Hong Kong cricket coach blasts team and threatens changes after humbling loss to Kuwait
City team slump to four-wicket defeat after ‘one of worst bowling performances’ of head coach Simon Willis’ reign
Simon Willis tore into Hong Kong’s cricketers for delivering “one of the worst bowling performances” of his two-year tenure in a four-wicket loss to Kuwait on Wednesday.
The Englishman said he was “frustrated at players and the team making the same mistakes and not learning quickly enough”.
Willis also questioned whether it was “maybe time to change some things”.
“We have shown faith in players for a long period of time … and they don’t win enough matches for Hong Kong,” he added.
The first chance for new faces could come as early as Thursday, when Hong Kong play Qatar – who lost to Nepal by eight wickets on Wednesday – in their second match of the quadrangular T20 series.
Against Kuwait, opener Anshy Rath’s 76 formed the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s 175 for five, a total Willis said was “10 runs light, but enough to be in the game” at Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground.
In response, Kuwait opener Ravija Sandaruwan hit 49 from 36 balls, and when he was run out with the score 72-3, Meet Bhavsar (42) and captain Mohammed Aslam (55) put on a match-winning fourth-wicket stand of 84 in eight overs.