The new year starts a with a treat for local cricket fans as Hong Kong play at home, for first time since 2011, as the host Scotland in the Braidwood Cup. The series features the first One Day International & First Class Cricket matches on Chinese soil
In a nod to the visitors and as recognition of Hong Kong’s Scottish heritage, and deeply rooted, though perhaps surprising, cricketing links, the Hong Kong Cricket Association has created an overall series prize, the Braidwood Cup, for the incoming tour. The Cup is named after Scottish expatriate William Drew Braidwood, who founded the Craigengower Cricket Club (CCC) in 1894, the second oldest such club in the territory after the Hong Kong Cricket Club (est. in 1851).
The Braidwood Cup will feature eight days of world-class cricket including the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match, two One Day International (ODI) matches played as part of the ICC World Cricket League Championship and two Twenty20 (T20) Internationals.
Hong Kong have made giant strides on the international scene since they last played at home 5 years ago, securing ODI status in 2014 after finishing third in the 2014 Cricket World Cup Qualifier and gaining T20 International status in 2013 after qualifying for the 2014 ICC World Twenty20.
“We’re a different team now to that of 2011,” said HKCA Director of Cricket Charlie Burke, “The players have worked hard for the past five years and we are a much different side. We’re excited about the Braidwood Cup as the players have not had the chance to play in front of our home crowds in several years.”
Hong Kong’s strengths at present revolve more around short form cricket, with Scotland seemingly having the upper hand in the impending Intercontinental Cup clash.
“Scotland have played about 400 games of First Class cricket, compared to Hong Kong with two. Their players are heavily involved in County Cricket in the United Kingdom, so they have more experience in the format, but we have nothing to lose and I’m sure the team will play that much bigger in front of their families and friends,” said Burke.
The First Class, Intercontinental Cup (I-Cup) is the ICC’s Test Cricket pathway tournament, featuring the best eight teams outside of the top 10, or test playing nations.
The winner of the three-year, single round, I-Cup series will play a home and away “test challenge” against the lowest ranked test side. If the I-Cup winner is successful in that series, they will qualify as a Test nation for the next four-year cycle, allowing them to compete in the sport’s highest echelon of the traditional, five-day form.
After the conclusion of the I-Cup, Hong Kong will host two ICC World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) matches. The WCLC is contested by the next eight teams outside of the twelve-team top-tier ODI nations, which includes Associate members Afghanistan and Ireland. The games will be played in the same 50-over ODI format as the World Cup.
The WCLC matches are a priority for Hong Kong as it is the primary pathway for teams to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) in the United Kingdom in 2019. Following the conclusion of the WCLC in 2017, the top half of teams will advance to the CWC qualification tournament in 2018.
Hong Kong (world ODI ranking 15th) is currently first on the World Cricket League Championship table, while Scotland (ranked 13th) is fourth after the tournament’s second round.
“We’re focusing pretty heavily on the World Cricket League Championship’s ODI matches as they format is more conducive to our strengths at the moment than four-day cricket and they offer an opportunity for us to play in the World Cup,” said Burke. “Our goal for the Series is to hold our position at the top of the WCLC table and to prepare for the upcoming World Twenty20.”
Hong Kong who have qualified for the World Twenty20 in India in March-April 2016, are in the same pool as Scotland, along with Afghanistan and Zimbabwe in Group B.
After the WCLC matches, two Twenty20 Internationals will be held as the Association concludes the Series with some big-hitting entertainment for the fans. The final weekend of the competition will also feature exhibition games of HKCA women’s and youth cricket, showcasing the strength of the game in the SAR.
Hong Kong will revel in the opportunity to play at home for the first time in over three years, promises Burke: “We have a young, exciting team, whose average age is just 20 years old. Most of these players have never had the opportunity to represent Hong Kong in front of their families and friends so this is a huge occasion for them; I expect it will be an emotional lift for the players.
“Scotland is a very good side. They’re aggressive and their batsmen like to put bowlers under pressure. The combination of their batting strength and our bowling attack is going to make for some exciting cricket. It will be a good contest between two of the strongest associate nations in world cricket,” Burke added.
“It is great to be able to play at home. There is a definite home advantage in cricket, more so than in other sports because of the importance of the playing surface and how those surfaces differ in every country. The players are familiar with Mission Road, they play a lot of club cricket there and train there as well so there will be no excuses” said Burke.
Burke’s sentiment was echoed by HKCA Chief Executive Officer Tim Cutler who thanked the Government for its continued support: “We’re hugely thankful to the Hong Kong Government and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department for all of the work that they have put into Mission Road to bring it up to international standard. We now have a home for cricket and are intent on ensuring that our team, with one of the highest world rankings of any Hong Kong sport, has more opportunities to play at home to help grow the local game”
“William Drew Braidwood’s name is a fitting choice for this historic trophy,” Cutler added, “Besides founding CCC, a club that welcomed members from all corners of the community. Braidwood is also credited with initiating discussions in 1903 to establish the first formal cricket league in Hong Kong; the competition for which the HKCA was formed to administer in 1968. Remarkable achievements by a remarkable man,” Cutler concluded.
The Hong Kong Cricket Association is intent on making Mission Road the home of Hong Kong Cricket and has confirmed that all of the Braidwood Cup Series matches will feature free admission to the public areas of the ground.
HKCA Braidwood Cup Series
All matches will be held at Mission Road Cricket Ground
ICC Intercontinental Cup: Thursday – Sunday, 21-24 January
ICC World Cricket League Championship: Tuesday & Thursday, 26 & 28 January
Twenty20 Matches: Saturday – Sunday, 30-31 January
