Hong Kong gave a good account of themselves at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai against Sri Lanka. But despite that they fell short as Sri Lanka got out of jail to win and make it 2 wins out of 2 games while Hong Kong finished with 3 losses out of 3 games. They got better by each passing game but when the game was on the line, they made errors in the field and fell short against an experienced team. We will try and list out three reasons for Hong Kong’s defeat to Sri Lanka.
Multiple dropped catches and ground fielding costs Hong Kong dear
Hong Kong posted a defendable 149 on the board and it felt a competitive score on the slow pitch. But it was not a winning score and that meant Hong Kong needed to be alert to the situations. While their bowlers bowled their heart out, the fielders left a lot to be desired. Fielding was shoddy and multiple dropped catches took place. When you drop catches, you make it extremely difficult to win and make it easier for the opposition.
Pathum Nissanka was a prime example as he got 68 off 44 balls and turned out to be Mr. Dependable for Sri Lanka once again as his innings guided the chase. But he was dropped four times through the course of the innings and most of them were easy drops one would have to say that. Not only him, Kusal Perera was dropped twice as Hong Kong dropped as many as six catches last night. Take this stats, Hong Kong took 10 catches in the tournament and also dropped 10 catches as well in 3 matches they played.
The old saying goes like catches win matches. Hong Kong let it slip and dropped most of those catches in the period between 11-15 in the chase just after the Drinks Break. The opportunities came and it was grasped big time. Going forward ahead in their cricket, fielding is an area they need to work on a lot to do well against other teams. These many catches dropped are not acceptable at this level and Hong Kong needs to learn from this. They could have bean the winners last night had they held on to their catches. But it was not to be for them.
Hong Kong’s under par score left them with no room to work with
It was an improved performance from Hong Kong with the bat from the first two games. Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath batted well and took the score to 149/4 in 20 overs. The score was competitive but against a deep Sri Lankan batting line-up it felt a bit under par. Losing only 4 wickets in 20 overs, means Hong Kong could have gone a little harder and got maybe 160-170 range. The general feeling was they were about 10-15 short of a winning score.
While this was indeed a credible effort from the last two games, but it was not enough for the win. The batters could have shown more urgency and that would have helped them. They went in a steady rate and not explosive way. Credit to Sri Lanka also for bowling tight lines and lengths and keeping their batters under check. But Hong Kong in hindsight will feel what if we would have got a better total and could have put more pressure on Sri Lanka.
Going ahead, Hong Kong should try and bat more aggressively and get to an above par score to put pressure on their opponents. Sri Lanka knew with a required run rate of 7.50 an over, they could pace the innings accordingly and get to the target. If the target was close to 170, then it would have created more pressure and batters would have taken more risks. Hong Kong could not accelerate that much in the back five overs and that cost them a little bit.
A no-ball at the wrong time costs Hong Kong dear
The game was still on the line with 3 overs to go and 23 needed when Yasim Murtaza the captain removed Kamindu Mendis. Wanindu Hasaranga came into bat next. Then came an important and decisive moment in the game. Murtaza overstepped in the third ball of the over and Hasaranga came and faced the free hit. Hasaranga smashed the free hit for the maximum down the ground before Shanaka came on strike and hit a boundary through midwicket.
Thereafter, Sri Lanka won the match in the 19th over itself chasing it down in 18.5 overs. Wanindu Hasaranga played a cameo of 20 off 9 balls but he was helped by the no ball and free hit that really kickstarted the innings for him. Bowling a no ball is costly in T20 cricket and a spinner bowling a no ball is like a criminal offence. It is unacceptable. The Hong Kong captain let his team down big time by making this error and it cost them the game in the end.
Too many unforced errors by Hong Kong team in the field with regards to catches and no ball like this always will cost the team the game. Going ahead, Hong Kong must stay focussed and not repeat the same mistakes again and again if they want to improve their cricket. More than batting and bowling, in this tournament their fielding left a lot to be desired in our view. One hopes they come better prepared in these tournaments with regards to fielding.
What Lies Ahead
So, the stage is set for a Group B clash in Abu Dhabi later tonight and it is a crucial clash as Bangladesh, who are in a must-win territory takes on Afghanistan, who are playing after a gap of seven days. Both teams will give it their all and not give an inch to each other. Bangladesh needs this win more than Afghanistan for obvious reasons.
Who will come out on top in this battle of equals? We shall find out soon as the match kicks off at 8PM later tonight in Abu Dhabi.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Bangladesh Faces A Must-Win Situation Against Upbeat Afghanistan