Bangladesh captain Litton Das won the toss in Abu Dhabi and, after a brief glance at a surface he called “a bit of an unknown”, put Hong Kong in. “We’re happy to have a look first,” he said, noting that the visitors had loaded up with three seamers – Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and debutant Tanzim Hasan – alongside two spinners and a six-strong batting unit.
Hong Kong skipper Yasim Murtaza accepted the outcome with a shrug. “We wanted runs on the board anyway,” he said, before reminding his top order that the mistakes made against Afghanistan “can’t be repeated tonight”.
The pitch report pointed to a dry strip showing early cracks yet still expected to reward stroke-play, especially with one square boundary noticeably shorter than the other. Abu Dhabi has never been a happy hunting ground for Bangladesh in T20Is, while Hong Kong are still searching for a first Asia Cup victory, so at least one poor record is set to tumble.
Sanjay Bangar, keeping an eye on Bangladesh’s increasingly adventurous batting template, offered a note of intrigue. “I will keep a close eye on Towhid Hridoy,” the batting consultant remarked, hinting that the 23-year-old’s intent could shape the innings after a strong Emerging Asia Cup.
There is, however, balance to the Tigers’ line-up. Mustafizur returns to new-ball duty, with Taskin’s pace expected to exploit whatever nip the surface provides, while Mahedi Hasan can slide up or down the order if early wickets fall – a flexibility Litton believes is “crucial on unfamiliar pitches”.
For Hong Kong, Babar Hayat’s power and Nizakat Khan’s nous remain central. Murtaza trusts the same XI that pushed Afghanistan for an hour last time out, backing Ayush Shukla’s left-arm swing and Ehsan Khan’s off-spin to hold Bangladesh’s hitters in check.
Bangladesh XI: Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das (capt & wk), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.
Hong Kong XI: Zeeshan Ali (wk), Anshy Rath, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Kalhan Challu, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza (capt), Aizaz Khan, Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan.
First ball is due at 19:30 local time; a dry Abu Dhabi evening should ensure a full match.
