Hong Kong coach expects young side for WCL 3

Hong Kong coach Charlie Burke has told ESPNcricinfo he expects just "two to three of the more senior players" to come back into the side for the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in January 2011.

Speaking a couple of weeks after an experimental Hong Kong squad returned home winless from six games at the quadrangular series in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Burke forecast minimal changes. "Four to five players are available to come back in but I don't see more than two to three spots available for the more senior players, so we may end up having a fairly younger side," Burke said.

Among the first choice players who didn't travel to Port Moresby were Irfan Ahmed, Munir Dar and Nadeem Ahmed.

Four players of Chinese background - Nick Lau, Jason Lui, Chan Ka Ming and Ming Li King - were included as part of preparations for the Asian Games Twenty20 tournament in November, where all players must be passport holders. Predictably, the four were used mainly in the Twenty20 section of the Port Moresby tournament.

Burke said he was happy with how the quartet performed. "They were on their first tour. All four did something well during the week. They have a long way to go, but the future for these guys is promising, and they will all play in our mainlanders side in our domestic season."

He said the Asian Games preparations were centering on "match and game sense as well as fielding."