Two RI cricketers in East Asian squad

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two Indonesian cricketers have been selected by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the 2002 East Asian cricket team.

The two Indonesians are Soni Hawoe and Zachariah Awang. The team also includes Japanese Kasuhisa Orita, Naoki Miyaji and Hirokazu Takahashi and South Korean cricketer Lee Jung-suk.

ICC also selected indigenous Australians Paul Bagshaw, Noel Bennel, Dallas Coyne and Clint Yates. Another team member is Dave Herbert, an expatriate residing in Indonesia.

The squad was named following the successful completion of the inaugural ICC East Asia Cricket Eights Festival from Feb. 25 until March 1 in Perth, Australia, the Indonesian Cricket Foundation (ICF) told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

The Australian indigenous team defeated Japan in the final, while Indonesia defeated South Korea for third and fourth place.

Although not its first international competition, Japan registered its first-ever victory in the event and won four of its seven eight-a-side, 20 overs per team, matches.

In finishing second, Japan is officially the ICC East Asia Affiliate member champion.

The tournament, hosted by the West Australaian Cricket Association (WACA), is part of the ICC's Development Program to globalize the sport of cricket, which has seen South Korea and Indonesia compete at an international competition for the first time.

Indonesia recorded two victories at its first-ever international event. South Korea, also at its first tournament, was the only team to bowl the ACB/Australian Indigenous team out, and did it twice.

Final score:

Indigenous Australians 2/144 (Noel Bennell 56no, Clint Yates 37, Dallas Coyne 36) bt Japan 3/143 (Hirokazu Takahashi 60, Shuichiro Nakamura 48no).

For third and fourth place:

Indonesia 5/168 (Soni Hawoe 47, Agus Anon Abadi 38, Wayan Suandi 37no, Sang Hyeun Kyung 2/35, Jung Suk Lee 1/10) beat South Korea 98 (Jung Suk Lee 37no, Tae Jin Kim 26no, Zacharia Awang 4/10).