Young Hong Kong cricketers give several reasons for optimism while their senior counterparts show what should have been
- Senior Hong Kong team beat second string ‘A’ side by 70 runs, after setting a total that would probably have got them into the T20 tri-series final
- Junior team players give head coach Simon Willis much to think about before he names his squad for April’s ACC Premier Cup
Hong Kong cricket provided a window into the future when a corps of emerging talents seized opportunities to impress for the second-string ‘A’ team against their senior counterparts on Wednesday.
Daniel Mapp, a willowy right-arm bowler who turned 16 only last month, claimed the scalp of opener Martin Coetzee in his first over.
The all-round wild card Rajab Hussain took the prize wickets of Anshy Rath and Babar Hayat in his two overs, and late-blooming opening batsman Jason Lui, 30, cracked 58 from 40 balls as the ‘A’ team mustered 165 for seven to lose by 70 runs.
Hong Kong had posted a daunting 235 for four.
What head coach Simon Willis would have given for his side to amass a 200-plus total against Papua New Guinea on Tuesday. Instead, they crumbled to 121 all out and thumped by 10 wickets.
That loss condemned Hong Kong to an early-morning game with their understudies, prior to PNG crushing Nepal by 86 runs in the tri-series final later in the day.
The all-Hong Kong match, nevertheless, allowed Willis a close look at his next cabs off the rank. The only disappointment was the absence, due to “school commitments”, of Shiv Mathur, 16, who compiled a fabulous innings of 115 for the ‘A’ side against the first-team in a 50-over contest last month.
“I know how good he is, so we could not have found out anything more about him,” Willis said. “I know exactly where he fits into our plans long term, and we just have to keep helping him grow.”
Mapp, who, like Mathur, performed well for Hong Kong under-19s when they reached the final of a World Cup qualifying tournament in Malaysia this month, caught Willis’s eye “very early on” in the youth programme.
Against the senior team, Mapp lured Coetzee into holing out on the long-on boundary for a breezy 45, before joining a distinguished group of bowlers who have suffered at the flashing blade of Hayat.
“He has a lovely action, and can swing the ball away from the right-handers,” Willis said.
“He very quickly developed the ability to go around the wicket to left-handers, which tells me he is a fast learner. He has all the attributes to be a fast bowler, and showed everything and more today.”
Willis and Mark Farmer, the Hong Kong Cricket high performance manager, will plan a 12-month programme “throughout the pathway” after next month’s ACC Premier Cup in Oman.
“From the ages of 16 to 21, we have some quality, and need to invest coaching time in them,” Willis said.
“We will get together fast-bowling and spin-bowling groups, and, hopefully, in future, see the benefits.”
Top-order heavyweights Rath and Hayat were both motoring when dismissed by the uncapped Hussain, who fell for seven when opening the batting.
“The way he plays is a bit different from what we have in Hong Kong,” Willis said of Hussain, 21. “He is very unorthodox, and shows no fear. I liked his approach to the game today, he was willing to try things, and was disappointed if they did not go his way. He showed promise.”
Batsman Lui, born in the United States, made his Hong Kong debut against China in the recent East Asia Cup. Playing for the ‘A’ team, he hit three sixes and six boundaries, and recorded a strike rate of 145.
Hong Kong ‘outplayed in all areas’ by PNG, crash out of own T20 tri-series
“He played with freedom, and looked dangerous,” Willis said. “He knows, now, what is expected at this level, it is over to him to see how far he wants to take it.”
There was a return to the first 11 for left-arm quick Dhananjay Rao. The 21-year-old, who made his international debut in February, was man-of-the-match in a series-winning victory over Qatar this month after claiming four for 13.
Rao, who combines cricket with university studies, struck once against the ‘A’ team, pinning Hussain in front. “He can swing the ball, but is very raw,” Willis said. “We brought him in to see if we could help develop him.
“We are starting to find some young players … and, hopefully, with opportunity, investment and time, they will be successful in the future.”
Willis said finalising his squad for the AFC Premier Cup, which offers the winners a spot in the 2025 Asian Cup, was an “interesting process”.
The squad will be announced next week, and Willis said he and the selectors were “pretty clear where we want to take it”.
In a one-sided final, Tony Ura scored 61 and Alei Nao smashed 30 from just 10 balls as PNG recovered from 43 for four, to post 172 in their 20 overs. Nepal were never in the hunt, and slumped to 85 all out.
