Kinchit Shah replaces Ahsan Abbasi in Hong Kong side

The ICC has confirmed that the Event Technical Committee of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 has approved Kinchit Shah as a replacement player for Ahsan Abbasi in the Hong Kong squad for the tournament, which begins on 4 March.

Ahsan Abbasi, the 23-year-old all-rounder, suffered a knee injury during his side’s warm-up match against the Netherlands at the Old Hararians on Tuesday and has been ruled out of further participation in the tournament.

Shah, 22, is a left-handed top-order batsman and can also bowl off-spin. He has played seven One-Day Internationals for Hong Kong, scoring 85 runs with 35 not out against the United Arab Emirates in November 2015 as his highest score.

Shah’s last appearance for Hong Kong was in a 50-over match against Kenya in Nairobi in November 2016 in which he scored one.

The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad.

The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2018 is Geoff Allardice (ICC General Manager – Cricket, Chairman), Chris Tetley (ICC Head of Events), Faisal Hasnain, Chris Chiketa (both host nominees), Mpumelelo Mbangwa and Lisa Sthalekar (both independent nominees).

Hong Kong are in Group B, which also includes Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Scotland and Nepal. Hong Kong will face Scotland in their opening match at the Bulawayo Athletic Club on Tuesday, 6 March.