Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, March 9: The Qualifiers of the World T20 started Tuesday at Nagpur with the match between Zimbabwe and Hong Kong. And in that game there was an Oriya playing – with Anshuman Rath representing Hong Kong. The 18-year-old Anshuman, called ‘Ansi’ by teammates, bowled one over and scored 13 runs.
Anshuman became the first Oriya cricketer to represent a different country in a senior level ICC tournament. The Hong Kong-born Oriya is an all-rounder in the true sense of the word. He is a good batsman and bowls slow left-arm orthodox. He can also keep wickets if necessary.
Anshuman made his international debut (ODI) against Papua New Guinea in September, 2014 while his first T20 international was against Scotland last year. He has a healthy average of 52.60 in five ODIs including three half centuries and has also played 14 T20I games. Earlier, he had represented Hong Kong in ICC under-19 World Cup. Anshuman also sharpens his skills while playing club cricket in Middlesex county, in England.
Anshuman’s parents, Bhawani Shankar and Sujata shifted to Hong Kong in the late 1990s to try their luck in business. However, they still have a residence in the city’s Satya Nagar area. Despite being born in Hong Kong, the young cricketer can speak Oriya
fluently.
