Tag: Cricket

Anshuman Rath’s 88 Runs and 2 Wickets Lead Hong Kong on Day 3

Hong Kong are eight wickets from victory heading into the final day of their ICC Intercontinental Cup clash against The Netherlands, who trail by 459, at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground.

Anshuman Rath backed up his unbeaten 98 with a sublime 88 in the second innings as Hong Kong declared at 263-6 to set The Netherlands a sizable 507 to win. The Dutch were 48-2 at stumps with Timm Van Der Gugten unable to bat due to a shoulder injury.

Earlier, Netherlands resumed their first innings 216-5 but were dismissed within the opening session for 284. Rath continued his incredible individual game by taking 2-18 with his left-arm spin.

Quick runs were in order for Hong Kong to set the Dutch a target and Chris Carter (35), Nizakat Khan (32) and Babar Hayat (31) ensured a solid start to the innings. That allowed the in-form Rath to play with freedom and he delivered a 101-ball 88 that included 5 fours and 2 sixes.

When the declaration finally came, Netherlands had to see out a minimum 116 overs to save the game. And it didn’t start well with Tanwir Afzal getting the edge of Stephan Myburgh in the first over in the innings, just as he’d done in the first.

The Netherlands endeavoured to bunker down with the total outside a realistic range and it wasn’t until the final 20 minutes in the day when Ehsan Nawaz picked up the vital second breakthrough of Max O’Dowd for 22.

Ben Cooper (19*) and Wesley Barresi (5*) will resume on day four.

“We are in a very strong position and another dominant display with the bat with Anshy playing a solid role and showing what a mature player he is at just 19,” said Hong Kong coach Simon Cook.

“The sky is the limit for him really, he’s got limits in his technique but he’s worked on those areas and with his tactical nouse it makes him a very effective and efficient cricketer in all situations.”

“I’m hugely pleased and the consistency shows on these flat wickets where you can’t just get back into the game with a turning wicket or low scores where your bowlers don’t have to be disciplined to get rewards. It’s been a very encouraging three days.”

“I think the seamers hold the key on this pitch, there’s not much assistance for spin but there is significant uneven bounce if you can bowl stump to stump.”

Additional reporting: HK Cricket
Photo: Panda Man

Hong Kong Dominate Day 2 Against The Netherlands

Hong Kong continued their dominance on day two of their Intercontinental Cup clash against The Netherlands at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground. Resuming on 366-3, Hong Kong posted their highest ever First Class score of 527 – before reducing the visitors to 216-5 at stumps.

Babar Hayat picked up from where he left off on day one, surpassing 150 as he and Anshuman Rath took their partnership past 100. Hayat was eventually given LBW for 173, his innings off 265 balls, including 22 fours and 2 sixes.

Attention then turn to Anshuman Rath and whether he could reach a maiden First Class century. He moved into the 90s with three wickets still in hand, but the Dutch denied him by polishing off the tail (with Ehsan Nawaz not able to bat), leaving the 19-year-old stranded on 98 not out.

In response, The Netherlands innings began full of action with the first two deliveries struck firmly to the boundary by Stephan Myburgh, before Tanwir Afzal knocked over his middle stump.

In the fifth over, Tanwir struck again as he lured Max O’Dowd to edge to wicket-keeper Chris Carter to have the Netherlands in huge trouble at 23-2.

Ben Cooper and Roelef Van Der Merwe combined to finally get the Dutch innings going. They put on 102 before left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed drew the edge of Cooper for 52. And then two balls later he struck again to send Wesley Barresi back for a duck.

Skipper Peter Borren came in and took to the spinners with his reverse sweep, hitting three boundaries with it until the pace of Aizaz Khan took his edge.

However, Van Der Merwe was in a ruthless mood, he reached his century with a towering six off 108 balls and took the Dutch score past 200.

Speaking after play, Anshuman Rath was pleased with his side’s position.

“We started off strong with the bat and got the total we wanted to, we are happy having five wickets, but maybe we just let them get a few too many. Roelof batted really well but if we kept them to 50 or 60 less we’d really be in the driving seat.”

“I’m sure I’ll get over it (being left on 98*), I’m a bit disappointed but that’s cricket. While I was batting in the 90s I thought it’s time to convert one of these into a 100.”

“I’ve focused a lot of time in the gym getting fitter and also my boundary options which was lacking compared to others in the team. It’s been a good couple of months for me and I just want to keep it going.”

“It’s a good batting wicket but there is enough in it for the bowlers and it’s starting to turn a little bit which is a good sign for us. It’s a case of us bowling well and bowling to our plans.”

Additional reporting and images: HK Cricket, Panda Man

Captain Babar Hayat Scores Magnificent 141 Not Out

ICC sanctioned First Class cricket finally made it’s long awaited debut in Hong Kong and captain Babar Hayat ensured it would be a milestone day for his side with a magnificent unbeaten century.

Hayat the owner of the first, First Class and T20 International hundreds by a Hong Kong player, added another feather to his cap with an unbeaten 141 as Hong Kong amassed 366-3 on day one of the ICC Intercontinental Cup match against The Netherlands.

Sent in to bat after losing the toss, debutant Matt Stiller and Chris Carter got Hong Kong off to a spritely start, scoring 50 runs in the first 10 overs with crisp drives a feature of their play. Stiller eventually nicked a good delivery from Vivian Kingma for 42, but the 90-run partnership had laid a strong platform.

Carter and Hayat continued to score freely, guiding Hong Kong to 121-1 at lunch. Although The Netherlands’ bowling attack was hampered by an injury to opening bowler Timm Van Der Gugten, who suffered a shoulder injury while diving in the outfield.

After the break, the spin of Roelof Van De Merwe slowed progress somewhat but Hong Kong again only lost one wicket in the session, that of Chris Carter for 84 – his highest First Class score.

Resuming at 227-2 after tea, Hayat and Nizakat Khan played with freedom. Babar’s century, courtesy of an ungainly dive, came from 162 balls, while Nizakat raised his 50 in 89 balls.

The partnership was worth 117 when Nizakat fended a ball to second slip following the introduction of the second new ball. The day was already Hong Kong’s at that point and the Hayat and Anshuman Rath (23*) partnership added 53 before the close. The home side are in a strong position to accelerate further on day two.

“The boys got off to a really good start and then when I came in they kept supporting me,” Hayat said. “I’ve never batted for this long before so I’m really pleased with this, we were thinking 230 or 240 would be a good score at the end of the day so we are looking forward to hopefully putting 500 on the board tomorrow.”

“The guys have been working really hard on our batting and everyone was feeling good coming into today so pleasing to put a good performance on the board.” Hayat continued “We lost the toss but thankfully they chose to bowl first, hopefully the wicket can spin on day three and four.”

Additional reporting and images: HK Cricket

Hong Kong Take On The Netherlands

A year after it was supposed to happen Hong Kong finally set to play their maiden international first class match at home – after the total washout of the 4-day match against Scotland last January – and Captain Babar Hayat is confident in getting a result against The Netherlands.

Sunny skies are forecast and Hayat is looking for his team to continue where they left off at the recent Desert T20 tournament in Dubai when Hong Kong hammered The Netherlands.

“It was good to get a win against them in Dubai and that gives us confidence but this is a different format of the game that they have more experience in so it will be a hard match,” Hayat said.

“But in home conditions this will favour us as most of their players will have never been here before. Our record at home has been really good and we want to keep that going in the I-Cup as well.”

Hong Kong currently sit fifth on the Intercontinental Cup table but a win could see HK leapfrog The Netherlands into third position. Hong Kong’s remaining fixtures in the I-Cup will be Afghanistan at home in October and PNG in Dubai to finish the competition.

Coach Simon Cook says the team are well prepared, “Finishing in the top half of this league was the aim but top four or top three is definitely within our scope. That will be a very, very good achievement as there’s no history of longer form fixtures in Hong Kong,” Cook said.

“They are a very good side. They’ve shown that in previous world cup qualifiers – their side has a lot of experienced players with also some young players they’ve brought as well. It’s their off-season so our advantage is we have been playing cricket for the last five months and they haven’t, so they may be a bit short of match practice.”

Play commences daily at 9.30am at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground and entry is free for all four days.

The I-Cup squad features two new names, with Matt Stiller and Under-19s captain Jhatha Subramanyan in line for a potential debut out of the 14-man squad named.

Hong Kong Squad

ICC I-Cup v Netherlands (10-13 February)
1. Tanwir Afzal (Pakistan Assoc.), 2. Nadeem Ahmed (DLSWCC), 3. Christopher Carter (KCC), 4. Waqas Khan (DLSWCC), 5. Tanveer Ahmed (KCC), 6. Babar Hayat (DLSWCC), 7. Aizaz Khan (KCC), 8. Ehsan Khan (DLSWCC), 9. Nizakat Khan (HKCC), 10. Ehsan Nawaz (KCC), 11. Anshuman Rath (HKCC), 12. Ninad Shah (KCC), 13. Matt Stiller (KCC), 14. Jhatha Subramanyan (HKCC)

ICC WCLC v Netherlands (16 & 18 February)
1. Tanwir Afzal (Pakistan Assoc), 2. Nadeem Ahmed (DLSWCC), 3. Tanveer Ahmed (KCC), 4. James Atkinson (KCC), 5. Christopher Carter (KCC), 6. Mark Chapman (HKCC), 7. Ehsan Nawaz (KCC), 8. Babar Hayat (DLSWCC), 9. Aizaz Khan (KCC), 10. Ehsan Khan (DLSWCC), 11. Nizakat Khan (HKCC), 12. Waqas Khan (DLSWCC), 13. Anshuman Rath (HKCC), 14. Shahid Wasif (DLSWCC)

Additional reporting and images: HK Cricket, Peter Della Penna

Hong Kong Rebound Against Scotland

Hong Kong rebounded from their disappointing Desert T20 campaign to score a convincing win over Scotland in the first ODI of a mini tri-series that also involves the UAE.

After dismissing the Scots for 205, a calm half-century from captain Babar Hayat helped guide Hong Kong past the target with seven wickets and 34 balls to spare.

After winning the toss and electing to field, it was left arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed who was the star with the ball for HK, taking 4-33 from his 10 overs.

The spinners did well to pull the innings back after Scotland built a solid base at 49-0 in 10 overs. Ehsan Khan (1-33) also proved difficult to get away.

In response, debutant Cameron McAuslan was dismissed for 8 but Chris Carter made 43 off 56 balls to relieve any early innings nerves.

Captain Babar Hayat took his time getting in, pacing his innings perfectly as he hit 7 boundaries in his unbeaten 79 from 110 balls.

Nizakat Khan (25 off 21) and Waqas Khan (35* off 52) provided adequate support as the target was reached without any major scares.

“You can’t ask for a better performance, we were outstanding in the field and with the bat as well,” coach Simon Cook said.

“We’ve started to show how far we are coming, we just have to get the consistency of performances together now.”

“The wicket was a little tacky early so winning the toss was important and we hit our straps with good focus and intent – we never let them go at any point.”

“You look at the side that’s here and it’s pretty exciting that we can beat Scotland without Jamie (Atkinson), Chappy (Mark Chapman), Anshy (Anshuman Rath) and Tanwir Afzal. It means the others are starting to step-up. We are building a strong base of players.”

Additional reporting and images: HK Cricket

Oman Humiliate Hong Kong in the Desert

Hong Kong’s Desert T20 adventure went from bad, conceding 185 against Scotland in their opening match, to humiliating in their second against Oman where their batting and hopes of progressing in the tournament imploded.

The Zayed Cricket Stadium will hold no fond memories, hopefully a change of venue for the final game will see Hong Kong at least competitive. Losing is part of the game, getting thrashed twice is not the best start for an important year for local cricket.

After wining the toss and choosing to bat, Hong Kong were bowled out for 87 with Aizaz Khan (19) top scorer and only two other players Ehsan Khan (10) and Chris Carter (17) reaching double figures.

In response, despite an early wicket to Nadeem Ahmed, Oman reach the target in the 11 overs for the loss of just three wickets.

“It is one of those things that happens every so often,” Simon Cook, the Hong Kong coach, said of the batting implosion.

“We paid the price for playing across the line too much. It was a cascade effect, and 88 is just not defendable.”

Hong Kong Desert T20 Fixtures
18 January: Netherlands v Hong Kong (Dubai International Stadium)

Scotland Thrash Hong Kong in Desert T20 Opener

Scotland produced a dominant performance to defeat Hong Kong by 24 runs in the opening match of the Desert T20 tournament in Abu Dhabi.

The Scots powered to 189-3 from their 20 overs, before early wickets torpedoed Hong Kong’s chase before it could get into gear and despite strong resistance from the middle and lower order were restricted to 165-6.

After winning the toss, Scotland raced to 60-0 in seven overs, before Ehsan Khan removed both openers George Munsey (22) and Kyle Coetzer (31). Hong Kong though failed to capitalise on the breakthroughs as a record breaking 127-run partnership from Callum MacLeod (60 off 34 balls) and Richie Berrington (60 off 39 balls) saw Scotland post an imposing target.

A feature of the partnership, Scotland highest ever in T20 internationals was the reverse-sweeping skills and switch hits of MacLeod who hit 4 fours and 3 sixes.

In response, Aizaz Khan was run out without facing a ball and when Babar Hayat (10) picked out the man on the deep mid-wicket boundary Hong Kong were 32-2 in the fifth over.

Nizakat Khan, who hit a monstrous six over cover tried to repeat the effort but was caught at third man for 22 off as many balls.

Hong Kong’s two 19-year-olds Anshuman Rath (29 off 25) and Shahid Wasif (40 off 25 balls) added 41 in four overs, but with the run-rate creeping above 14 it was too big a mountain to climb.

Ehsan Khan’s crisp 42 off 22 balls at the end of the innings restricted the damage to Hong Kong’s net run rate, which could prove crucial in keeping hopes alive of progressing to the finals.

Hong Kong coach Simon Cook said his side were always up against it from the halfway mark.

“We were probably disappointed to be chasing 190 which wasn’t really a par score, it was more a 175 wicket and a very windy day with a big outfield,” Cook said.

“A few lapses with our fielding meant we were chasing too many, although I was pleased with our execution in their power play.” Cook continued “Again with the bat we had two run outs through basic errors and its those sort of things that cost you games.”

“Anshuman continued his good form, Shahid was again impressive and is really consolidating his place in the team and Ehsan Khan at the end hit the ball nicely so there were some positives. We did well in the end to get as close as we did.”

Hong Kong Desert T20 Fixtures
16 January: Oman v Hong Kong (Zayed Cricket Stadium)
18 January: Netherlands v Hong Kong (Dubai International Stadium)

Additional reporting and photos: HK Cricket, Cricinfo