Hong Kong told to eliminate ‘sloppy’ cricket and show true colours in Uganda final
Head coach Simon Willis full of praise for skipper and his predecessor, but wants improvement for tri-series showpiece after win over Bahrain
Simon Willis said Hong Kong needed to cut out their sloppy cricket and “show what we are capable of” in Sunday’s tri-series final against accomplished Uganda.
The Englishman’s team eased to a six-wicket victory over Bahrain on Saturday to book a rematch with the Ugandans, who beat Hong Kong in a final-ball thriller four days earlier.
Among their “periods of good cricket” in both matches, Willis said Hong Kong had been guilty of some poor fielding, and he acknowledged the 45 extras they gifted across the two games was far too many. He said they squandered momentum when batting against Uganda, too.
This tri-series is a warm-up for the forthcoming Challenge League B, where one-day international status is on the line. Hosts Hong Kong kick-off the six-team, 10-day tournament against Singapore on Thursday.
“We’d not played 50-over cricket at this level for a few months, so I hope the lads have got rid of their rustiness and show what they are capable of [against Uganda],” Willis said.
“We have to stay patient and do the good things for longer periods of time, then we will put ourselves in strong positions.”