Hong Kong ‘deserved’ T20 World Cup exit, coach promises ‘brutal honesty’ as failing players face axe
- Simon Willis says Hong Kong ‘need to be better in all areas’ as he picks through wreckage of doomed World Cup qualifying campaign
- He backs captain Nizakat Khan but warns underperforming players change is imminent
Head coach Simon Willis said Hong Kong’s cricketers got what they deserved after familiar flaws blighted their abortive T20 World Cup qualifying campaign in Nepal.
Hong Kong’s fate was sealed on Thursday, when they allowed United Arab Emirates to wriggle off the hook at 89 for four and post a target of 177, before limping to 154 for eight in reply.
The match had echoes of the 20-run loss to Bahrain two days earlier, when their opponents’ final four wickets combined to scramble 73 runs, and Hong Kong were rolled over for 126.
Willis was aghast at his team’s profligacy with the ball, with which they also conceded 42 extras across three matches. He was similarly frustrated by some muddled thinking with the bat, and said changes may result in a “far more determined and disciplined team” – although he insisted he retained faith in the captaincy of Nizakat Khan.
“We got what we deserved,” Willis said. “We went out by a small margin [a net run rate 0.35 inferior to that of Bahrain], but we should be far better as a team.
“We are not ruthless enough, we give sides starts, like against UAE [who were 46 without loss, before losing four for 43], then get back into the game – but let it go again with the ball.”
He added that the issue was a long-standing one.
“The worrying factor is, it is not just since I have been around – it has been happening a long time,” he said.
“We have to bat deeper, too … there are times at the end, you have to score at a run a ball, rather than going for boundaries.
“We have to address these issues, either by upskilling players or looking at alternatives to come into the team. If we are going to compete with these top sides, we must be better in all areas, and have the right characters in the room to do that.”
Asked if he had those right characters in his dressing room, Willis, who was appointed in March, said: “It has become clear in the past six to eight months that we have to review that situation and see if there is anybody else we need to consider.
“We have not qualified for two tournaments [Hong Kong missed out on this year’s Asia Cup]. Players have had their opportunities.
“We have to be brutally honest. It is about what is right for the team, not any individual.”
Willis cited all-rounder Anas Khan and 15-year-old batsman Shiv Mathur as players in the reckoning, following sound performances at the recent Asian Games.
“We need to be a far more determined and disciplined team if we are going to move forwards,” Willis said.
“Bahrain created pressure by bowling dot balls. That is what we have to learn to do. And one of the top five has to get a score; it allows everybody else to play around them.”
Willis said it was “not my style to tear a strip off players”, but candid discussions were ongoing.
“It is about being clear over expectations and their roles and responsibilities,” he said.
“Any new coach has different ideas and ways of doing things. We have players who buy into it and improve, and others who struggle with it. It is time to review and see how we move on.”
Nizakat Khan’s position was likely to come under the microscope before Hong Kong play one-day internationals in January, but Willis remained firmly in the 31-year-old’s corner.
“The selectors decide about the captaincy,” Willis said. “He is fully committed and cares about his players, and I could not have asked to work with a better captain.”
