Bangladesh Opt to Bowl First Against Hong Kong in T20 Asia Cup Opener
In a thrilling start to the 2025 Men’s T20 Asia Cup, Bangladesh captain Litton Das won the toss and chose to bowl first against an unchanged Hong Kong side. The Group B clash is underway at the iconic Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, promising an exciting T20I showdown.
Bangladesh enters this T20 Asia Cup match with sky-high confidence. They’ve just notched up series wins against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands, proving their T20I form is on fire. However, they’ve never tasted victory in a T20I here in Abu Dhabi, so they’ll be keen to break that duck. Hong Kong, meanwhile, is chasing their first-ever Asia Cup win after a tough 94-run loss to Afghanistan in their opener. The pressure is on both teams in this high-stakes cricket encounter.
Litton Das shared his thoughts post-toss, keeping it straightforward: "This is our first game, and we’re not sure about the pitch yet, so we decided to bowl. We’ve played some solid cricket in our last three series, but these are new conditions. We’re going with three seamers, two spinners, and six batters. Every match counts for us—we’ll give it 100%."
Hong Kong skipper Yasir Murtaza had hoped to bat first but took the bowling role in stride. Reflecting on their recent defeat, he said, "We got what we wanted in the toss, but we made a few mistakes with the bat last time. That’s in the past now—it’s a new day, and we’re ready to bounce back in this T20 Asia Cup game."
The pitch report from cricket experts Bazid Khan and Russell Arnold adds intrigue. They noted the surface looks dry from previous use, with cracks starting to show. "It’s been well-watered and rolled over the last couple of days, so the ball should slide on nicely," they said. "Not much help for bowlers here—teams will need to smartly use the wind to their advantage in this Abu Dhabi cricket match."
Here’s a quick look at the playing XIs for this T20I Asia Cup fixture:
Bangladesh: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das (captain & wk), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.
Hong Kong: Zeeshan Ali (wk), Anshuman Rath, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Kalhan Challu, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza (captain), Aizaz Khan, Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan.
Fans are buzzing about this T20 Asia Cup opener—will Bangladesh’s bowling attack set the tone, or can Hong Kong pull off an upset? Stay tuned for live updates from Sheikh Zayed Stadium!
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