Bangladesh take on Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in their opening fixture of the ongoing Asia Cup on Thursday, September 11. The Bangla Tigers had to undergo a rigorous training camp ahead of this continental tournament, along with playing a bilateral series against the Netherlands. This should have prepared them sufficiently for the challenges lying ahead. Moreover, this game against Hong Kong should act as another warm-up for them, given how ordinary the latter are known to be. Hong Kong are not even a Test-playing nation, and should not be able to disturb Bangladesh too much.
For Bangladesh skipper Litton Das and his men, the agenda is clear: to aim for the title they have never won so far in history. Bangladesh have always been classed as also-rans in the Asia Cup, and this tournament affords them an excellent opportunity to put things straight. While the likes of India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka (and even Afghanistan) can be challenging to deal with, they should not have too many issues with Hong Kong. Bangladesh’s first target should be to move out of the group phase of this tournament, in which they will face Sri Lanka and Afghanistan after this game.
Bangladesh are known to be a very good team and an exponent of spin, and this should work in their favour throughout this tournament, as the tracks in the United Arab Emirates are known for being spin-friendly. Most importantly, pitches in the UAE are renowned for being supportive of shot-making, and Bangladesh’s batters will rejoice upon hearing this. These pitches are known for being true to their nature and more often than not reward batters for playing expansive shots. Against Hong Kong, Bangladesh will look to get off to a good start and make the most of the fielding restrictions inside the powerplay.
Predicted Teams
BAN: Litton Das (c & wk), Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Shoriful Islam.
HK: Anshuman Rath, Zeeshan Ali (wk), Martin Coetzee, Kalhan Challu, Kinchit Shah, Anas Khan, Yasim Murtaza (c), Aizaz Khan, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Waheed, Haroon Arshad.
Key Players
Rishad Hossain (BAN): Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain is one of the most exciting talents to come out of Bangladesh in recent times, and he will be tasked with the responsibility of picking up wickets in this match. Hossain has a lot of variations up his sleeve, including the googly and flipper, and should be able to dictate terms to the Hong Kong batters. He is also known for varying his pace extremely well.
Anshuman Rath (HK): Batter Anshuman Rath, who is of Indian heritage and took the decision of representing Odisha in Indian domestic cricket in the 2021-22 season, is one of the players to look out for in the Hong Kong side. Rath is known for being explosive at the crease and can take bowlers unawares with his six-hitting skills. Most importantly, he is smart enough to know when to rotate the strike and when to target the boundary, and this makes him a precious commodity in T20 cricket.
Match Prediction
Hong Kong will struggle to challenge Bangladesh. We expect the latter to win this game comfortably. The quality in the Bangla Tigers’ ranks is significantly superior to that of their opponents. This alone should be enough to see them home comfortably. A victory in their opening fixture will set Bangladesh up nicely for the rest of the tournament. Skipper Das, who has been handed the reins at least till the upcoming T20 World Cup in India in 2026, will aim to execute the plans he must have spent several months designing.
