Anshuman RathThe emergence of teenager Anshuman Rath was one of the few bright spots for Hong Kong last weekend in Townsville, Australia, with head coach Charlie Burke believing the Harrow schoolboy has what it takes to be an opener in the future.
Rath, 17, scored his maiden half-century in the second of two one-day internationals against Papua New Guinea.
"He batted both matches at number three, which is not easy for someone so young, but he was very composed and very mature. He is an exciting prospect and we will be looking at him opening the innings in the future," Burke said.
Rath is set to take the slot filled by Irfan Ahmed, who failed in both games.
Rath was given special permission from Harrow to represent Hong Kong in his first ODIs - he had to bring along his textbooks - and will play in the three-day match starting today against PNG before returning to London.
"It was a fantastic opportunity to play for Hong Kong. I was nervous at the start, but then I got into the zone and I was very happy to score 50," Rath said. "That knock made it even more special and I hope this is just the beginning."
Burke said poor fielding let Hong Kong down. "We lacked intensity on the field. We have to lift our fielding, especially as we look ahead to the Intercontinental Cup next year," Burke said.
Hong Kong Men’s Team
Jamie Atkinson (Captain)
Waqas Barkat (Vice-captain)
Irfan Ahmed
Kinchit Shah
Babar Hayat
Anshuman Rath
Ankur Vasishta
Tanwir Afzal
Haseeb Amjad
Aizaz Khan
Nadeem Ahmed
Muhammad Khan
Ehsan Nawaz