Setback for Hong Kong cricket as captain Anshuman Rath looks to India for better opportunities
- The highly rated player says it is difficult for associate cricketers to enjoy long-term careers
- He grew up playing cricket in England and wants to return to a structured system that encourages player development
As former Hong Kong captain Anshuman Rath embarks on a move that will either make or break his cricketing career, he leaves behind a sobering assessment of the state of associate cricket.
Rath is quitting Hong Kong and moving to India, where he hopes to enter the country’s state competition and eventually play for the national side. He knows he is taking a major gamble but has confidence in his abilities and, more significantly, realises that opportunities are limited in Hong Kong.
“I think it’s very difficult for any associate cricketer in general to have a long-term career in cricket,” said Rath, who will be 22 in November. “It might sustain you for five or so years. Hong Kong has provided me with a really good platform and it has given me a lot of opportunities that being in a test-playing nation won’t get you. A lot of exposure, and I’m grateful for that.
“Unfortunately, it’s time to go and I want to have a long-term commitment and potentially play for 15 to 20 years. So I’m trying somewhere else.”
Rath was born in India but grew up in England, attending Harrow School and becoming an integral part of the Middlesex development programme. He played for the county’s under-17, under-19 and second XI sides and was primed to hold a regular place in the senior team but visa issues in the summer of 2017 effectively ended any hopes of pursuing his career in England.