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T20: Hong Kong lose to Oman by 6 Wickets

Oman’s Sultan Ahmed won the toss against Hong Kong’s Tanwir Afzal, and his bowlers did the rest as Hong Kong were soundly beaten in the first of three Twenty20 Internationals losing by 6 wickets in a match played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

After losing the toss Hong Kong were asked to bat. Openers Anshuman Rath and Waqas Barkat could not set the same platform as they had in the second ODI against United Arab Emirates, Rath could only score 5 before being dismissed by Bilal Khan in the 1st over.

Babar Hayat joined Barkat at the crease and quickly raced to 16 with a run of boundaries before being caught in the third over. Hayat was the first of three wickets to fall for just 4 runs as Hong Kong were reduced to 31 for 4 as Barkat and Nizakat Khan quickly followed. Skipper Tanwir Afzal and Mark Chapman then put on 21 before Afzal perished caught at extra cover as he drove on the up. Chris Carter and Waqas Khan then began to rebuild the innings in a 36-run partnership, that lifted Hong Kong’s total to 92. But disaster struck in the 17th over as first Waqas Khan (19) was ran out and Chris Carter (15) was caught at long on by Adnan Ilyas. Hong Kong finally closed on 106 for 9 from their 20 overs probably 20 short of par for a wicket that was playing low and slow.

For Oman Bilal Khan (3 for 29) and Mehran Khan (2 for 20) were the pick of the bowlers

Hong Kong set about defending of the total as Haseeb Amjad and Tanwir Afzal kept things tight early which brought about the dismissal of opener Khawar Ali trapped lbw by Afzal as he looked to hit across a full ball.

Jatinder Singh (16) joined opener Aaqib Sulehri (12) at the crease and the pair took the total to 25 from 5 overs, before Sulehri was caught behind by Chris Carter to a superb diving catch to his right. Adnan Ilyas was removed by Skipper Afzal and Singh was bowled in the 10th over by Anshuman Rath after a period of pressure. This brought Zeeshan Siddiqui (33*) and Sultan Ahmed (37*) together and the pair set about building the match winning partnership of 30 for Oman, who eventually reached their target of 107 with 9 balls to spare.

Skipper Tanwir Afzal claimed two wickets while Aizaz Khan and Anshuman Rath chipped in with one wicket each for Hong Kong as Oman won the match by 6 wickets in Abu Dhabi.

Women’s Rugby Fixtures – 21 November, 2015

Hong Kong v China – Chinese Fans @ Mongkok Stadium, 17 November, 2015

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For reasons known only to the police and Hong Kong Football Association the media were banned from taking photos of the Chinese fan’s section at Hong Kong v China World Cup qualifier. After multiple complaints a brief period of photography was allowed – before the area in-front of the Chinese fans was again at no-go zone from 7pm.
Here are some of the 500 Chinese fans who made the trip.
Click on any photo to access the full gallery.

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Chinese Fan Talks About Hating HongKongers

A Chinese fan at the Hong Kong v China World Cup qualifier talks about hating HongKongers and that China is wonderful.

I was taking photos of the Chinese fans, and suddenly this guy was talking about Chinese fans hating Hong Kong, so I started to record…

Man-of-the-Match Tanwir Afzal Smashes Hong Kong to Victory

Tanwir Afzal led from the front with a captain’s knock of 73 to lead his team to victory, and the top of the World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) table, with a 136-run win over host UAE in the second and final ODI of the series.

The day belonged to the Hong Kong skipper, who not only continued his winning streak with the toss, but went on to top score with a 33-ball 73 and snare three wickets in an unforgettable Man of the Match performance.Tanwir’s flashy 24-ball half-century was the equal third-fastest ever by an Associate player in ODI cricket. The knock steadied the sluggish Hong Kong innings and helped post a competitive total of 282 that had seemed unlikely earlier in the match.

After electing to bat, Hong Kong’s Anshuman Rath (53), Waqas Barkat (27) and Mark Chapman (27) all contributed runs, but the side regularly lost wickets and struggled for the most part to keep the run rate competitive. Three run outs in less than 13 overs added more pressure to the batting side, though it benefitted from three dropped catches in the field. With the score precariously placed at 159 for six from 36.6 overs, the skipper came to the crease, and quickly set about finding the buildings outside of the boundary rope.

Seemingly inspired by the captain’s fireworks, number nine batsman Aizaz Khan struck three consecutive sixes on his way to an unbeaten 37 from only 31 balls, and the pair put on a match winning 101-run partnership for the eight wicket at an astonishing run-rate of 11.22. The partnership was the highest stand for the eighth wicket in the competition, and the sixth-highest partnership overall.

Hong Kong piled on 109 runs in the last 10 overs, the second highest total by an Associate team in that part of the innings, to post a reassuring total of 282 for eight.

The UAE responded in similarly heavy hitting fashion, but stumbled with the loss of four early wickets to be 38 for four after 6.2 overs. Dangerman Shaiman Anwar held the innings together with a stylish 71, and the tailenders held their ground doggedly against the Hong Kong bowling attack for six more overs to add six runs, before Anshuman Rath delivered the final ball to dismiss the hosts for 146 runs in 40.1 overs.

The win seals a successful week for Hong Kong, which beat the UAE by 89 in the first WCLC ODI and by 276 in their four-day, first class ICC Intercontinental Cup clash.

Hong Kong v China @ Mongkok Stadium – 17 November, 2015

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Three hours before kick-off and fans queued around the corner to enter Mongkok Stadium for the World Cup qualifier against China. The atmosphere was electric, the noise and passion there for all to see and hear as ‘We are Hong Kong’ echoed across the territory – loud enough to be heard in the Liaison Office and Beijing.

The fans might have been denied the chance to fill Hong Kong Stadium, but HongKongers pride in their team was evident. Every touch greeted with a roar, every Chinese touch a massed boo. For long periods Hong Kong defence resembled the lion rock, stout, imperious, resolute and quietly in command of all it sees… There were scares with crossbar and post hit multiple times. In attack Hong Kong were often careless with the ball, giving it away far too easily, but the crowd roared them forward, keeping tired legs pumped with adrenaline.

Hong Kong scored the stadium erupted, the referee whistled dis-allowing the goal for a ‘foul’ on the keeper. It was a soft decision, as were the multiple over the top Chinese tackles that should have seen yellow but were ignored. There was a feeling the referee was politically managing the game, looking to ensure nothing he did would harm either team.

Hong Kong had chances, both teams hit the woodwork – irrespective of the impact on World Cup qualifying – the draw was cheered as mightily as a win. We are Hong Kong!

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Hong Kong is Not China – 17 November, 2015

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Outside Mongkok Stadium after Hong Kong’s World Cup qualifier against China, a boisterous show of Hongkonger’s pride in Hong Kong – Hong Kong is not China.

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Mark Chapman’s Century Powers Hong Kong to Victory

A record-breaking maiden century by Mark Chapman, making his ODI debut for Hong Kong, earned his team an 89-run victory in its World Cricket League Championship (WCLC) clash against host UAE in Dubai.

Making his ODI debut alongside Chris Carter, the 21-year-old vice-captain waltzed into the record books with an undefeated 116-ball 124, the second-highest ODI score ever made by a batsman on debut. Chapman is second only to West Indies’ Desmond Haynes (148), and he is the 10th player in ODI history to score a century on debut.

His undefeated knock of 124, which included two sixes and 11 boundaries, anchored the Hong Kong’s total of 298 for the loss of only four wickets after its 50 overs, before dismissing the UAE for 209 all out to record an 89-run victory.

Earlier, openers Anshuman Rath (36) and Kinchit Shah (34 retired) put on a 77-run partnership, but a collision between the two as they scampered between wickets sent Kinchit back to the dressing room with an injured shoulder. Number three Babar Hayat (45) continued his run-scoring streak and put on a 90-run partnership with Chapman, the highest partnership of the game. But it was Chapman, who arrived in Dubai on Saturday, who dominated the crease with a measured but aggressive knock that saw him still at the crease at the end of 50 overs.

Nizakat Khan added a career-best 28, and for the UAE, Ahmed Raza and Zaheer Maqsood picked up two wickets each.

If the UAE were intimidated by either the record-breaking centurion or the imposing run chase, it did not show it. Amjab Ali (18) and Shaiman Anwar (76) quickly set about striking boundaries, but the Hong Kong bowlers managed to take regular wickets around them. 18-year-old Anshuman Rath starred with three wickets 22 runs, while Haseeb Amjad picked up three for 49.

The sides will return for the second match in the two-ODI WCLC encounter on Wednesday 18 November.