Upbeat Bangladesh look to start with a bang against struggling Hong Kong
Bangladesh are expected to go hard with the bat against Hong Kong who lost their opening game by a distance
Mohammad Isam
10-Sep-2025
Big picture: Hong Kong would want to repeat 2014
Bangladesh come into the Asia Cup riding on the high of winning three consecutive T20I series. Their campaign begins with a Group B encounter in Abu Dhabi against Hong Kong. They will rely on a robust pace attack and a batting unit that has finally started to see the power of hitting sixes.
Bangladesh, however, will remain wary of their opponents who defeated them in the T20 World Cup in 2014, when the hosts were taken down by two wickets in Chittagong. Hong Kong have two survivors from that famous victory, but they have also played only 11 international matches against Full Member sides since then.
Hong Kong's lack of exposure against top sides was stark in their opening outing against Afghanistan on Tuesday. Their medium pacers went for plenty before the spinners Ehsan Khan, Yasim Murtaza and Kinchit Shah pulled things back briefly, but they couldn't stop Afghanistan from getting to 188.
More disappointing was Hong Kong's reply with the bat, scoring only 94 for 9 in 20 overs. Only one of their top six reached double-figures and wickets falling at the other end meant Babar Hayat had to restrain himself.
Bangladesh will be in a rush to take wickets in the first ten overs, a phase in which they have been consistent in recent times. Taskin Ahmed will lead the fast-bowling group, although offspinner Mahedi Hasan has made a name for himself bowling in the powerplay. Mustafizur Rahman will shore up the death overs with Tanzim Hasan Sakib likely accompanying him. They will also be keen on using legspinner Rishad Hossain for a couple of overs up front.
Bangladesh will also likely be a little more aggressive on a good batting track. They have raised their big-hitting prowess in the last 18 months, particularly openers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon in the powerplay. Shamim Hossain and Jaker Ali are the death-overs hitters the team is banking on.
Form guide
Bangladesh WWLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Hong Kong LLWWL
In the spotlight: Tanzid Hasan and Babar Hayat
One of the reasons why Bangladesh have become a big-hitting T20I side is the young opener Tanzid Hasan. His shots have been free-flowing, targeting the straight boundaries frequently. Tanzid takes a bold approach, often looking for a big hit in the first over. Bangladesh will hope that his opening stand with Emon can give them a rollicking start.
Babar Hayat stood firm while wickets fell regularly at the other end in the Asia Cup opener. He couldn't quite cut loose as a result, but showed his might with three big sixes in his knock of 39. An attractive batter who is tasked to hold the top order together, Hong Kong will hope that Hayat continues to be their best batter against Full Member sides.
Team news
Bangladesh are likely to go with three pace bowlers and two spinners. They have options in their batting and bowling departments but are likely to stick to a more conventional playing XI to make a strong start in the Asia Cup.
Bangladesh XI (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt & wk), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shamim Hossain, 6 Jaker Ali, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Tanzim Hasan, 9 Rishad Hossain, 10 Taskin Ahmed, 11 Mustafizur Rahman.
Hong Kong have experienced batters in Martin Coetzee and Anas Khan to step up from their bench, should they choose to.
Hong Kong XI (probable): 1 Zeeshan Ali (wk), 2 Anshy Rath, 3 Babar Hayat, 4 Nizakat Khan, 5 Kalhan Challu, 6 Kinchit Shah, 7 Yasim Murtaza (capt), 8 Aizaz Khan, 9 Ayush Shukla, 10 Ateeq Iqbal, 11 Ehsan Khan.
Pitch and conditions
Abu Dhabi delivered with a pretty high-scoring start, with Afghanistan setting Hong Kong a target of 189. Dew also set in quite early although Afghanistan had the attack to defend their total after opting to bat. The weather will remain warm, almost touching 40 degrees Celsius during the day and won't drop much once the match starts.
Stats and trivia
- Babar Hayat and Nizakat Khan are the only survivors from Hong Kong's famous two-wicket win against Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup in 2014.
- Bangladesh have played only two T20Is so far in Abu Dhabi, and lost both, during the T20 World Cup in 2021.
- Openers Tanzid Hasan and Parvez Hossain Emon have struck the most sixes for Bangladesh this year - 23 and 22, respectively.
Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. @isam84