Three-time Asia Cup runners-up Bangladesh are set to hit the ground running today as they get set to play their first game in Asia Cup 2025. Bangladesh will square off against battered and bruised Hong Kong side in a Group B clash at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. It’s our first look at Bangladesh and they will know that they cannot take Hong Kong likely as they are in a Group of Death and wants to start their campaign well.
Bangladesh under Litton Das has been in rich vein of form in T20Is as lately they have won a series at home against Netherlands 2-0 and before that they beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka 2-1 and Pakistan at home 2-1. They also had beaten West Indies in West Indies at the start of the year. So, Bangladesh are in rich vein of form and have the feel good factor going with them but have to guard against complacency against Hong Kong who will be desperate to fight back and spring in a surprise.
Overview
The interesting aspect of this clash is that the only time these two sides met it was Hong Kong who came out on top way back in 2014 against Bangladesh in a thriller at Chattogram. No players of Bangladesh who took part in that game are currently part of this squad while for Hong Kong, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan and Kinchit Shah played there and are currently part of this squad.
Bangladesh are in the Group of Death and are playing their first game will do well to guard against complacency as they will have sterner tests awaiting them in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Led by Litton Das, Bangladesh have the same squad that featured against Netherlands which they won 2-0 with the final game abandoned in Sylhet. Bangladesh have left out Mehidy Hasan Miraz and out of form batter Mohammad Naim. Mehidy is in the standby list alongside Soumya Sarkar, Tanvir Islam, and Hasan Mahmud.
Nurul Hasan and Saif Hassan have made a comeback into the T20I side, with the former scoring 22 runs in 1 innings and the latter scoring 48 runs in 2 innings in the Dutch series. Saif also picked up 2 wickets in one of the matches that he bowled. Bangladesh will look forward to their openers Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Parvez Hossain Emon, to give a flying start. Both of them have been aggressive in recent times and have been consistent. Skipper Litton Das has been in amazing form. Towhid Hridoy, Saif and Jaker Ali can play according to the situation in the middle order.
Shamim Hossain and Nurul Hasan are also available in case they are required to play for Bangladesh. Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed and Mahedi Hasan are three quality and different styles of spinners at their disposal. All of them are expected to play a big role in this tournament. The Litton Das-led side has a top-class pace-bowling attack, with Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, and Mohammad Saifuddin in the set-up.
Given the conditions in UAE, Bangladesh are more likely to play all three spinners and pick Taskin and Mustafizur in the pace department. Let’s talk about Hong Kong who started their campaign with a crushing loss to Afghanistan by 94 runs. They made a mess on the field dropping as many as 4 catches and their ground fielding also left a lot to be desired. Even if they would have done well, the result might not have changed as Afghanistan are a quality side but we could have got a contest to see.
Asked to bowl first, Hong Kong managed to take a couple of important wickets in the powerplay, but weren’t able to put pressure on the Afghan batting line-up as the Rashid-led side ended up posting 188/6 in 20 overs. Kinchit Shah and Ayush Shukla picked up a couple of wickets apiece, with the latter leaking 54 runs in his four-over spell. Ateeq Iqbal and Ehsan Khan took a wicket each, with the former also bowling a maiden over.
189 as a target was always going to be a tough task for the Yasim Murtaza-led unit. Anshuman Rath was given caught behind for a golden duck in the first over of the run chase, despite him not getting any edge or gloves. He walked back to the pavilion without even reviewing the decision, which didn’t help Hong Kong’s case either. There was no momentum in their innings as they lost wickets at regular intervals.
In the end, they managed to crawl their way to 94/9 in 20 overs as Afghanistan’s high-quality bowling attack was too hot to handle for them. Only Babar Hayat and skipper Murtaza reached double digits with the former hitting a 43-ball 39 to be the top-scorer of the innings.
So, the stage is set for the battle in Abu Dhabi. It remains to be seen whether Hong Kong stuns Bangladesh yet again or whether Litton Das-led side will begin their campaign with a win.
Head-To-Head
Bangladesh and Hong Kong have met only once in T20Is and that was way back on 20th March 2014 where Hong Kong upstaged Bangladesh in Chattogram. They first bowled the Tigers out for 108 in 16.3 overs and chased it down in 19.4 overs winning the game by 2 wickets and 2 balls to spare. Only time will tell as to whether they can repeat this feat in Abu Dhabi.
Pitch & Weather Report
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi offers good batting conditions, with the average first innings score in the last 10 matches being around 176. The pacers have claimed 82% of wickets, making the fast bowlers key even on a batting friendly surface. Teams winning the toss prefer to chase although Afghanistan bucked the trend and batted first to score 189 and won the contest. Dew tends to come early, but strong attacks can defend totals.
The weather in Abu Dhabi is expected to be extremely hot with clear skies. Daytime temperatures could reach 43 degrees Celsius and feeling like could be 46 degrees Celsius. There will be some wind at 13 km/hr gusting up to 32 km/hr, and there is no chance of any rain or thundershower. The scorching heat and bright conditions could make it challenging for players affecting their stamina and ball grip.
Predicted Playing XI of Both teams
Here, we will predict the playing XIs of both teams:
Bangladesh Playing XI: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das (c & wk), Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib.
Hong Kong Playing XI: Zeeshan Ali (wk), Anshuman Rath, Babar Hayat, Kalhan Challu, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza (c), Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan.
Key Players to watch out for in this match:
Litton Das: The glue to the Bangladesh batting is Litton Das. Batting at Number 3, much of the batting will be dependent on him as he acts as the link between the openers and the middle order to follow. Litton will have to lead from the front for Bangladesh to do well in this Asia Cup 2025. If he has a good tournament, then other batters from the openers and middle order can play around him and do well for the side.
Taskin Ahmed: The spearhead of the Bangladesh bowling attack, Taskin Ahmed has been in rich vein of form especially in the series against the Dutch. He seems to have got his mojo back and is the leader of the attack. Bangladesh have a quality pace attack on paper and with Taskin, Mustafizur around they should do well. Taskin will be expected to strike with the new ball initially and then come back later on in all phases of the game.
Zeeshan Ali: The keeper batter who bats at the top of the order, Zeeshan Ali would like to step up to the plate and contribute for Hong Kong. He is batting at a critical top of the order position and will be expected to play a leading role in helping Hong Kong get to a good total. He is explosive and if he has his day he can take the game away from the opposition.
Babar Hayat: Last match’s top scorer for Hong Kong, Babar Hayat is a key figure for Hong Kong. Batting at Number 3, he is a key figure and the link to this side as he can hold the innings together and other players play around him. Babar is a capable player and has runs against other sides from time to time. He too needs to do well and score at a faster rate to help Hong Kong put a decent total or even while chasing make sure they get closer to the target.
Few Stats and Trivia ahead of the match
- Bangladesh have played only two T20Is so far in Abu Dhabi and lost both during the 2021 T20 World Cup 2021.
- Openers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon have struck the most sixes for Bangladesh this year with 23 and 22 respectively.
- Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, and Kinchit Shah are the only survivors from Hong Kong’s famous two-wicket win against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup in 2014.
Predicted Outcome of the Match
As we know, anything is possible in T20 cricket. Any team can beat anyone on a given day. But looking at conditions, current form, and on paper despite what the Head-To-Head says, we feel that Bangladesh will start as favourites against Hong Kong. Hong Kong will have to play out of their skins to bat and field a lot better than the first game if they want to get over the line tonight in Abu Dhabi.
We shall see how things unfold when the action gets underway later tonight in Abu Dhabi in this Group B clash which is important for both teams for different reasons. Hong Kong will be no pushovers but will have to play really well to win this contest. Bangladesh starts as overwhelming favourites.