Bangladesh kicked off their Asia Cup campaign with a bang, securing their first-ever T20I win against Hong Kong by chasing down 144 runs with ease. Skipper Litton Das played a starring role, smashing a fluent 59 off 39 balls to guide his team to a seven-wicket victory at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
Hong Kong put up a fighting total of 143/7 after Bangladesh won the toss and chose to bowl first. Nizakat Khan top-scored with 42 off 40 balls, while Zeeshan Ali added 30 and captain Yasim Murtaza chipped in with a quick 28 off 19. But Bangladesh’s bowlers kept things tight, especially in the death overs, preventing Hong Kong from crossing 150.
Taskin Ahmed struck early for Bangladesh, getting opener Anshuman Rath out for a duck on review after UltraEdge showed a faint edge. Tanzim Hasan Sakib then cleaned up Babar Hayat with a perfect yorker, leaving Hong Kong at 34/2 after the powerplay. Zeeshan Ali took his time but eventually opened up, hitting a couple of fours and a six before falling to Tanzim for 30.
Yasim Murtaza brought some fireworks, smashing boundaries and sixes off Rishad Hossain, Tanzim, and Mahedi Hasan. He and Nizakat pushed the score along with quick runs off Taskin, but a mix-up led to Murtaza’s run-out. Nizakat kept the momentum going with a four and a six, but holed out trying for another big hit. Quick wickets of Kinchit Shah and Aizaz Khan wrapped up Hong Kong’s innings.
Chasing 144, Bangladesh lost Parvez Hossain Emon early after he smashed two fours and a six, but top-edged to deep mid-wicket off Ayush Shukla. Tanzid Hasan followed soon, caught at mid-on while trying to clear the infield against Ateeq Iqbal. Despite the early setbacks, extras from Hong Kong helped Bangladesh reach 51/2 at the end of the powerplay.
Enter Litton Das and Towhid Hridoy, who built a solid 95-run stand for the third wicket. Litton, who started steadily at 26 off 24, shifted gears perfectly. He smashed 12 runs off Shukla in the 14th over with a top-edged four and a clever scoop. Litton then drove Ehsan Khan for four and slog-swept Yasim Murtaza for six to reach his fifty off 33 balls.
The Bangladesh captain kept the boundaries flowing, slicing Murtaza for four before getting bowled for 59 by Ateeq. But Towhid Hridoy stayed unbeaten on 35, steering the team home in just 17.4 overs with 14 balls to spare. This thrilling Asia Cup Group B clash shows Bangladesh’s T20I strength against Hong Kong, setting a positive tone for their campaign.
Brief Scores: Hong Kong 143/7 in 20 overs (Nizakat Khan 42, Zeeshan Ali 30, Yasim Murtaza 28; Tanzim Hasan Sakib 2/21, Rishad Hossain 2/31) lost to Bangladesh 144/3 in 17.4 overs (Litton Das 59, Towhid Hridoy 35*; Ateeq Iqbal 1/13, Ayush Shukla 1/32) by 7 wickets.
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