Comfortable Chase Led by Litton Das
ABU DHABI: Bangladesh kicked off their Asia Cup 2025 campaign in style, defeating Hong Kong by seven wickets in the third match of the tournament at Zayed Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Chasing a target of 144 runs, Bangladesh cruised to victory with 14 balls to spare. Captain Litton Das led from the front with a fluent 39-ball 59, decorated with six boundaries and a towering six. His knock provided the perfect foundation for the Tigers.
Das built a crucial 95-run partnership with Towhid Hridoy, who played a steady unbeaten innings of 35 off 36 balls to ensure there were no hiccups in the chase. Das fell just before the finish line, dismissed in the 18th over when Bangladesh needed only two runs.
Hong Kong’s Bowling Efforts
For Hong Kong, Ateeq Iqbal was the standout performer with the ball, finishing with impressive figures of 2 for 14 in 3.4 overs. Ayush Shukla chipped in with one wicket, but the total set by their batters proved insufficient against a disciplined Bangladesh batting display.
Bangladesh Bowlers Restrict Hong Kong
Earlier, Bangladesh’s decision to field first paid dividends as their bowlers restricted Hong Kong to 143/7 in 20 overs.
The associate side stumbled early, losing Anshy Rath for 4 in just the second over, courtesy of Taskin Ahmed. Soon after, Babar Hayat (14) was cleaned up by Tanzim Hasan Sakib, leaving Hong Kong reeling at 30/2 inside five overs.
Opener Zeeshan Ali and Nizakat Khan attempted to stabilize the innings with a 41-run stand, but Zeeshan fell for 30 to Tanzim. Nizakat, however, went on to anchor the innings with a composed 42 off 40 balls (two fours, one six).
Captain Yasim Murtaza injected some momentum with a brisk 28 off 19 balls, hitting two sixes and two fours, but was run out at a crucial stage. Hong Kong could not capitalize on the platform, adding just nine runs after Nizakat’s dismissal in the 19th over.
For Bangladesh, the bowling honors were shared as Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, and Rishad Hossain picked up two wickets each.
Strong Start for the Tigers
The win marks a strong start for Bangladesh, who will be looking to carry their momentum deeper into the tournament. Litton Das’s captaincy debut in the Asia Cup also received praise, as his decision-making with both bat and ball proved decisive.
