Philippines amateurs chase World Cup berth

Issued on: 14/02/2022 – 03:40Modified: 14/02/2022 – 03:39

Because the lowest-ranked aspect within the eight-team qualifying match going down this month in Oman that includes the likes of Nepal, Eire and United Arab Emirates, few are extra shocked than the Philippines to be pulling on the pads at world stage.

“It is like a fairy story,” mentioned skipper Jonathan Hill, a high-school instructor in Jervis Bay in Australia’s New South Wales, the place he performs membership cricket.

The Philippines staff is made up of primarily Indian expats in Manila and Filipino-Australians primarily based in Australia who take time without work from their day jobs to coach and play.

Preparations for the largest fixtures of their lives have been “removed from supreme”, Hill mentioned.

The final time the Philippines performed a match was three years in the past — a victorious, rain-soaked 5 overs in opposition to Vanuatu in a regional qualifying match in Port Moresby which unexpectedly secured their berth in Oman.

After the Covid pandemic hit and competitions have been cancelled, gamers have been left largely to coach alone as lockdowns and border closures made it inconceivable to assemble in a single place.

When the 14-strong squad assembles in Oman this week for Friday’s opening conflict in opposition to Canada, it is going to be the primary time a number of the gamers have met.

“We’re positively heavy underdogs,” mentioned Hill.

“However on the finish of the day cricket remains to be a sport.

“It is bat versus ball and the factor I like most about it’s that it isn’t simply talent stage or health stage and even mind — a lot of cricket is about coronary heart and that is one thing we have at all times performed with.”

Fundraising enchantment

The highest two groups in Oman will e-book spots within the T20 World Cup in Australia later this 12 months.

“We are going to strive our greatest,” mentioned 42-year-old off-spinner Vimal Kumar, who took a break from his lending and buying and selling enterprise in Manila lately to affix a uncommon apply session within the Philippine capital.

“It is an unpredictable sport, you by no means know who’s going to win.”

The gamers are paying a heavy worth to get to Oman.

Whereas the worldwide governing physique, the Worldwide Cricket Council, covers the price of flights and lodging for the Philippines, different bills are left to the gamers to shoulder.

A GoFundMe marketing campaign lately launched by the Australia-based coach Henry Tyler seeks to boost AUS$7,500 (US$5,300) for bills together with coaching balls, journey insurance coverage and the rent of apply nets.

“So as to symbolize the Philippines we should take unpaid depart from our work,” Tyler wrote within the fundraising enchantment, which as of Sunday had but to succeed in its purpose.

Cricket has been performed socially within the Philippines for greater than a century nevertheless it by no means flourished within the former US colony the place basketball and boxing have lengthy been the preferred sports activities.

Large step up

That began to vary in 1999 when two expats in Manila began the Philippine Cricket Affiliation.

A number of years later the Philippines joined the ICC as an affiliate member they usually now have nationwide males’s and girls’s groups in addition to home leagues.

Since making their worldwide debut in 2011, the boys’s aspect have scored some victories over different minnows within the area.

However enjoying in opposition to top-20 ranked groups in World Cup qualifiers is a large step up.

Faisal Khan, co-founder of the cricket affiliation and supervisor of the nationwide squad, admitted the chances have been stacked in opposition to them.

However he mentioned the expertise of enjoying “one step beneath the World Cup” was extra vital than successful.

“Let’s get higher and higher,” he mentioned.

“Who is aware of, possibly sooner or later we will probably be enjoying within the World Cup.”

© 2022 AFP