Cricket Hong Kong names 14-man squad for first two legs of bumper summer tour that includes T20 World Cup qualifying
- Team will travel to Namibia, Uganda, South Africa, England and Jersey on a tour that will last more than 3 months
- Main targets for Trent Johnston’s side are regaining team’s ODI status and qualifying for T20 World Cup
Cricket HK have named an initial 14-man squad for the first two legs of a bumper summer schedule, which will see the team travelling for more than three months.
Nizakat Khan will captain the side on a tour for the first time, with Hong Kong facing opposition in Namibia, Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe, England and Jersey, before finishing up with the Asia Cup in September.
The side will leave Hong Kong on June 1 and travel to Namibia for a 14-day training camp that will also include three games against their hosts, before they move on to Uganda for the first of two Challenge League B tournaments this year.
“I feel incredibly honoured to have the opportunity to lead such a talented group,” Khan said. “We have a really well balanced squad with a great mix of players from those joining the squad on tour for the first time to experienced Hong Kong players in Babar Hayat and Ehsan Khan.
“Ultimately we have a group of guys that are all incredibly passionate about representing Hong Kong. It’s an exciting period of cricket we have ahead of us and I can’t wait to get started.”
Coach Trent Johnston’s side are second in the league, which also includes Bermuda, Italy, Jersey, Kenya and Uganda. The team that finishes first will progress to the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off, involving six teams with the top four gaining One Day International status.
The Covid-enforced break has allowed three players to qualify for Hong Kong through residency, and Yasim Murtaza, Zeeshan Ali and Daniel Pascoe are all included, as are young fast bowlers Ayush Shukla and Vikas Sharma.