Good morning from Hong Kong! Peter Della Penna here at Kowloon Cricket Club. I think I was the only person on the way to the ground wearing shorts. It's around 60 degrees here which is just fine coming out of the blizzards in the New York metro area, but absolutely freezing for the locals. 

This ground is very very tiny. In fact, one boundary straight done the ground is probably only 35 yards. The rope is just a few paces away from the 30 yard circle. It's been bright and sunny for the past few days, but this morning it's overcast and quite full of dew on the ground. We'll see what happens at the toss. The captains are out in the middle with the umpires, one of which is Daryl Harper. I had a pleasant chat with Daryl about a half-hour ago during which I found out he is a Boston Red Sox fanatic. He says he went to 15 Sox games in 2010 and is shooting for more in 2011. Quite fascinating indeed. 

Starting lineups to come shortly as well as the result of the toss. 

USA has won the toss and elected to field. I think it's a smart decision. There is a lot of moisture in the air and conditions will be conducive for fast bowling early on. It will also be interesting to see what a good score is here. Coach Clayton Lambert said yesterday that he felt anything more than 270 would be tough to defend.

USA XI: Massiah (c), Wright (wk), Nadkarni, Baker, Cush, Thyagarajan, Marshall, Shuja, Khan, Ghous, Darlington. 

HK XI: Amar (c), Barkat (wk), Nadeem Ahmed, Irfan Ahmed, Butt, Asif Khan, Kruger, Lamsam, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Chapman. 

 Kevin Darlington has struck for USA in the third over. It was a good length ball that Courtney Kruger groped at to feather a simple edge behind for Carl Wright to snap up. Excellent pressure in the field so far for USA. There was a slight delay in the second over when Rashard Marshall fired a direct hit that broke one of the stumps and the umpires needed to get a replacement. USA is looking very sharp at the moment. It's 5/1 in 3 overs.

 Rashard Marshall has just taken a ridiculous one-handed catch at point to get rid of Hussain Butt on the first ball of the 9th over. It was short outside off and slapped high to Marshall's right. He reached up and stabbed it out of the air setting off wild hoops and hollers in the field. Mark Chapman joins Lamsam at the crease and Darlington tested the 16-year-old Chapman the last five balls of the 9th over after the wicket. Pretty much anything that beats a fielder inside the circle at this ground is an automatic boundary. Earlier, Lamsam just reached out to get bat on a short ball outside off and it was gone for six. Shuja is bowling well but going unrewarded. It's 37 for 2 in 10 overs. USA doing very well early on.

Darlington has finished an outstanding opening spell, 6 overs, 3 maidens, 2 for 11. He did this bowling with a 35 yard boundary behind him, keeping everything on a good length. Orlando Baker has come on from the other end and after a solid first over, gave up seven in the second. Shuja is still going from the other end and has bowled well for the most part. He's just completed his second maiden in a row. Hong Kong is 49 for 2 in 16. They have six maidens as a team. Excellent effort.

 USA has broken through for a pair of setbacks. On the last ball of the 17th, Mark Chapman defended a ball toward point. His partner Lamsam bolted for a run that wasn't there. Chapman froze, then eventually took off as Marshall swooped in to field. He threw it to Baker standing in front of the stumps at the bowler's end, then dove into the stumps with the ball in hand as Chapman was still three or four yards short. A devastating wicket for HK as Chapman looked solid. Drinks were taken after the wicket. Then Irfan Ahmed came out and on his fourth ball in the next over, Shuja bowled a good length ball that nipped back and beat a loose drive from Ahmed to hit the top of off. Hong Kong is now 64 for 4 in 19 overs.

Thanks for the updates Peter.

It looks like that run rate is down around where we would want it.  I would love to see a few more wickets soon so the Hong Kong tail is left to flail about.

Have things dried out there?

Asif Khan and Muhammad Ghous are bowling in tandem right now. Ghous has bowled fearlessly with the 35 yard rope at his back. The HK batsmen have found it hard to get Khan away, but at the same time he has not looked penetrative. Lamsam brought up his 50 a short time back and is playing a steady knock to help HK rebuild. The partnership between Nizakat Khan and Lamsam has just reached 50 as well. The innings is evenly balanced at the moment, Hong Kong 109/4 in 32.

Ouch, those last two overs bowled by Ghous were very expensive...  13 & 15.

Nizakat Khan is racing towards a half century.

 146 for 4!  Big partnership there between Lamsam and Nizakat! 

 They've just taken the second drinks break after 37 overs with the score 149 for 4. Lamsam is at 79 and Nizakat Khan just brought up his 50 on the last ball of the 37th. Khan tore into Ghous in the last pair of overs from the offspinner to send him out of the attack. Spin is just not an option from the clubhouse end. Baker is back and bowling with Asif Khan, who has done a marvelous job on debut for USA. Based on the size of this ground, 250 is within reach for Hong Kong from here.

Yes!!!!  That's a big wicket!  Well done Orlando.

It says run out.  What happened Peter?

And now another!

I was starting to get worried where the rest of our pace bowling would come from.

 A massive sequence of events has just unfolded here at KCC. Nizakat Khan was on strike on the second ball of the 39th over. He drove a full ball from Baker straight to Massiah at cover. For some reason, he took off straight away when there was never a run there. Lamsam then panicked and decided to take off as well. Both men then stopped mid pitch as Massiah calmly threw to Wright at the keeper's end. Lamsam had crossed Nizakat by about two strides at the time the stumps were broken with Lamsam still 8 yards short. Two balls later, the new man in Barkat tried to open the face to run a short of a length ball to third man and got a thin edge to Wright who took a fantastic catch standing up to the stumps. Double strike for USA now has the game tilting their way. However, the batting power play is yet to come and 250 is definitely still within reach even with wickets falling.

Asif Khan has just bowled his last over and the captain Najeeb Amar pulled out the slog sweep for a big six on the leg side followed by a cut past point for four. It spoiled his figures and he's finished with 0 for 41 from 10. Overall he bowled very well though. HK is now 169 for 6 in 40. 

 Well Hong Kong's running between the wickets has been horrendous today and they've just shot themselves in the foot again. Amar was on strike facing Cush and chopped a short ball to Ghous at point, taking off immediately. Nizakat stayed anchored at the non-striker's end. Ghous lobbed the ball softly to Wright and as the ball was in the air, Nizakat bizarrely started to leave his crease, sacrificing himself even though he was very well set for a 100 while Amar was fairly fresh at the crease. Three run outs in all for Hong Kong, including the two high scorers Nizakat Khan and Lamsam.

Hong Kong has just taken the batting power play to start the 45th. Darlington gave up 9 from it. Only one bad ball short outside off, but it was poked over point for six. Hong Kong 199 for 7 in 45.