Hong Kong beaten by Bermuda in WCL2 warm-up match

It didn't take long for Hong Kong to be reminded of how tough their challenge will be at the ICC Word Cricket League Division 2 tournament in Dubai when they were easily beaten by a Bermuda XI in a warm-up game. The match, played in hot conditions at the ICC's magnificent Global Cricket Academy, was the first hit-out for the Division 3 champions in Dubai while Bermuda had already played an earlier match against a UAE XI.

The Hong Kong XI won the toss and elected to bat first. Roy Lamsam and Courtney Kruger looked untroubled against the Bermudan opening attack and they combined for a good opening partnership worth 74 runs. Their stand was broken when Kruger was trapped LBW for 31 off 54 balls. Hussain Butt and Lamsam added a further 61 runs but Lamsam was run-out when he had reached 78 off 87 balls. Skipper Najeeb Amar was elevated to the number 4 slot but his stay at the crease lasted only 3 balls as he failed to clear the mid-wicket boundary fielder with a slog-sweep. From 1-135, Hong Kong's score slipped to 5-172 as Nizakat Khan (13) and Waqas Barkat (3) also fell in quick succession. It was only when Irfan Ahmed joined Butt that the Hong Kong batsmen began to increase the tempo. Butt smote three sixes off successive balls while Irfan also hit three sixes in his unbeaten 32 from 19 balls. Butt finished on 84 not out from 91 balls, including four sixes and four fours.

For Bermuda, Deylone Bordell claimed 2-26 from his ten overs while Dion Stovell picked up 2-42 from nine.

Forty-year-old Bermudan captain David Hemp opened the batting with Dion Stovell and the pair feasted on some loose bowling from the Hong Kong opening attack. Their 142-run stand, scored at 8 runs per over, took the game away from Hong Kong. The partnership was eventually broken when Stovell was trapped LBW by Asif Khan with his personal score on 70, scored from 68 balls and including 11 boundaries and one six. The Hong Kong bowlers were unable to restrict the rampant Bermudan batters and despite Max Tucker and Nadeem Ahmed picking up another couple of wickets, the score continued to mount at more than six runs per over. Hemp was finally dismissed, caught and bowled by Nizakat Khan, for an excellent 94 from 103 balls - his innings including eleven boundaries and one six. Fiqre Crockwell (40*) and Irving Romaine (12*) saw Bermuda home with more than 6.5 overs to spare.

Asif Khan was the best of the Hong Kong bowlers with 1-27 from five overs. Maxwell Tucker came back well in his second spell to pick up 1-38 from his seven overs. Nizakat Khan (1-41 from 7 overs) and Nadeem Ahmed (1-43 from 8 overs) were the other wicket-takers for Hong Kong.

Scorecard: ICC WCL2 Warm-up: Hong Kong XI v. Bermuda XI | Photo Gallery