ACC accreditation sees UAE disqualified from Under-15 tournament

Teams and officials at the ACC Under-15 Elite Cup tournament in Nepal were shocked to learn that one of the tournament favourites, UAE, have been disqualified from the tournament for failing to abide by the playing conditions. UAE are participating in Pool B at the tournament but no points are awarded for matches in which UAE are involved as UAE do not have the required 2 UAE passport holders in their team.

UAE will therefore finish at the bottom of Pool B and may face relegation from the Elite Cup to the Challenge Cup Division of ACC U-15.

Medical checks including X rays have been completed here in Kathmandu and 6 the 10 participating countries, including Hong Kong, are still awaiting the results. If a country is found to have 3 or more over age players they will be disqualified.

A significant number of players at the tournament have been affected by illness, primarily chest infections possibly caused by the colder temperatures in Kathmandu in the evenings. Yesterday Hong Kong had 3 players affected, two of whom are on the mend, while Kuwait reportedly had 6 unwell players.

The Hong Kong team trained yesterday at Kathmandu's No. 1 Ground known locally as the T.U. Ground under the watchful gaze of Coach Sher Lama and Hong Kong National Coach Aftab Habib. The Hong Kong net session alone attracted the attention of 250 Nepali spectators and Hong Kong can expect a large partisan crowd for its Pool A match against the hosts Nepal at the T.U. Ground on Friday 30 November 2007.

The Hong Kong team are enjoying a rest day free of cricket today before taking on Thailand at Bhaktapur tomorrow in a vital pool encounter.