Hong Kong’s women cricketers will return to competition mode next week when they face the UAE in a newly created, four-match Twenty20 international bilateral series. The SkyExchange.net Women’s T20i Bilateral Series will be played at the Malek Ground in Ajman from Wednesday to Saturday under a partnership between the Emirates Cricket Board, Cricket Hong Kong and broadcaster Pacific Star Sports. Hong Kong will be itching to face UAE, who got the better of the team during last November’s T20 World Cup Qualifiers in Dubai. UAE AND HONG KONG WOMEN TO COMPETE IN ‘ https://t.co/DHfY7u92zU WOMEN’S T20I BILATERAL SERIES’ IN THE UAE LATE APRIL 2022 港女隊遠赴杜拜四戰阿聯酋 備戰FairBreak及亞運會 Read More: https://t.co/ZiVjZhiReH pic.twitter.com/wPQFbMv2yY — Cricket Hong Kong (@CricketHK) April 20, 2022 While the Hong Kong side have been forced to navigate tough Covid-19 restrictions heading into the series, head coach Chris Pickett said his team were fired up and ready to make a statement. “It’s been difficult, obviously, but the girls are itching to get out there and work,” Pickett said. “We have been focused on the mental aspects of the game, talking about our style of play, field settings, and how we want to be defined as a team. I’ve never doubted the skills or ability of the team, the issue has been what it means to be an international cricketer and how we carry ourselves.” Hong Kong captain Kary Chan said her team were “incredibly excited” to take on the UAE. “We entered last year’s World Cup Qualifiers having not played international cricket for over two years and won four of our five games,” Chan said. “Regular international series between major tournaments is critical to ensuring we get invaluable match experience. That match experience will enable us to learn, develop and enter tournaments with clarity and confidence. The UAE are a great team and we are looking forward to taking them on again.” Mark Farmer, general manager, high performance, at Cricket Hong Kong, said the series would provide an opportunity for the team to continue the momentum they gained from the World Cup Qualifiers last year. “A series like this provides a great platform for individuals and the team to develop and gain invaluable international match experience. We would like to thank the Emirates Cricket Board for hosting us in what we hope will become a regular series on the annual calendar.” The bulk of the team, including Kary Chan, Ruchita Venkatesh, Betty Chan and Emma Lai will remain in Dubai for the FairBreak Invitational T20 to be held from May 1 to May 15. The groundbreaking six-team tournament, co-sanctioned by Cricket Hong Kong, is made up of players from all around the world and will be the world’s first privately funded tournament in women’s cricket history. Fans can watch all four Women’s T20i Bilateral matches on CricTracker’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.