HK cash in thanks to Nizakat and plenty of luck

Hong Kong cricket is US$350,000 richer after Najeeb Amar and his men finished fourth at the ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament despite losing to Namibia by three wickets yesterday.

In the end, it was a magnificent 95 from Nizakat Khan which was the difference as Hong Kong finished in the top four of the six-team competition and earned the right to be an ICC high performance country with the requisite financial benefits for one year.

Nizakat's superb innings paved the way for Hong Kong to reach 237 all out. It also boosted the net run rate which in the end decided the fate of Hong Kong, Bermuda and Uganda who all finished the tournament with just one win and two points. But Hong Kong had the highest net run rate of the three.

"The guys deserved it. We somehow snuck over the line," said ecstatic Hong Kong coach Charlie Burke. "Whichever way it happened, we have achieved our goal of finishing in the top four. We will get US$350,000 from the ICC for this for next year."

Hong Kong will have to thank Papua New Guinea massively for pulling off a two-run victory over Uganda at the adjoining ICC Global Cricket Academy ground. If Uganda had chased down the total of 186, they would have finished ahead of Hong Kong. But needing three runs to win from the last ball, the last Ugandan batsman was dismissed for leg before.

And in the other game, United Arab Emirates did Hong Kong a favour by pulling off a 43-run victory over Bermuda.

"I didn't watch what was happening in the PNG game as I was hiding behind the park bench," smiled Burke. "But thankfully all the results went our way. It is amazing that we finished fourth with just one win. Maybe we were destined to finish fourth."

The run-a-ball 95 from Nizakat was just what Hong Kong needed. The teenager has been one of the few players to distinguish themselves at this tournament - the others being Mark Chapman and Aizaz Khan - scoring his second successive half-century to help Hong Kong to 237 all out.

It was a pity that Nizakat fell short by five runs of a well-deserved century, but with just five balls remaining in the innings, Nizakat tried to get closer to the magical number by trying to glide one down the leg side. But moving to far across his stumps, he missed his shot and was bowled.

Like Burke said, maybe Hong Kong was destined to finish in the top four for off his first ball, Nizakat top-edged a shot, edging between the wicketkeeper and first slip. He then composed himself to keep the scoreboard ticking.

"It was a fantastic knock. I told him before he went out that he was due a 100. It was shame he couldn't get one, but he did enough," Burke said.

Nizakat raced to his fifty with two sixes and a four off left-arm spinner Bernard Scholtz and figured in a 53-run stand for the sixth wicket with Irfan Ahmed which bolstered Hong Kong from a precarious 104 for five. Irfan's contribution was just nine runs, underlining the dominance of Nizakat

Nizakat's stirring innings which included three sixes and seven fours, had given Hong Kong a fighting chance. Apart from him, the only other batsman to look composed was Mark Chapman (31) who was middling the ball well before being bowled trying to cut left-arm spinner Louis van der Westhuizen.

The next highest scorer was extras with 31. The Namibian bowlers were profligate sending down 17 wides as Hong Kong welcomed every run with their batsmen continuing to mis-fire. Louis Klazinga, a nippy right-arm fast-medium bowler took five for 50 to restrict Hong Kong.

Skipper Najeeb (18) looked in touch but had only himself to blame failing to take the batting powerplay while he was at the crease with Nizakat at the other end. With two set batsmen and the score on 186 for seven in the 43rd over, ne would have expected Najeeb to take the powerplay, but he chose not to and was out caught in the deep. The powerplay was taken in the next over.

Small things like this might have helped Hong Kong post a bigger total. In the end it was not enough and Hong Kong tumbled to defeat. But they still ended as winners. Hong Kong will meet Papua New Guinea in the third place play-off today.