T20 World Cup: cricket ‘fairy tale’ for the Philippines as Indian expats and Filipino-Australian amateurs chase their dreams
- The Philippines will be the lowest-ranked side in an eight-team qualifying competition in Oman, against the likes of Nepal, Ireland and United Arab Emirates
- Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, their last match was three years ago when they beat Vanuatu to secure their place in Oman
The Philippines is better known for boxers than batters and its cricket team have not played for three years, but the side of amateurs hope to make their mark in T20 World Cup qualifiers.
As the lowest-ranked side in the eight-team qualifying tournament taking place this month in Oman featuring the likes of Nepal, Ireland and United Arab Emirates, few are more surprised than the Philippines to be pulling on the pads at global level.
“It’s like a fairy tale,” said skipper Jonathan Hill, a high-school teacher in Jervis Bay in Australia’s New South Wales, where he plays club cricket.
The Philippines team are made up of mainly Indian expats in Manila and Filipino-Australians based in Australia who take time off from their day jobs to train and play. Preparations for the biggest fixtures of their lives have been “far from ideal”, Hill said.
The last time the Philippines played a match was three years ago – a victorious, rain-soaked five overs against Vanuatu in a regional qualifying tournament in Port Moresby which unexpectedly secured their berth in Oman.
