Bangladesh started their Asia Cup campaign by defeating Hong Kong for the first time in T20Is, chasing down a target of 144 with captain Litton Das scoring a match-winning 59 off 39 balls on 11 September in Abu Dhabi.
Bangladesh captain Litton Das won the toss and chose to field first, looking to assess the Abu Dhabi conditions before setting a target. Hong Kong captain Yasir Murtaza had called tails but would have preferred to bat first. The pitch, dry with some cracks, was expected to play true, rewarding batters who applied themselves through the line.
Bangladesh made early inroads with disciplined bowling. Taskin Ahmed struck first, dismissing Anshuman Rath for 7 in the second over via UltraEdge. Tanzim Hasan then removed Babar Hayat in the fifth over, reducing Hong Kong to 30 for 2. Mustafizur Rahman bowled economically through the middle overs, conceding just 3 runs in his sixth over and keeping the pressure on the visitors.
After early losses, Hong Kong slowly rebuilt their innings. Captain Yasir Murtaza and Nizakat Khan added stability, with Hong Kong reaching 64 for 2 after 10 overs. Murtaza brought up the 100-run mark in the 16th over with a six off Mehedi Hasan, finishing with 21 from 13 balls. Tanzim Hasan ended his four-over spell with figures of 2 for 21, helping Bangladesh stay in control.
The last five overs witnessed a flurry of wickets for Bangladesh. In the 19th over, Rishad Hossain removed Nizakat Khan and Kinchit Shah in quick succession, before Jaker Ali caught Ejaz Khan off Taskin Ahmed in the 20th over. Hong Kong collapsed from 134 for 4 to 143 for 7, leaving Bangladesh with a target of 144. Nizakat had top-scored for Hong Kong with 42 off 40 balls, while captain Yasir Murtaza made 28.
Chasing 144, Bangladesh began strongly but lost both openers inside six overs. Parvez Hossain contributed 24 before being caught by Ayush Shukla, having earlier equalled Tanzid Hasan’s record for most sixes by a Bangladeshi in a single T20I. Tanzid Hasan followed for 14, brilliantly caught by Nizakat Khan. Despite the early setbacks, Bangladesh maintained a run rate of 8.50 thanks to smart running and unforced extras from Hong Kong.
By the halfway point, Bangladesh were 74 for 2 after 10 overs, needing 70 more runs with Litton Das and Tawhid Hridoy at the crease. Litton survived a scare in the 12th over when a delivery struck his pad before brushing his glove but was given not out.
In the 16th over, Litton Das hit a six off Yasir Murtaza to become Bangladesh’s leading T20I six-hitter, surpassing Mahmudullah with his 78th career T20I six. He followed it immediately with a boundary to reach his fifty. Hridoy shared a 95-run third-wicket stand with Litton Das, scoring an unbeaten 35 off 36 balls
Litton fell just before the finish, dragging a full ball onto his stumps while trying to hit straight, ending a fine, match-winning knock. Hridoy struck the winning runs with a swipe to deep square leg, after Jaker’s leg bye had levelled the scores.
