No Chapman or Atkinson for Hong Kong CWCQ Squad
By Tim Cutler, @TimCutler (Twitter)
On the back of an impressive third place in their inaugural World Cricket League Championship (WCLC), Hong Kong has announced their 15-man squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (CWCQ) to be held in Zimbabwe next month. They will be in Group B with Zimbabwe, Afghanistan & Scotland. The fifth team will be the WCL Division 2 runners up.
Hong Kong Squad for ICC World Cup Qualifiers:
- Babar Hayat – Captain (Little Sai Wan Cricket Club)
- Anshuman Rath – Vice Captain (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
- Nizakat Khan (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
- Scott McKechnie (Kowloon Cricket Club)
- Simandeep Singh (Kowloon Cricket Club)
- Ahsan Ali Abbasi (United Services Recreation Club)
- Ehsan Khan (Little Sai Wan Cricket Club)
- Aizaz Khan (Kowloon Cricket Club)
- Tanwir Afzal (Pakistan Association Cricket Club)
- Ehsan Nawaz (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
- Nadeem Ahmed (Little Sai Wan Cricket Club)
- Tanveer Ahmed (Hong Kong Cricket Club)
- Christopher Carter (Kowloon Cricket Club)
- Shahid Wasif (Little Sai Wan Cricket Club)
- Waqas Barkat (Kowloon Cricket Club)
Hong Kong Coaching & Support Staff:
Head Coach: Simon Cook; Assistant Coach: Mark Wright; Team Analyst: Chris Pickett; Physio: Sarah Whitehead & Manager: Jawaid Iqbal
The big names missing from the squad are Jamie Atkinson and Mark Chapman. Atkinson is unable to tour due to work commitments (he is a full-time teacher) and Chapman has not played for Hong Kong since the World Twenty20 in 2016. He was originally available to tour Kenya back in late 2016 but withdrew due to security concerns. Since then, he has chosen to not make himself available for Hong Kong. This is a huge loss as Chapman has been in red hot form recently for the Auckland Aces in NZ’s Super Smash T20.
The restricted availability of these two key players was a huge factor in the team not getting over the line in some critical WCLC matches against Kenya and eventual champions Netherlands. Victory in either of the Netherlands matches would have seen Hong Kong winning the WCLC, earning a berth in the ICC’s new 13 team ODI League that will start in 2020.
A major change to the touring party has been the inclusion of former skipper, all-rounder Waqas Barkat, who has performed superbly for Kowloon Cricket Club over the past few seasons. He is joined by KCC team mate, Simandeep Singh who makes his full squad debut. Singh, a high-order batter, is HK born and bred and has represented HK U19s and Hong Kong A prevously.
Former Pakistan U15 representative Ahsan Ali Abbasi who moved to Hong Kong during the 2014/15 season will make his Hong Kong debut, too. Abbasi is a talented right-hand batter who also bowls handy off spin.
After making his debut for Hong Kong in the final two WCLC matches, Scott McKechnie – also head coach at Kowloon Cricket Club – retains his place in the squad. An enterprising player known for his array of sweeps and fast footwork, he is definitely one to watch.
The notable exclusions beyond Atkinson and Chapman are Kyle Christie, the Australia-based young quick and Waqas Khan.
The tournament will see the coaching team of Simon Cook and Mark Wright back together. The last time these two were in charge, Hong Kong surprised the cricketing world finishing third in the CWCQ in 2014 in NZ. That result rewarded the team with a place in the WCLC, and ODI status until the end of CWCQ 2018.
Hong Kong fans will be hopeful that Babar Hayat and Anshuman Rath will carry their Everest Premier League form – where they helped their team win the tournament – into CWCQ. These two have developed in leaps and bounds in the last two years and they will be the backbone of HK’s batting.
The squad will travel to Pretoria in South Africa in preparation for CWCQ playing matches against Scotland, Netherlands and Ireland.
Hong Kong Likely XI for World Cup matches:
Anshuman Rath (VC), Chris Carter (W/K), Babar Hayat (C), Nizakat Khan, Scott McKechnie, Ahsan Ali Abbasi, Tanwir Afzal, Ehsan Khan, Aizaz Khan, Ehsan Nawaz & Nadeem Ahmed
