Hong Kong wrap up 3-0 series sweep over Bulldogs

Hong Kong have wrapped up a 3-0 series sweep over the visiting Footscray Edgewater CC team from Mellbourne, Australia with a 96-run victory in the final match played in warm and fine conditions at Hong Kong Cricket Club on Thursday, 27th September 2012.

Hong Kong were in trouble early on but recovered from a precarious 5-43 to post a respectable total of 257 in 49.2 overs. FECC's Brad Robertson ripped through the Hong Kong top-order but a gritty 82 from 14-year old Anshuman Rath saved Hong Kong's blushes. Rath and Tanwir Afzaal shared a 107-run partnership that took the total to 150 before Afzal was bowled for 51. Rath was next to fall when the total reached 210 but some useful contributions from Hong Kong's lower order batsmen lifted the total to 257 by the close. Mudassar Hussain hit 26 while Daljeet Singh finished unbeaten on 24.

For FECC, Robertson was the stand-out performer with the ball, claiming 4-39 off ten overs, including 2 maidens.

FECC's reply got off to a solid start with skipper Dean Russ and former Western Australian first class cricketer Wes Robinson putting on 38 runs in quick time. Tanwir Afzal grabbed the first breakthrough for Hong Kong when he trapped Russ LBW for 13. Robinson continued to show his class as he brought up his half-century but he fell to a catch at mid-off when on 58 and FECC's total on 89. Jackson Knight and Michael Hill moved the score over the hundred mark but a flurry of wickets saw the visitors slump from 3-107 to 9-118 as the visiting batsmen failed to cope with the spinning ball on the low and slow track. A 43-run tenth wicket partnership between Lucas Dredge (24*) and Matthew Livingstone (12) gave FECC's score some respectability but at 161 Livingstone was trapped LBW - the sixth FECC batsman to be dismissed in that manner - to bring the match and series to a conclusion.

Mudassar Hussain was the pick of the Hong Kong bowlers with 4-18 from 8 overs while Nadeem Ahmed claimed 3-29 from his 8 over spell.

Score Summary: Hong Kong 257 from 49.2 overs (Anshuman Rath 82, Tanwir Afzal 51; Brad Robertson 4-39) beat FECC 161 from 42.1 overs (Wes Robinson 58; Nadeem Ahmed 3-29, Mudassar Hussain 4-18) by 96-runs

In other matches, Hong Kong beat FECC by 26 runs in the first match of the series played at Mission Road on Sunday, 23rd September 2012, with Jamie Atkinson and Nizakat Khan hitting half-centuries for Hong Kong.

In the second match, played at Kowloon Cricket Club on Tuesday, 25 September 2012, Atkinson smashed a brilliant 101* not out in just 78 balls as Hong Kong chased done FECC's total of 187 in just 28 overs for the loss of four wickets.

Scorecards:

The Hong Kong team has been using the series as a build-up for the ACC Trophy Elite 2012 tournament in UAE from 1-13 October 2012. The team departs for Dubai on 30th September 2012 and will be looking to improve on their third place finish achieved in 2010. Conditions are expected to be extreme in the UAE with temperatures rising to 37˚C during the day-time.

Hong Kong's schedule for the ACC Trophy Elite 2012 is:

The other teams competing in the ten-team tournament are favourites Afghanistan, Oman, Malaysia, Bhutan and the Maldives.