Anshuman Rath named vice-captain of Hong Kong

Following a stellar show with both bat and ball, young Anshuman Rath has been rewarded for his consistent performances with the role of vice-captaincy for his country Hong Kong. The 19-year old has been identified as a potential leader in a young yet dynamic group. He will start his stint on Monday when Hong Kong takes on Nepal in the ICC World Cricket League.

Hong Kong, currently ranked four in the league, are eyeing a spot in the World Cup Qualifiers which will be held in March 2018. The top four teams at the conclusion of the league will get a chance to compete in the qualifiers. Anshuman is replacing 24-year old Aizaz Khan who did a decent job for a year.

‘Anshuman a good tactician’

Anshuman’s acumen as a tactician has impressed the head coach Simon Cook. The former English cricketer emphasized on Hong Kong’s process of rotating vice-captains in order to recognize the leaders within the group going forward.

“We have historically rotated around the role of vice-captain to allow us to identify potential future leaders,” Simon Cook, Hong Kong coach, said. “Aizaz performed the role well last year and the experience will enable him to still be a leader within the group,” he added.

“Anshie [Rath] has become an integral part of the national team over the last 18 months and has grown not only as a player with his performances but as a really good tactician. Anshie brings different attributes to the role of vice captain and his already good relationship with Babar and the rest of the team aligned with his goal orientated focus will help the team continue the drive forward,” the coach observed.

Hong Kong will also participate in the Intercontinental Cup where they will host Afghanistan in a four-day game which will be played at Mission Road Ground in Mong Kong. Leg-spinning sensation Jhatha Subramanyan is set to make his international debut as the 17-year old was included in both squads. Having represented Hong Kong at the Under-16 and Under-19 level, Subramanyan will take the big leap after impressing many with his craft.

Bat and ball, Anshuman does it all

Anshuman will be looking forward to being the deputy of the incumbent Babar Hayat, who has been the skipper of the side for a while now. In 10 ODIs, Rath has averaged 42.44 after scoring 382 runs with a highest score of 97. He has 14 sticks to his name at an economy rate of 2.97 with his left-arm spin. The youngster is critical to the Hong Kong side’s quest of evolving their cricket and taking it to the next level.