The Hong Kong cricket story: In search of opportunities and experience

On Wednesday night, minutes after going down to India by 40 runs in the Asia Cup, Hong Kong’s starry-eyed cricketers made their way to their opponents’ dressing room for selfies, a few words of encouragement and plenty of wisdom. They weren’t to be disappointed.

Five of six teams still in business in the ongoing Asia Cup are staying in the same hotel; India are the odd ones out, dwelling in a different, more comfortable hotel that was also their abode during their abortive T20 World Cup campaign in the Emirates last year.

Hong Kong’s players, a motley bunch of delivery drivers, businessmen and students, have been able to interact with and pick the brains of Pakistan’s cricketers during breakfast, but until Wednesday, India had been a bridge too far for obvious reasons.

When the opportunity presented itself, the amateurs of Hong Kong lapped it with scarcely concealed glee. Suryakumar Yadav, the Player of the Match, was forced to keep the attendant media waiting for the obligatory post-match press conference because, like his teammates, he too was interacting with the Hong Kong boys, amongst whom he was a huge hit after his whirlwind unbeaten 68 off 26 deliveries.

Make no mistake. Hong Kong weren’t overawed by the occasion or the reputation and/or accomplishments of their more illustrious rivals. Before the match, they acknowledged publicly and privately that they didn’t really believe they could put it past the Indians. They weren’t here for a win, they were here for the experience. For the education. For the learnings that they hope will stand them in good stead in the future. Even if the future is hazy, uncertain and far from clear-cut, unlike in India where the process drives the system.

Nascent sport

Cricket in Hong Kong is clearly an expat sport. Local talent will take a while to make its mark, but the signs are promising. There are excellent structures in place at the junior levels which, if they evolve organically, will see a profusion of home-grown players in the next decade or so. For now, they are reliant on those of Pakistani, Indian and British origin to keep them relevant on the world stage.

This is Hong Kong’s fourth appearance in the Asia Cup, no mean achievement considering that the cream of Asia’s Associate talent is not to be scoffed at. They had six lockdowns during the pandemic, didn’t get together for nearly two years and yet over the last three months, they have been as busy as any top international side, with a singular focus on the Asia Cup and the broader if as yet unrealised goal of making the qualifying stage of the T20 World Cup.

In this period, they have travelled to Namibia, Uganda and Jersey for ICC events, embarked on preparatory tours of South Africa and England and played in Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup qualifiers before landing in Oman for the Asia Cup qualifying competition, where they locked horns with the UAE, Kuwait and Singapore.

Ranked No. 20 in the world, Hong Kong swept through the draw, felling higher-ranked UAE in their final league encounter with a degree of comfort to raise the profile of Hong Kong cricket and earn themselves a rare shot at both India and Pakistan in the space of three nights.

Play good cricket

Nizakat Khan, their captain who has played in 52 of their 53 T20Is to date, isn’t under any illusion about what is in store for his team. “In Associate cricket,” he observes, “we don’t face quick bowlers of this pace and calibre.”

Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh are quick and skilled, but they aren’t quite Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Shahnawaz Dahani. Hong Kong came through generally unscathed against India; they might be in for a more torrid time on Friday against Pakistan, though on the face of it, they are putting on a bold face.

“Our job is to play good cricket,” Nizakat goes on. “We have trained for pace, prepared for that.”

“Winning and losing are part of the game,” Nizakat, of Pakistani stock, adds. “As long as we play our best cricket, that is what is most important. It’s a massive opportunity for everyone, playing India and Pakistan. This is a learning process for us.”

This Asia Cup is the first time in four years that Hong Kong are playing non-Associate nations. Their last such adventure was at the corresponding 50-over tournament in 2018, also in the UAE, when they stretched India like they did again on Wednesday.

Lack of opportunities

While their cricket has come on by leaps and bounds, the lack of adequate and consistent game time against much better teams is a serious impediment, as is the fact that they often keep losing players either to the bigger countries or the sport entirely as they branch out to pursue more financially rewarding career choices.

“The gap (between us and the big teams) is opportunities,” Nizakat admits. “We get less opportunities, so we need to make sure we capitalise on them whenever they come along and show that we are good enough to play big teams.”

In Hong Kong’s corner as the head coach for the last three years is Trent Johnston, the former Ireland captain who knows how vexing it can be for a smaller nation to keep desperately hoping for a slice of the big-ticket action. He agrees that while it might be difficult for the senior sides of such nations as India, Australia or England to play against Hong Kong, it wouldn’t be a bad idea if developmental squads from these countries are available to play the full Hong Kong side.

“The schedule is pretty hectic for the senior teams, but whatever exposure we will get playing India and Pakistan will be great for these guys,” he notes. “Any format against any opposition is a promotion for Cricket Hong Kong. When I first took over, I could see a lot of blank faces when I spoke about strategies and stuff. Things have changed significantly since.”

Hong Kong’s aspirations are modest for the moment, but they won’t remain that way forever. Despite the constraints of time on the players — they train two hours in the morning, then two more in the evening while attending to the little business of eking out a livelihood during the day — their spirit is unflagging, their will fierce.

In these last three months, three players have become fathers in absentia, only having a glimpse of their new-borns through video calls. Their journey has demanded sacrifices, compromises and adjustments not just from the players but the families as well.

Participation in tournaments like the Asia Cup makes all that hardship worth it, but the primary stakeholders of Cricket Hong Kong are hoping this is just the beginning, not an isolated glorious chapter in a larger sea of trials and tribulations.