LIVE BLOG - Sri Lanka survive Hong Kong scare

A Pathum Nissanka fifty at the top of the innings, and a Wanindu Hasaranga cameo at the end saw Sri Lanka survive a scare from the group’s lowest-ranked team, Hong Kong.

In two disciplines, Hong Kong were valiant. Anshuman Rath batted with determination to score 48, and Nizakat Khan with verve to make 52 not out off 38, the pair driving Hong Kong to a total of 149 for 4.

The bowlers then created chances right through the innings. They never allowed Sri Lanka to truly dominate a phase, then took three quick wickets - Yasim Murtaza and Ehsan Khan striking to have Sri Lanka at 127 for 6, needing more than a run-a-ball to win.

But their catching was poor. Nissanka was dropped no fewer than three times - twice by Ehsan, who couldn’t hold sharp return chances. Kusal Perera was also dropped twice in the same Ayush Shukla over, though one of those chances was exceedingly difficult. Had some of those stuck, though, Hong Kong could truly have made Sri Lanka sweat.

In the end, Hong Kong’s bowlers made too many mistakes at the death, and Sri Lanka had the depth to capitalise, Hasaranga making his presence felt from No. 8. He made 20 not out off eight balls. Nissanka had struck 68 off 44.

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That's it from me at the Live Report. Catch you tomorrow for Afghanistan v Bangladesh.

Our experts pick the match apart here:

A big critique of Hasaranga is that he hasn't quite made the best of his batting talents. But they were on full show when Sri Lanka needed it at the end of this innings. His six off that free hit was impressive enough, but he'd go on to hit two fours in the 19th over - through cover, and down the ground.

Sri Lanka survive a scare from Hong Kong. That middle order went a little missing after Nissanka's fifty. But Sri Lanka bat deep, and that saved them.

Kamindu Mendis tries to take on the first ball of the 18th over, and holes out to deep midwicket - his attempted six going too high and not nearly long enough. Yasim Murtaza is pumped about this wicket.

But then two balls later, he oversteps and gives Wanindu Hasaranga a free hit to welcome him to the crease, and Hasaranga duly thumps that into the sightscreen. Dasun Shanaka drags a four through midwicket later in the over too.

This is what the over looked like:

Even that fifth ball, showing as a single, was dramatic. Hasaranga top edged one towards mid on, but the long on fielder couldn't quite get there.

Both set batters are suddenly gone. And an un-set batter goes on top of that. Can Hong Kong impose themselves here?

Pathum Nissanka was run out attempting a second, with the batters hesitating too long before deciding to go for that run. The throw from deep midwicket came beautifully, right next to the stumps, to catch a diving Nissanka well short at the non-striker's.

Next ball, Yasim Murtaza bowls a delivery that turns in at Kusal Perera from outside off, and hits him juuust about in front of off stump, and would have gone on to take middle and leg.

Second ball of the next over, Charith Asalanka tried to cut Ehsan's offspin, and sent a simple catch to short third which is a relief to everyone wearing a Hong Kong uniform, I'm sure.

Sri Lanka still have batting though. Kamindu Mendis and Dasun Shanaka are now at the crease. Wanindu Hasaranga is in the dugout. They aren't out of the woods yet. But the chances of a big Net Run Rate-boosting win have definitely disappeared.

The eight balls in which Sri Lanka lost three wickets:

It's Nissanka being dropped by Ayushman Rath on the deep midwicket boundary. This was the easiest of the chances - Rath only had to shuffle a couple of metres to his right to get nicely under that one. In the end he palms it away and on to the rope. In fact this is the second time Nissanka was dropped - Ehsan can unable to hold a sharp return chance.

Just as I'm typing this, he's dropped a second time by Ehsan Khan - another botched return catch.

Hong Kong could have put some serious heat on Sri Lanka had they held these.

These weren't easy catches. But bowler Ayush Shukla is still irate, perhaps understandably. The first drop came off the second ball of the 13th over, which Kusal Perera tried to hit over the short cover, who jumped high and got hands to the chance but couldn't hold on.

The second chance came off the fourth ball, when mid off misjudged his run forward and couldn't cling to a dying chance in front of him. This was the much easier of the two potential catches.

To rub salt into Shukla's wounds, Nissanka cracked consecutive fours to end the over.

He's seriously expanded his game over the past two years, and Sri Lanka are reaping the rewards for his hard work.

Since the start of 2025, Nissanka currently averages more than 41 and strikes at more than 147, across nine innings.

Nissanka's white-ball rise continues through this match. This was another highly efficient innings. It hasn't been his most explosive, but he's barely played a bad shot, and he's kept Sri Lanka moving even when both Kusal Mendis, then Kamil Mishara, were soaking up balls early. He brings his fifty up - his 17th in T20Is - off 35 balls.

Aizaz Khan rolls his fingers over one, digs it into the pitch, and Kamil Mishara tries to drag this wide, short, slower ball through the legside, but only holes out to deep midwicket. He had to reach too far outside off for that one, and didn't perfectly judge the slower pace.

Kusal Perera, Sri Lanka's No. 4, can sometimes be a slow started through the middle of an innings. Nissanka remains crucial.

After a few quiet overs, Kamil Mishara has found his range, launching Yasim Murtaza hiiigh over cow corner, before hitting a four through cover off Kinchit. But the key is Nissanka. Sri Lanka are on track to win this game, but if they are to keep a high net run rate, Nissanka batting through the innings is probably the best way to ensure that.

Atiq Iqbal's first over - the third of the innings - was a maiden to Kusal Mendis.

Sri Lanka can't afford to get bogged down, so you sensed something had to give, the score now at 11 after three overs.

Then this happened in the fourth over, bowled by Shukla:

Nissanka hit the first six, Kusal Mendis struck two more through the legside, and probably didn't need to go for the boundary last ball. From a team perspective, Sri Lanka had done well enough that over to recover from the maiden.

But perhaps to raise his own run rate, Kusal M goes for a hack across the line to a short ball, and holes out to deep square leg, who takes a nice outfield catch. If HK can get Nissanka soon, they'll put a lot of pressure on the Sri Lanka middle order.

The first two overs of this innings:

Sri Lanka won't dread this chase, but they would feel much better if their openers gave them a platform. Nissanka, their form batter at the moment, hit the first boundary of the innings, launching Yasim Murtaza over mid on for a one-bounce four.

He looks less comfortable against Ayush Shukla, who won an lbw decision against Nissanka fifth ball of the second over, only for Nissanka to review successfully (the ball was missing leg).

Our experts break down that Hong Kong innings live, here:

Hong Kong clambered to a respectable 149 for 4, as Nizakat Khan drove them through the middle and back end of the innings, after Anshuman Rath had held down the fort in the early overs. The two combined in the middle for a partnership worth 61 off 43 balls - Nizakat contributing 33 off 22, while Rath went at a slower pace.

Nizakat was not out at the crease on 52 off 38 balls at the end. It was his 12th T20I half-century, and his first against a Full Member (ICC or ACC), plus Hong Kong’s second ever fifty at this event. He’d been reprieved twice in the 17th over, bowled by Nuwan Thushara, but with so many wicket left, he was perhaps right to try low-percentage shots. Rath had fallen two runs short of 50, and struck at 104.34. He scored almost exclusively in front of square.

Sri Lanka may have hoped to blow Hong Kong away when they asked them to bat first, but they didn’t have a lot of luck in the early overs. Zeeshan Ali scored boundaries off the outside and inside edge, and Dushmantha Chameera dropped off Thushara’s bowling.

Chameera would go on to put in another strong performance, however, eventually dismissing Zeeshan, and later, Rath. He took the innings’ best figures of 2 for 29, but the spinners also delivered some economical overs. Maheesh Theekshana conceded only 22 off his four overs, while Wanindu Hasaranga took 1 for 27.

He becomes the second Hong Kong player after Babar Hayat to get a fifty in the Asia Cup.

It's Nizakat's 12th overall, and perhaps his most valuable, as it is his first against a Full Member (ICC or ACC). On the back of his 52 not out off 38 balls, Hong Kong have clambered to 149 for 4 - a defendable total, if not quite an imposing one.

Dushmantha Chameera was one of Sri Lanka's best players on the tour of Zimbabwe, and he's begun well in the Asia Cup, following up his 1 for 17 against Bangladesh with a 2 for 29 against Hong Kong. He leaked 12 in his final over - Nizakat Clobbering a six down the ground. But it remains a creditable outing for a seamer that seems to be building to something.

Rath holes out to deep midwicket two runs short of a fifty, as Hong Kong know they need to find some boundaries now.

But next over Nizakat Khan, who is playing perhaps the innings of the day for Hong Kong so far, is dropped by Kusal Mendis third ball, who can't hold on at full stretch, before he's caught brilliantly at a fine third man by Kusal Perera, only for it to turn out that Nuwan Thushara had juuuuust overstepped.

Nizakat continues to lead Hong Kong in the death as wickets fall around him.

Hong Kong's Anshuman Rath is putting together one of the more interesting innings of this Asia Cup. Although Sri Lanka have bowled plenty of seam at him, Rath has scored only four of his runs behind square. Check out his wagon wheel on our live tab.

Kusal Mendis is not the most natural wicketkeeper on the planet, and had an infamously poor game at the IPL this year. But, generally, what he lacks for in technique, he usually tends to make up for in desperation. On a track that tends to skid low, he's had two moments of brilliance. In Theekshana's first over, when the bowler fired one way down leg, Kusal Mendis threw his left foot out and managed to save four wides.

Then, to dismiss Babar Hayat, he again managed to get his body behind a difficult bounce (the ball had kept low again, and taken a deflection off Hayat), gathered it quickly, and effected a stumping before the batter could get home.

He'd also taken the catch to dismiss Zeeshan, but that was a straightforward chance.

In the next four overs though, Hong Kong's advance has slowed. Wanindu Hasaranga is getting into some nice overs. Dushmantha Chameera took the opening wicket. Even Asalanka sneaks a cheap over in.

There have been plenty of edges, and some luck. But right now, Hong Kong's openers are giving the team a chance of putting up a competitive score.

Sri Lanka's dream scenario for this match is to blast Hong Kong out cheaply, then run down the total inside the powerplay, like India did against UAE. The Hong Kong openers have not only avoided that fate, they've put their team on track for something decent.

Zeeshan Ali sends a top edge off Chameera into the waiting gloves of Kusal Mendis late in the fifth over, but he's still made a contribution - 23 off 17.

Nuwan Thushara is straightening the ball in the air, as usual. He gets Zeeshan Ali in front with a swinging delivery fourth ball, and raises a huge lbw appeal. The umpire gives that out, only for Zeeshan to review, and be saved by a thin-under edge.

Next ball he gets a thick inside edge that skims past the keeper.

Then last ball, he is put down by Dushmantha Chameera at backward point. The ball comes off the edge of Zeeshan's bat as Thushara swings it again. It flies fast and low to the right of Chameera, who reaches down, but wrists it into the ground.

If you weren't aware, Hong Kong's coach at this Asia Cup is a Lankan cricketer of the last 10 years. Kaushal Silva was Sri Lanka's opening batter for 29 Tests, and having moved to Australia several years ago, has this year taken on the role with Hong Kong.

Shashank Kishore has the story.

It could be down to more spin-friendly conditions in Dubai. It could be because Sri Lanka have a history of running through Associate sides with mystery spinners. It could be because Matheesha Pathirana bowled himself out of a spot in the XI with a wide-laden 18-run over at the death against Bangladesh. It could be all three.

Either way, Sri Lanka have gone with two quicks and two frontline spinners for this game, which is a more familiar combination for a Lankan Asia Cup XI.