HONGKONG will be able to send their strongest ever side to the International Cricket Council Trophy in Kenya next year after they held off a proposal to change a residency rule which would have decimated their team.
At the annual meeting of world cricket's associate members at Lord's in London, Kenya proposed increasing the rule regarding qualification by residency from four years to five years.
Although the proposal won the vote 10-7, it did not gain the required two-thirds support to make it effective for next year's ICC Trophy, which will be held at nine grounds in and around Nairobi from February 10 to March 6.
Secretary of the Hongkong Cricket Association John Cribbin led the opposition, who needed at least six votes, and he was delighted and relieved with the outcome.
Speaking from London last night, Cribbin said: ''It was a long and difficult debate lasting over two hours and fortunately we scraped through by the skin of our teeth.
''It did not look as though it was going all that well because there was a lot of support for Kenya but we fought our corner and stuck in there.