Hong Kong women’s coach aiming for more robust team in cricket World Cup qualifying bid
Young stand-in captain Maryam Bibi praised for fighting spirit, as head coach Najeeb Amar begins carving out T20 World Cup qualifying plans
Head coach Najeeb Amar has begun drawing up plans to turn Hong Kong into contenders for women’s T20 World Cup qualification.
Former men’s international Amar quietly stepped up from his assistant’s role following the September resignation of Andy Cottam. He immediately oversaw a victorious East Asia Cup campaign in South Korea and, last month, had more success at a mainland China-staged quadrangular tournament.
Frailties were exposed over the past week, however, when Hong Kong encountered higher-ranked opposition in a four-team T20 competition at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground.
They were hustled out for 68 in a 69-run loss to world No 13 side Thailand, before paying the price for posting a conservative 81 for 8 in a four-wicket defeat by 17th-ranked Namibia on Saturday. Hong Kong twice beat China to finish third.
Amar said his team, currently No 22 in the world, “lacked confidence” when trying to defend their lowly total against Namibia, who won with two balls remaining.
“I believed we could do it, we took it to the last over, but made small errors under pressure,” he said. “The wicket is beautiful for batting, it’s a mental thing: our batters face the bowlers, not the ball. One of my goals is to help them become comfortable playing against big names.
