Having played all his cricket for Hong Kong, the talented Mark Chapman, who also holds a New Zealand passport, is now making rapid strides in his effort to play at the highest level of cricket for his adopted country. Born in Hong Kong to a Chinese mother and a New Zealand father, Chapman first represented Hong Kong in the Under-19 World Cup, at the tender age of 15.

Chapman's talent was never in doubt amidst a motley bunch of semi-professional and amateurish Hong Kong cricketing set-up. Having made his World Cricket League debut for Hong Kong in 2011, Chapman's efforts with the bat helped the team gain promotion from Division three to two. Holding a dual passport, Chapman was eligible to play in New Zealand and he made his first-class debut for Auckland in the 2015-16 domestic season as a local player, despite having played two One Day Internationals and 19 Twenty20 internationals for Hong Kong.

Thanks to increased opportunities post the retirement of Ross Taylor, Chapman did prove his mettle as a batter, mainly in the T20 format, and always plays with an attacking mindset irrespective of his batting position.

Did you know: Chapman is only one of ten players and the only associate team batsman to score a century on ODI debut. He reached the landmark when he made an unbeaten 124 on his debut against United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai.

By Pradeep Krishnamurthy