Banned Munir Dar and ex-captain Najeeb Amar in T20 World Cup squad
Batting skills of bowler, who is barred because elbow extension exceeded the limit, get him into the 15-man party for Bangladesh
Hong Kong have included banned bowler Munir Dar and recalled veteran ex-captain Najeeb Amar for the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh next month.
The 15-strong tour party captained by Jamie Atkinson sees five changes to the squad who almost got Hong Kong through to the 50-overs World Cup in the qualifying tournament last month in New Zealand - and the biggest surprise is Dar's inclusion, given his one-year International Cricket Council ban.
"Munir is only banned from bowling. He is still one of the better players against spin that we have in Hong Kong which is a factor that we will face in Bangladesh," said Charlie Burke, director of cricket with the Hong Kong Cricket Association.
An explosive batsman, the selectors have felt that it was worth taking a gamble on Dar despite being unable to deploy his left-arm spin. He was the leading wicket-taker for Hong Kong at the qualifying tournament in Abu Dhabi last November for the ICC World Twenty20.
But he was reported twice by umpires during the tournament and a study showed the amount of elbow extension in Dar's action exceeded the limit.
"Missing Munir in the bowling department has opened the door for Najeeb as a left-arm spinner. He has been very dominant in club cricket this year and he is still fit and will also give us an extra option in batting too," Burke said.