Towhid Hridoy faced pointed questions about Bangladesh’s measured approach in their seven-wicket victory over Hong Kong China in Abu Dhabi on 11 September, despite a dominant performance that saw the team claim victory with 20 balls to spare. The focus of scrutiny was whether Bangladesh could have been more aggressive in the chase against one of the tournament’s weaker sides.
Afghanistan had hammered Hong Kong in their opening game, boosting their net run rate considerably. Against the same opposition, Bangladesh opted for a cautious strategy, prioritising a secure win over rapid scoring. After restricting Hong Kong to 143, Bangladesh lost both openers for 47, leaving the chase tense at the halfway mark of 10 overs. Captain Litton Das and Hridoy then steadied the innings, putting together a 95-run partnership for the third wicket to guide the team close to victory.
While Litton accelerated once he neared 30, reaching his fifty to relieve pressure, Hridoy remained unbeaten on 35 from 36 balls, struggling to find the timing needed to dominate the innings.
Addressing whether the net run rate had influenced their approach, Hridoy acknowledged it had, but explained that ensuring victory was their priority:
“Of course it was in our minds (the net run rate). But more importantly, we had to make sure of the win first. That was our plan. In terms of execution, maybe we could have finished it a bit earlier. I tried to play a few shots, but the ball just wasn’t coming onto the bat. Maybe it could have ended two overs earlier, but at the end of the day what matters is the result.”
Hridoy also highlighted the challenge posed by the slow Abu Dhabi pitch, which required calculated shot selection and judicious running between the wickets. He did not hide his slight regret at not finishing the match sooner:
“As I said before, if we had not won, then you would have been asking the same thing. Yes, there were issues and maybe we could have wrapped it up earlier. But given the situation, we tried to play according to what was required.”
