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Sri Lanka defeated Hong Kong by 4 wickets in their second group-stage match to continue their winning run in the Asia Cup 2025. The last edition's finalists rode on opener Pathum Nissanka's brilliant knock of 68 runs to chase down the target of 150 runs with seven balls to spare and knock Hong Kong out of the tournament.
Hong Kong produced a great fight and gave a mighty scare to Sri Lanka during their run-chase, but couldn't hold their nerves under pressure as Charith Asalanka's men ended up securing their second win in a row to move to the top of the Group B points table.
Asked to bat first in the game, UAE got off to a strong start courtesy of openers Zeeshan Ali and former skipper Anshuman Rath. The duo added 41 runs for the first wicket, before pacer Dushmantha Chameera removed Zeeshan on 23 to draw the first blood for his team in the 5th over.
Rath scored a valuable 48 and shared an important stand of 61 runs for the third wicket with Nizakat Khan, who top-scored for Hong Kong with a cracking 38-ball 52, laced with 4 fours and two sixes. The duo's partnership helped Hong Kong post a fighting total of 149 runs on the board in 20 overs at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.
Continuing his impressive run with the willow, Nissanka steered Sri Lanka to victory with his second consecutive half-century in the tournament. The Sri Lanka opener, who scored 50 runs in his team's opening game against Bangladesh, scored 68 off 44 deliveries, laced with six fours and two sixes, to set up the chase against Hong Kong.
Sri Lanka lost opener Kusal Mendis cheaply on 11 runs in the 4th over of their chase, however, Nissanka combined with Kamil Mishara to steady the ship. The duo shared a 36-run stand for the second wicket before Ayush Shukla dismissed Mishara on 19 off 18 balls. Nissanka then added a 57-run stand for the third wicket with Kusal Perera (20) to put Sri Lanka on the cusp of victory.
The Islanders did seem to have been left in a spot of bother when they lost three wickets in quick succession after Nissanka's dismissal in the 16th over. However, a 9-ball 20 from Wanindu Hasaranga took them over the line comfortably in the end. Sri Lanka have not yet qualified for the Super 4 as both Afghanistan and Bangladesh are still in contention.
If Afghanistan manage to beat Bangladesh in their second group-stage game on Tuesday, they will qualify for the Super 4 alongwith Sri Lanka.
