wickets in knocking off the remaining runs in 15 overs.
At PKVR Reservoir: DLSWCC Wasps 4/118 from 20 overs lost to HKCC Cavaliers 4/119 from 15 overs by six wickets.

photo: Takumi Photography
source: HK Cricket Association

HK Cricket Match Reports: Sunday 28 February, 2016

Sunday Championship – 28th February 2016

DLSWCC JKN v HKCC Optimists
DLSWCC JKN scored a bonus point victory over HKCC Optimists in their Sunday Championship match played at Hong Kong Cricket Club.

Optimists elected to bat first after winning the toss and they were well placed at 1/79 when George Clarke was dismissed for 42. Miles Richardson scored 34 but the rest of the top order failed as Optimists slipped to 6/95 and then 8/117. Some dogged resistance from the tail-enders, nurtured along by their skipper David Jacquier who finished on 51 not out, got Optimists to 171 all out in the 50^th over. Ehsan Khan was the pick of the bowlers for DLSWCC JKN with figures of 3/18 from his ten over spell.

Ehsan Khan then hit an unbeaten 50 as DLSWCC JKN knocked off the runs in just 29.2 overs. Waqas Khan scored 30 while Babar Hayat and Moner Ahmed also made valuable contributions. Miles Richardson’s 4/67 went in vain for HKCC Optimists.
At HKCC: HKCC Optimists 171 from 49.2 overs lost to DLSWCC JKN 5/175 from 29.2 overs by five wickets.

KCC Templars v HKCA Dragons
KCC Templars also picked up a bonus point following their demolition of HKCA Dragons at Kowloon Cricket Club.

The HKCA Dragons opted to bowl first after winning the toss and they were rewarded with the early wicket of Ninad Shah. Thereafter, the Templars’ batsmen dominated with Roy Lamsam (42) and Dylan Dearing (151) sharing a second wicket partnership of 123. Dearing was the third wicket to fall at 240 before Templars’ middle order added another 90 runs in double-quick time to see them through to a score of 330.

The Dragons’ top-order struggled against the pace of Aditya Kanthan and they were quickly reduced to 4/17. James Chan (28) and Damien Yee (25) resisted briefly before Dan Pascoe wrapped things up for Templars. Kanthan claimed 3/11 from five overs while Pascoe picked up 3/20 from seven as Dragons were all out for 95.
At KCC: KCC Templars 6/330 from 50 overs beat HKCA Dragons 95 from 34.1 overs by 235 runs.

KCC Infidels v USRC/MCC
At Mission Road, KCC Infidels scored a bonus point in beating USRC/MCC by seven wickets.

USRC/MCC won the toss and elected to bat first but their top order failed to string any significant partnerships together as they slipped to 5/91 with Gurjant Singh grabbing 3/25 for Infidels. An 84-run sixth wicket partnership between Balal Muhammad (47) and Awais Mohammad (57*) got the total to 175 but three wickets by Najeeb Amar (3/25) stymied any late surge by the USRC/MCC batsmen and their innings finished on 8/204.

Najeeb was quickly in the action again as he hit 96 runs in a third wicket partnership with Muhammad Khan worth 125 runs. Khan finished unbeaten on 76 as Infidels ran out winners by seven wickets with twenty overs to spare.
At Mission Road: USRC/MCC 8/204 from 48 overs lost to KCC infidels 3/205 from 30 overs by seven wickets.

source: HK Cricket Association

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 27 February, 2016

Saturday Championship – 27th February 2016

Saturday Championship Division 1

HKCC Witherers v Pakistan Association
HKCC Witherers got their bid for the 2015-16 championship title off to a great start by beating Pakistan Association at Hong Kong Cricket Club. A single point now separates the top four teams in Division 1.

In the game itself, Pakistan Association elected to bat first after winning the toss and their openers put on 44 runs for the first wicket. A further 55 runs were added for the second wicket with Daniyal Bukhari scoring 47. However, Bukhari’s wicket triggered a collapse that saw the visitors slip from 1/99 to 7/107 and they were eventually all out for 134. Ahan Manglik did much of the damage for Witherers by claiming 4/22 from his seven overs while Toby Raper grabbed 3/37.

In reply, Charlie Bright hit 56 at the top of the order and skipper Liam Ginnivan chipped in with 36 as Witherers eased to victory by six wickets in the 31st over.
At HKCC: Pakistan Association 134 from 29 overs lost to HKCC Witherers 4/137 from 30.5 overs by six wickets.

KCC Tartars v DLSWCC Sarjan
In a tight finish at Kowloon Cricket Club, KCC Tartars gave themselves some breathing space above the relegation zone by beating DLSWCC Sarjan by 13 runs.

Tartars batted first after winning the toss and they have Ateeq ul Rehman to thank for them recovering from a precarious 6/70 to reach 8/163 after 35 overs. Rehman top scored with 44 not out.

Rehman then completed a great double by claiming 5/28 as DLSWCC Sarjan’s reply was restricted to 9/150. Top scorer for the visitors was their captain Harpreet Singh with 50.
At KCC: KCC Tartars 8/163 from 35 overs beat DLSWCC Sarjan 9/150 from 35 overs by 13 runs.

Saturday Championship Division 2

USRC/MCC v Kai Tak CC
At Mission Road, USRC/MCC stayed within reach of division leaders Taipans with a four-wicket victory over Kai Tak CC.

Kai Tak got off to a great start with their openers putting on 67 runs for the first wicket. Haroon Arshad (44) and Tom Downey (38) scored the bulk of the runs as Kai Tak reached 161 all out in 34.2 overs. Iftikhar Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for USRC/MCC with 4/36 from 6.2 overs.

USRC/MCC lost early wickets but recovered from 3/17 to chase down the total in less than 30 overs. Sikander Zafar top scored for USRC/MCC with 41 while Umar Mohammad hit 39 and Sher Ya Saeed scored 33.
At Mission Road: Kai Tak 161 from 34.2 overs lost to USRC/MCC 6/165 from 29.4 overs by four wickets.

source: HK Cricket Association

East Asia Twenty20 Cup Competition

The Cricket Associations of China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea have entered into an agreement to contest a biennial East Asia Twenty20 Cup Competition.

Japan will host the first Men’s tournament in Sano, the home of Japanese Cricket, from 3-6 November 2016. The inaugural Men’s competition will feature national teams from China, Japan and Korea, as well as Hong Kong’s all-Chinese side the HKCA Dragons.

The main idea behind the East Asia Cup is to provide more international exposure for the national teams in the region, especially for China, Japan and Korea who are not featured in the ICC World Cricket League.

CEO of the Japan Cricket Association Naoki Miyaji said: “We are really excited about formalising this agreement between the four countries. We are all close by so travel will be simple and all the four teams will be at a similar standard in both the men’s and women’s competitions.”

The 2017 edition of the tournament will feature the full women’s teams and is due to be hosted by Hong Kong. In both editions the teams will all play each other in a round robin before a 3rd place playoff and final.

In every tournament there will be recognition for the best performing batsman and bowler as well as a “Most Valuable Player” award.

Each nation will host the tournament once in a four-year cycle. The tournament aims at increase interest in the sport as well as raising the standards among the participating teams.

The tournament schedule for the next four years is as follows:

	Host	Tournament
2016	Japan	Men’s
2017	Hong Kong	Women’s
2018	China	Men’s
2019	Korea	Women’s

Hong Kong Crash to Third Asia Cup Defeat

A disappointing Asia Cup Qualifying Tournament ended with a third defeat for Hong Kong against Afghanistan by 66 runs in Dhaka. The bowlers have leaked runs and the batsmen, Babar Hayat apart, have not found any sort of form on what have been pretty good batting wickets.

Captain Tanwir Afzal won the toss and chose to bowl first, but some costly errors in the field saw Afghanistan post 7-178 – including 32 from the penultimate over.

In response, Hong Kong got off to a great start to be 0-55 after 6 overs but the innings then fell apart. Hong Kong lost 9-33 to be all out for 112 – resulting in a 66-run loss. Anshuman Rath top scored with 41 off 38 balls.

Babar Hayat looked dangerous again but fell for just 18 off 16 balls. The pattern of good starts that went unfinished a sore point for captain Tanwir Afzal when summing up the tour. “The middle order batsmen made the same mistakes in all three games and we didn’t learn from it and that’s disappointing,” Afzal said. “We are a better team than this and we have a couple of players who were missing coming back for the World T20 so hopefully we can prove that.”

In the field, Hong Kong had restricted Afghanistan to 6-138 after 17 overs, but 40 runs off the last three saw the score blow out. Aizaz Khan was the main destroyer and finished with 3-38, while 18-year-old Tanveer Ahmed impressed on debut taking 1-27 from four overs at the death.

“As you could see, Tanveer is a future star of Hong Kong cricket,” Afzal said. “He was very impressive with the ball in death bowling and he just does the basics really well. Everybody is really disappointed with these matches but we will come back strong and do Hong Kong proud at the World Cup.”

Hong Kong will arrive in Mumbai tomorrow tonight to begin a two-week training camp ahead of their World T20 opener against Zimbabwe on March 8.

Afghanistan 7-178 (Aizaz Khan 3-38) def Hong Kong 112 (Anshuman Rath 41 Kinchit Shah 29) by 66 runs

Source: HK Cricket Association

HK Cricket Match Report: Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 20 February 2016

Women’s Twenty20 Cup – 21 February 2016

KCC Maidens v DLSWCC Wasps
With no Sunday Championship match on at Kowloon Cricket Club, the women’s teams from KCC and DLSWCC enjoyed a rare outing on the hallowed turf. The match was the first in the second half of the Women’s T20 Cup competition.

The KCC Maiden’s won the toss and elected to bowl first. The Maiden’s bowlers restricted the DLSWCC Wasps to 7/76 from their 20 overs with Jaswinder Kaur top scoring with 18 while Shanzeen Shahzad hit 17. The Haider sisters, Mahreen and Rida, grabbed two wickets each for the Maidens.

KCC’s opening batters, Keenu Gill and Sidra Nasreen, had little trouble knocking off the runs in just seven overs. Gill finished unbeaten on 40 while Nasreen scored 23 not out.
At KCC: DLSWCC Wasps 7/76 from 20 overs lost to KCC Maidens 0/77 from seven overs by ten wickets.

HK Cricket Match Reports: Saturday 20 February, 2016

Saturday Championship – 20th February 2016

The final round-robin matches in Division 1 were played on Saturday that helped sort out the pecking order for the play-off games.

Saturday Championship Division 1

HKCC Nomads v KCC Saracens
At Hong Kong Cricket Club, the first match of the Division 1 play-off series was played between HKCC Nomads and KCC Saracens.

Saracens’ decision to bowl first paid earlier dividends as Vishal Sharma made three early strikes to leave Nomads in a spot of bother at 3/46. A 110-run partnership between Nomads’ skipper Kym Graham (57) and Andrew Swan (73) got Nomads back in the game but both batsmen fell with the score on 156. Their middle order batsmen made a number of useful contributions and Nomads finished on 7/228 from their 35 overs. For Saracens, Vishal Sharma was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/16 off seven overs.

The Saracens reply got away to a useful start and they looked well placed at 2-93 with skipper Sunny Bhimsaria hitting 30 but two quick wickets set them back to 4/107. Saracens’ middle order wasn’t quite as prolific as Nomads and the regular loss of wickets tempered their run-chase. Simondeep Singh hit 60 and Suhaib Ahmad 44 but their efforts were in vain as Saracens finished 26 runs short.
At HKCC: HKCC Nomads 7/228 from 35 overs beat KCC Saracens 9/202 from 35 overs by 26 runs.

HKCC Gap Rambles v KCC Crusaders
At Kowloon Cricket Club, HKCC Gap Rambles secured their place in the top 5 following a six wicket win over KCC Crusaders.

Crusaders batted first after winning the toss but they could only manage a total of 7/148 from their 35 overs. Top scorer for Crusaders was Ravi Sujanani with 52 while Dylan Dearing hit 36.

Crusaders made an early strike in the second innings but a half-century from skipper David Varley helped Gap Ramblers over the line with plenty of overs to spare. Stuart Tohill finished unbeaten on 32 for Gap Ramblers.
At KCC: KCC Crusaders 7/148 from 35 overs lost to HKCC Gap Ramblers 4/152 from 30 overs by six wickets.

Pakistan Association v CCC Jing Sun
At Mission Road, Pakistan Association ensured they finished the round-robin matches on top of the points table with a bonus point victory over CCC Jing Sun.

CCC Jing Sun won the toss and elected to bat first and they made a solid start despite the loss of an early wicket. Giacomo Lamplough (39) and Chris Owen (59) had CCC handily placed at 1/113 but a cluster of wickets saw them reduced to 5/122. The middle and lower order batsmen made some useful contributions and CCC Jing Sun finished their innings at 8/182 after 35 overs. Mohammed Huzafah did much of the damage for Pakistan Association as he grabbed 4/27 from his seven over spell.

Pakistan Association recovered splendidly from the loss of two early wickets thanks to a third wicket partnership of 122 between Daniyal Bukhari and Zamir Ali who both hit 64. Pakistan Association cruised to victory in the 27.3 overs to earn a valuable bonus point.
At Mission Road: CCC Jing Sun 8/182 from 35 overs lost to Pakistan Association 5/187 from 27.3 overs by five wickets.

Saturday Championship Division 2

The Division 2 play-off places are still unclear and there are still a handful of round-robin games to be played before the top five/bottom five places can be determined.

DLSWCC Spartans v Laguna Gully
However, DLSWCC Spartans improved their chances of reaching the top five with a narrow victory over Laguna Gully on the astro at PKVR Park in a match reduced to 33 overs per team.

Spartans elected to bat first after winning the toss but they were rocked early with both openers falling without scoring off the bowling of Shubham Mehta. Mehta grabbed a third early wicket but some solid middle order batting by Suresh Pandey (44) and Amanat Khan (34) got Spartans to 8/188 from their 33 overs. Mehta finished with the best bowling figures for Laguna Gully with 3/10 off three overs.

In reply, Laguna Gully was travelling well at 2/120 thanks to a half-century from opening batsman Mangesh Mulgaonkar. However, Mulgaonkar’s wicket triggered a dramatic batting collapse and Laguna Gully slipped to 181 all out. Shekhar Sharma also scored 33 for Laguna Gully.
At PKVR Park: DLSWCC Spartans 8/188 from 33 overs beat Laguna Gully 181 from 33 overs by seven runs.

CCC Hung See v Pioneers
With the Police Training College available again, but with CCC Hung See having already played all their round-robin fixtures, it was possible to play one Division 2 play-off fixture.

In the re-match between the two Chinese teams, CCC Hung See and Pioneers, the CCC team once again proved too good for their rivals who are still looking for their first win this season.

CCC Hung See won the toss and fielded first. Their bowlers struck early and Pioneers’ wickets fell regularly. Only two Pioneers batsmen registered double-figure scores, with Damien Yee’s 29 their best. Henry Siu grabbed 3/15 as Pioneers were dismissed for just 90.

In reply, CCC Hung See lost an early wicket but useful contributions from the remaining batsmen got them over the line in good time. Anthony Marrin top scored with 30.
At PTC: Pioneers 90 from 26.3 overs lost to CCC Hung See 3/94 from 16.2 overs by seven wickets.