SYDNEY — Hong Kong’s Ming Li Monday became the first Chinese cricketer to join Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash League, after honing his bowling by watching YouTube videos of Shane Warne.
The Sydney Sixers hired the 24-year-old for the southern summer season under the Cricket Australia rookie program.
Li has played cricket since 2004 and made his debut for Hong Kong in 2010, followed by selection for the 2010 Guangzhou and 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
A right-arm leg-spinner, his fascination with cricket came from watching his hero Warne on YouTube, modeling his action on the leg-spin legend.
“I’d like to thank the Hong Kong Cricket Association, the Sydney Sixers and Cricket Australia for offering me this fantastic opportunity with one of the leading Big Bash League clubs,” Li said.
“Playing in this competition and being involved with such a professional outfit will really help improve my cricketing skills, knowledge and experience.”
Li became the first ethnic Chinese to take part in an official T20 match when Hong Kong played Afghanistan in Sharjah during the 2012 ICC World Cup qualifiers.
The Big Bash League gets underway on Dec. 17.
Boult faces fitness test
Key New Zealand paceman Trent Boult has back trouble and must prove his fitness in training to play in this week’s historic day-night Test against Australia, coach Mike Hesson said Monday.
The left-armer has an irritated disc in his back, similar to the complaint which hindered his new ball partner Tim Southee during the first Test loss in Brisbane.
Boult did not bowl in the two-day tour practice game against a Western Australia XI in Perth over the weekend, and needs to show he can deliver at full pace without hindrance to play in Friday’s third Test in Adelaide.
“We’ll have to see how he travels to Adelaide but he’s certainly an option for the Test,” Hesson told reporters.
“We’ve got a plan and he’s got to bowl flat out two days out from the Test (Wednesday). If he’s able to get through that he’ll be considered for the Test.”
Boult has been recovering from back problems which forced him out of the one-day series in England earlier this year and the tour of South Africa and Zimbabwe in August.
Hesson said bowling on hard pitches in back-to-back Tests in the Australia series had not helped Boult.
Apart from Boult, New Zealand’s other seamers in the touring squad are Southee, Doug Bracewell, Matt Henry and left-armer Neil Wagner. — Agencies
