Hong Kong’s captain Anshuman Rath has not been included in the squad for the T20 World Cup Qualifiers because he is looking to pursue his Indian dream by entering the IPL draft as a local and possibly go on to play Ranji Trophy cricket, says a report on Emerging Cricket.
Rath is looking to switch to India from Hong Kong although he was born and raised in Hong Kong. Rath hopes to play domestic cricket in India with one of the Ranji Trophy teams. He will also enter the IPL draft as a local, uncapped player.
“I would like to thank Cricket Hong Kong for everything that they have done for me over the years. It has been a very enjoyable ride with them since the age of 12 but I believe it is time to move on. I wish the players and support staff all the best and I will be keeping a close eye on their future endeavours,” Rath told Emerging Cricket.
“In the first instance however, this opportunity provides a chance to train and play full-time in a fully-professional system, with the added incentive down the line of potentially playing Test cricket. This has always been my dream, and the false start to my chance in the English system resulted in me taking a good look at all my options,” he expressed.
The 21-year-old averages 51.75 from 15 ODIs and across his 9 First Class innings he has netted 391 runs at over 65 apiece.
“I will also be proud to have represented my birthplace, but I have to be completely honest with myself about the opportunities that are there for me both in earning capacity and playing experience with Hong Kong. With a 10-team World Cup and the First Class Intercontinental Cup being more or less cancelled, my skill set and future as a cricketer really does depend on me being able to find chances that best fit my style of play, which I have been working very hard on to suit all formats.
“This decision allows me my best chance to make the sport I love a long-term career option,” he concluded.