Rise to occasion, HK urged
Aftab Habib has called for the triumphant Hong Kong squad to 'get fitter' and 'mentally stronger' if they want to take the next step towards the 2011 World Cup - finishing in the top two at the ICC World Cricket League Division Three tournament in Argentina in January.
'If we have ambitions of taking on the likes of the Irelands and the Scotlands, then we must toughen up mentally and physically,' said former England batsman Habib who has transformed Hong Kong's fortunes since taking over as coach exactly a year ago.
Habib arrived last October with local cricket in the doldrums. But the past few months have been nothing but remarkable as Hong Kong won the ACC Trophy for the first time in August, followed by qualifying for the ICC WCL division three last week in Tanzania.
But this is not enough for Habib who is demanding more from the players - and so far they have responded superbly.
'This is a huge opportunity for the guys. To play in the final qualifying round for the World Cup is a dream and to achieve that, we have to do well in Argentina,' Habib said. 'We are going in the right direction, but it is going to get harder now.'
Hong Kong finished runners-up to Afghanistan in the division four tournament in Tanzania. Both teams qualified for the next stage where they will come up against the Cayman Islands, Uganda, Papua New Guinea and hosts Argentina.
The top two teams in Buenos Aires will move into the final qualifying round for the 2011 World Cup - the 12-team ICC World Cup qualifiers (formerly the ICC Trophy) to be played most likely in the United Arab Emirates in April, next year. Four teams will book their World Cup places.
Habib believes Hong Kong can be one of these four. But to achieve that, the players will have to up their game, fitness and mental strengths a notch further, he said.
'Anything is possible now. There is just a small margin of difference between us associate teams. It's all about how we handle the pressure situations. It's all about the mental side of the game,' Habib said.
Former Sri Lankan test fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake - the Asian Cricket Council's regional development manager - will arrive in town on Friday to plan with Habib the next stage of the campaign. They will have a lot of positives to work on, especially the growing confidence of the Hong Kong batting.
Two of the biggest success stories in this department were Hussain Butt and Zain Abbas. Butt aggregated 267 runs at an average of 44.50 to lead the local batting list while Abbas totalled 195 runs at 39.00.
'Butt has come on well. His mindset is better and he is a more complete player while Zain has been very consistent and adapted well to the conditions,' Habib said.
