Litton takes charge as Bangladesh beats Hong Kong

Litton takes charge as Bangladesh beats Hong Kong

Asia Cup 2025: Bangladesh vs Hong Kong: Bangladesh beat Hong Kong by seven wickets in their first match after captain Litton Das hit a half-century 59(39).

Bangladesh got the win they needed in their Asia Cup opener against Hong Kong, but it wasn’t a walk in the park. Chasing 144, Litton Das led the way with a solid 59 off 39 balls, while Towhid Hridoy stayed unbeaten on 35 from 36. The middle overs were slow with few boundaries, but Bangladesh kept the scoreboard ticking and crossed the finish line with 14 balls left. Once Hong Kong’s energy dropped, Litton picked up the pace, going from 26 off 24 balls to reaching his fifty in just 33 deliveries.

Hong Kong performed much better than in their first match, where they were restricted to just 94 for 9 by Afghanistan. This time, they posted a competitive 143 for 7, thanks to useful contributions from Zeeshan Ali (30), Nizakat Khan (42), and captain Yasim Murtaza (28 off 19). However, a strong 95-run partnership between Litton and Hridoy dashed any hopes of an upset.

This was Bangladesh’s first-ever T20I win in Abu Dhabi, while Hong Kong are still searching for its first Asia Cup victory.

Litton and Hridoy Take Control

Bangladesh’s chase started with aggressive intent. Parvez Hossain Emon scored a quick 19 off 13 balls before getting out in the third over. Tanzid Hasan followed in the sixth over, caught after edging a delivery from Ateeq Iqbal.

Hong Kong, which had dropped four catches in their previous match, held on to their chances this time. But they gave away too many extras 17 in total which helped Bangladesh reach 51 for 2 in the powerplay.

After that, Litton and Hridoy focused on running between the wickets. They didn’t hit many boundaries between overs 8 and 12, but their quick singles and twos kept the required run rate under control. The pair ran 11 twos, and Bangladesh’s total of 16 twos was their second-highest ever in a T20I.

Though the heat took a toll on them, their running kept Hong Kong under pressure. Litton switched gears in the 13th over, hitting two boundaries and raising his strike rate to over 150. He was bowled with just two runs needed, trying to finish with a flourish, but the job was already done.

Tanzim Sets the Tone with the Ball

Bangladesh chose to bowl first, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib made an immediate impact. Bowling at speeds over 140 km/h, he clean bowled Babar Hayat with a late-swinging delivery and then dismissed Zeeshan Ali with a rising ball that was caught at cover. He ended with impressive figures of 2 for 21 in four overs.

Taskin Ahmed was more expensive but took key wickets removing Anshy Rath early and Aizaz Khan at the end. The spinners also played their part. Rishad Hossain struggled initially but bounced back in the 19th over, taking two wickets in two balls Nizakat Khan and Kinchit Shah.

Hong Kong’s innings started slowly, with early wickets and cautious batting from Zeeshan and Nizakat. But once they settled, their stroke play improved, and their 41-run partnership gave the innings some stability.

Captain Yasim Murtaza looked dangerous with a quick 28, but a mix-up with Nizakat led to a run-out their 47th in T20Is since 2023. After that, Hong Kong couldn’t find many big hits. Mustafizur Rahman bowled tightly at the end, and Rishad’s brave bowling kept the pressure on. Still, Hong Kong managed 54 runs in the last six overs to reach 143 for 7 a decent score, but not enough to beat Bangladesh.