THE first-ever World Cup Cricket qualifier to be hosted in the Philippines is now just one day away, with national teams from Indonesia, Japan and South Korea now in Manila to join the Philippine team, captained by former Bay and Basin cricketer Jono Hill, for the week-long event starting Saturday.
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The International Cricket Council (ICC) World T20 East Asia Pacific (EAP) Qualifier Group B will see the four teams compete to advance to the next round of qualifiers in Papua New Guinea in 2019 – with the ultimate prize being entry to the Cricket World Cup to be played in Australia in 2020.
The EAP qualifier will be played at Friendship Oval at Emilio Aguinaldo College, Dasmariñas, Cavite from December 1-7, with Hill’s Philippines side a strong contender to take out the tournament.
“This is an exciting moment for Philippines cricket,” Hill, a Filipino-Australian dual citizen, said.
“We have matured and grown together as a group over the last few years, and had some encouraging results in competitions overseas.
“I think we’re ready to take the next step.
“We’ve trained hard for this tournament and want to do well in front of our home crowd.”
The Philippine national team is a mix of players who have risen through the ranks of the Philippine Cricket Association leagues and development programs, and overseas-born Filipinos starring in domestic leagues just below the top tier in Australia and England.
The Philippines will rely heavily on the talented Australia-based foursome of Hill, a proven match winner at the international level, Henry Tyler, a second grade top-order batsman from Melbourne, debutant Grant Russ, a swing bowler from Australia’s far north, and Daniel Smith, a first grade fast bowler and state representative from Sydney who also plays for Kent and Hampshire in England.
Matches are scheduled on December 1-3 and December 5-7 with December 4 set aside as a reserve day in case of rain.
Two three-hour games will be played each day starting at 9.30am and 1.30pm.
The Philippines’ first game is against South Korea on Saturday, December 1 at 1.30pm, before playing Japan the net day.
“I’d love to see Filipinos embrace their national team and come to the ground to support them,” Faisal Khan, tournament director and general manager of the Philippine Cricket Association, said.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to see the stars of the game in the Philippines and from around Asia.
“T20 cricket is easy to understand and really exciting to watch.
“If you are eight or 80 years old you will enjoy it – it’s a terrific family day out.”
