Hong Kong thrash Malaysia in tournament opener
Hong Kong got off to a winning start at the ACC women's tournament when they thrashed hosts Malaysia by 114 runs at the Johor Cricket Academy today.
Hong Kong Cricket Association
11-Jul-2007
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Batting first after being sent in by the Malaysian skipper, Hong Kong got off to a flying start, scoring 24 runs off the first two overs before rain brought an abrupt halt to proceedings. Although 45 minutes were lost, there was no reduction in overs and, after an early lunch break, Hong Kong continued to bat well upon resumption of the game.
Hong Kong skipper Neisha Pratt led the scoring with 71 while her opening partner Emma Phillips made 16. Keenu Gill contributed 17 before being run-out and Renee Montgomery finished unbeaten on 11. Hong Kong will have been quite pleased with their total of 143 for 4 from 30 overs, although they will have concerns for Sam Mcilwraith who retired hurt early in her innings with a twisted ankle.
Malaysia's reply got off to a disastrous start when they lost opener Mahani Ahyar in the first over - run out without facing a ball. Progress was slow for the hosts and only 15 runs were scored in the first 15 overs, with only 8 runs coming off the bat. Malaysian number three, Norlida Hamid, struggled to get the bowling away and her innings was finally ended after 45 balls when she was bowled by Kaori Iida for 0. Iida picked up a second wicket when she trapped Malaysian skipper Arina Rahim LBW for 2. Keenu Gill, Godiva Li, and Kristine Wong also claimed one wicket, with Wong's 3.5 overs not conceding a single run.
Neisha Pratt wrapped things up by claiming four wickets for four runs in her six over spell to complete an excellent all-round display. Malaysia was dismissed for just 29 and Hong Kong had won easily by 114 runs.
In the other match played, pre-tournament favourites Bangladesh embarrassed the UAE Women in a match played at the Institut Perguruan Temenggong Ibrahim ground. The UAE team was dismissed for just 9 runs in 9 overs with Bangladeshi bowlers Panna Ghosh and Shamina Akter claiming 5-6 and 3-2 respectively. In reply, Bangladesh needed just 8 legitimate deliveries to finish the match, which lasted barely an hour.