🏏T20 Asia Cup 2025- BD vs HK 3rd Match, Group B, Abu Dhabi 🏏

🏏Bangladesh vs Hong Kong, 3rd Match, Group B🏏

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

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

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.

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.

Thursday, September 11, will feature in the third game of the ongoing Asia Cup 2025, which will take place between Bangladesh (BAN) and Hong Kong (HK) at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The Bengal Tigers will aim to kick off their campaign on a high note by securing a victory against the associate nation. The Litton Das-led team has momentum going into the tournament. In the last nine T20Is, they have won six games, which included series wins against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and the Netherlands, respectively.

On the other hand, Yasim Murtaza-led team began their season with a heavy 94-run loss at the hands of Afghanistan in the tournament opener. The team will need to quickly regroup to put up a strong show against Bangladesh. This contest becomes a must-win situation for Hong Kong if they wish to stay in the tournament.

BAN vs HK Match Details

Match Bangladesh vs Hong Kong, Match 3, Asia Cup 2025

Venue Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Date & Time Thursday, September 11, 8:00 PM (IST)

Live Broadcast and Streaming Sony Sports Network, SonyLIV (App & Website), & YuppTV (App & Website)

BAN vs HK Head to Head

Matches Played 01

Won By BAN 00

Won By HK 01

Only Fixture March 20, 2014

BAN vs HK Probable Top Performers

Probable Best Batter: Litton Das

Bangladesh skipper Litton Das has been in amazing form in the recently concluded series against the Netherlands. He would be eager to continue his dominant form and showcase his brilliance against a weaker side like Hong Kong to get things running before the big matches.

Probable Best Bowler: Taskin Ahmed

Taskin Ahmed is the most experienced bowler in the Bangladesh team, and he will be looking to kickstart this Asia Cup 2025 campaign on a positive note with a solid spell of bowling. In the last five T20Is, the speedster has bagged 12 wickets and is running high on confidence.