Hong Kong, China, June 7, 2022: The growth of women’s cricket in Asia will be in evidence at the Asian Cricket Council’s Asia Cup qualifying tournament in Kuala Lumpur from June 15-26.
The Twenty20 tournament will involve 10 teams competing across two pools. The top two in each pool will progress to the semi-finals and the two teams reaching the final will both qualify for the ACC Women’s Asia Cup 2022 to be held in September.
The Asia Cup brings with it an opportunity to take on the big cricketing nations India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The 10 teams have been drawn into two groups:
Group A: UAE, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Singapore.
Group B: Nepal, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Bhutan, Bahrain.
Cricket Hong Kong has announced a 14-strong squad and the players will arrive in Malaysia on June 11 – four days before the start of the tournament.
The squad welcomes back Bella Poon, who has been unavailable due to border restrictions in Australia, and includes UK-based Elysa Hubbard for her first tour.
The Director of Cricket on the CHK Board, Rahul Sharma, said: “The commitment shown by all members of the Hong Kong women’s squad over the past eight months has been truly remarkable.
“Following this tour, the players and staff returning to Hong Kong will have completed 35 days of quarantine across three overseas tours since November 2021. It demonstrates the passion for cricket and the pride they have in representing Hong Kong.”
Captain Kary Chan added: “Though the goal is to make the final and qualify for the Asia Cup, our focus will be on one ball at a time. If we do that, I have every confidence we will be able to consistently put together strong performances. It’s an exciting time to be involved in women’s cricket in Hong Kong.”