HUNG HOM JD JAGUARS TRAIN TO TRIUMPH

• bey0ndM@gz!ne
• February 14, 2018
• Sports
• 0 Comments

Hung Hom JD Jaguars is a franchised cricket team that has consistently put in praiseworthy performances during the first two seasons of the Hong Kong T20 Blitz. With a hattrick and century already among its many feats, the team is training hard to leap towards tournament triumph in February 2018. With the support of its owners, the team aims to not only win each of its matches, but it also intends to uplift the spirits and hearts of its fans.

In 2017, Hung Hom JD Jaguars equipped themselves with an ammunition of allrounders. Leading the lineup was the two-time World T20 winning captain Darren Sammy, who not only boasted of an impressive statistical record, but he was also the greatest crowd charmer. Sammy was well supported by the likes of former international captain Johan Botha, and Kiwi T20 specialist James Franklin. Locally, the team was well armoured with local players too; their batsman Nizakat Khan was the only local centurion in the tournament, while Ashley Caddy was the only bowler to have scored a hattrick. Hung Hom JD Jaguars topped the rankings among the non-finalists, and with more firepower for the next season, they look forward to beating their own best.

[fusion_gallery image_ids=”145,146,147,148,149,150″ layout=”” picture_size=”” columns=”” column_spacing=”1″ hover_type=”zoomout” lightbox=”yes” lightbox_content=”” hide_on_mobile=”small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility” class=”” id=””][/fusion_gallery]

The team’s head coach, Afzaal Haider, is relatively pleased with the team’s previous performances, and remains optimistic about the upcoming season. “I am proud of the team’s performance last year and it was bit unlucky that they were unable to reach the finals after playing such a top quality cricket,”said Haider.

For the third edition of the tournament, Hung Hom JD Jaguars retained their captain, Kinchit Shah, and star batsman Nizakat Khan. In the local player draft, they managed to secure the services of a number of Hong Kong Cricket national players. Bowlers Nadeem Ahmed and Adil Mehmood, as well as batsman Scott McKechnie have all played on international pitches, alongside and against world-class players. More recently, Hung Hom JD Jaguars were the only team to have as many as five players picked in the Hong Kong Cricket national squad to tour UAE: Nizakat Khan, Scott McKechnie, Ahmed Tanveer, Nadeem Ahmed, and Kyle Christie.

Hung Hom JD Jaguars stands as the only team to have recruited a player as young as fourteen years old into their squad for 2018.

A special trump for the team came when Nizakat Khan put in a roaring performance against world-class cricketers on home turf as awarded the man of the tournament in the Hong Kong Cricket Sixes, in October 2017. Hung Hom JD Jaguars continued to grab headlines as they became the first team to reveal details of latest international entrant for the coming season: Chris Lynn. Lynn is reputed as one of the valuable T20 cricketers across the globe, as he is best known for smashing boundaries with admirable ease and efficiency, which has been coined as “Lynnsanity.”

“After signing some of the best local players, we are thrilled to have Chris Lynn roaring for us,” said co-owner NinadShah. “He is not only a brilliant batsman who can single-handedly win games at any juncture, he is also a proven crowd puller and idol for the young. As an icon for the youth, he is ambassador of sportsmanship and leadership.” Besides boosting their cricketing prospects, the team management of Hung Hom JD Jaguars has also made it their priority to support community groups as much as possible. In trying to extend the reach of cricket among the youth of Hong Kong, Hung Hom JD Jaguars stands as the only team to have recruited a player as young as fourteen years old into their squad for 2018. Of course, Aarush Bhagwat was not only chosen for his age; he is a gifted cricketer for his age, with a promising cricketing career ahead. This was highlighted when he was recently selected for the Under 16 national squad of Hong Kong Cricket.

In addition to having its squad players train for the tournament, Hung Hom JD Jaguars will also be seen supporting different society groups by having occasional school visits. Besides promoting the rules and techniques of the sport, Hung Hom JD Jaguars also aim to impart the successful sportsmanship attitude onto the youngsters.

Dedication, discipline, and determination are cornerstones of success across industries, and the Hung Hom JD Jaguars players will look to inspire stars of tomorrow to reach their highest potential.

Beyond the youth, Hung Hom JD Jaguars is also making an effort to reach out to other minority groups. The franchise team will be supporting SCC Divas, which is a women’s cricket team primarily comprised of Filipino domestic helpers. Hung Hom JD Jaguars will lend its support to the team not only boost cricket as a sport, but also lend a contribution towards the domestic helpers in Hong Kong, as well as women in general. The team, which is managed masterfully by Animesh Kulkarni, give Hung Hom JD Jaguars an even greater reason to roar in pink.

As the dates for the third tournament approaches, Hung Hom JD Jaguars are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to pounce on the pitch and reap the rewards of their efforts. They will take on each of the four other teams – City Kaitak, Galaxy Gladiators Lantau, Hong Kong Island United and Kowloon Cantons – once in the first round, following which the top two will vie for the ultimate glory.