Last throw of the dice for Hong Kong as they face PNG in must-win match

30-Jan-2009

It's the last throw of the dice for Hong Kong at the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 tournament as they face Papua New Guinea at the famous Hurlingham ground in Buenos Aires today. It's a must win match for both teams if they have ambitions of reaching the tournament final and with it a ticket to South Africa in April 2009 to play in the Cricket World Cup Qualifying tournament.

Papua New Guinea start in the stronger position as victory will see them in contention for a finals spot (with run-rate calculations determining the finalists) although their poor run-rate will count against them in a head-to-head showdown. Hong Kong will be buoyed by the fact that they beat PNG comfortably in a warm-up game prior to the start of the tournament but even a victory to Hong Kong will still require a shock result in one or both of the other two matches - Uganda v. Argentina and Afghanistan v. Cayman Islands - for them to have any chance of reaching the final. Given the form of teams so far in the tournament, it is unlikely that Uganda or Afghanistan will falter at this late stage, especially with so much at stake.

In a worse case scenario, a loss for Hong Kong and a victory to Cayman Islands could see Hong Kong demoted to fifth in the competition (run-rate calculations will also determine final placings in this case) and with it, relegation to Division 4. Such an outcome would be harsh on a team that came within a whisker of making it to the final.

All matches start at 1300 GMT or 9PM Hong Kong time. The official tournament website at www.pepsiiccworldcricketleague.com will provide live ball-by-ball commentary for one of the matches while regular score updates from the other two matches will also be available.