Young blood key to HK success
Former Bangladesh test captain Khaled Mahmud has endorsed Hong Kong's new policy of giving youth a chance.
'It is good to see Hong Kong giving youngsters a chance,' said Mahmud, who is coach of the Bangladesh Academy, who meet Hong Kong in the second one-dayer at the Kowloon Cricket Club today.
'I played against Hong Kong at the 2004 Asia Cup in Colombo and there has been a remarkable transformation in the side with a lot of new, young players.
'The difference can be seen, especially in the fielding,' he said after his side took a 1-0 lead in the three-game series on Wednesday.
It is no surprise that Mahmud, who played 12 tests and 77 one-day internationals for Bangladesh - including the 1999 and 2003 World Cups - should back new Hong Kong coach Aftab Habib's move to introduce fresh blood at the top level of the game.
Six of the team who lost the opening game by 71 runs were teenagers, while another three players were in their early 20s.
Habib hasn't ruled out veterans including Afzaal Haider, Najeeb Amar and Hussain Butt, but he is giving the youngsters the opportunity to stake their claim to representative caps as Hong Kong face a busy 2008 schedule with the 2011 World Cup qualifying matches and the Asia Cup ahead.
'We [Bangladesh] try to groom young players. This academy side has many players who I believe will be playing test matches in the near future' said Mahmud.
'All but one of these guys is under 23 and this is the cream of the emerging talent. We have invested in them for the future of our cricket.'
Habib has made three changes to the Hong Kong line-up for today's match, with Toby Brown, Jawaid Iqbal and Ghulam Mustafa coming in for Munir Dar, Jamshaid Khan and Zain Abbas.
