Ex-Aussie quick Lawson handed reins of Hong Kong women’s team for T20 tournament in Namibia
- Geoff Lawson named interim head coach for team’s appearance at Capricorn Eagles Quadrangular T20 International tournament
- Hong Kong will play double round robin against UAE, Uganda and the hosts in Windhoek
Former Australian fast bowler Geoff Lawson has taken temporary charge of the Hong Kong women’s team for a quadrangular tournament in Namibia this week.
The ex-Pakistan coach, who will guide the side in their first experience of international cricket in Africa, said he was “honoured to be working with this great group of players”.
Hong Kong face the hosts in their first game on Monday, starting at 8.30pm Hong Kong Time, with matches against Uganda and the United Arab Emirates to follow. The sides will all play each other twice, before a final and third place game on May 2.
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Kary Chan will again lead an experienced side, although she has a new vice-captain, with Natasha Miles taking over duties from Yasmin Daswani for the Capricorn Eagles Quadrangular T20 International tournament.
Most of the squad were involved in this month’s FairBreak Invitational, and Chan can call on the likes of Mariko Hill, Shanzeen Shazhad and Daswani for the team’s first outing since playing Japan in October last year.
“The opportunity to compete against strong opposition in a different part of the world is an exciting prospect,” Chan said. “We have a great team that is passionate about playing cricket, learning from experiences with the aim of putting together winning performances in major tournaments.”
Lawson is no stranger to many of the players he will oversee in his role as interim head coach, having been a central figure with FairBreak in Hong Kong, and coaching a select XI during a tour of Europe.
With several important tournaments coming up later this year for the women’s team, Lawson said while the objective was always to win he would also be “looking at the bigger picture”
“I’ll be supporting individuals and the team to keep developing and improving as they build towards some big tournaments later in the year.”
Mark Farmer, the Cricket Hong Kong general manager, said the tournament, which will be played in the Namibia capital Windhoek, would “provide a fantastic platform for our players to perform and gain invaluable experience”.
“Most cricket games we play are in the Asian region so I know the team will be extremely excited to be playing cricket in new conditions and against opposition they have not had the chance to compete against previously in the case of Namibia,” he said.
While the women are in Africa, the men’s third game in Group B of the ACC Premier Cup in Nepal against Bahrain on Monday was rained out without a ball being bowled.
The weather also claimed the match between the hosts and Saudi Arabia, with all four sides getting a point. Hong Kong’s next match is against Kuwait on Thursday.
Hong Kong squad: Kary Chan (capt), Alison Siu, Betty Chan, Elysa Hubbard, Iqra Sahar, Lemon Cheung, Mariko Hill, Marina Lamplough, Maryam Bibi, Natasha Miles (vice-capt), Pull To, Ruchitha Venkatesh, Shanzeen Shazhad, Yasmin Daswani.
