Why should Bangladesh be wary of minnows Hong Kong in Asia Cup 2025?
Bangladesh will battle against Hong Kong in their first game of the Asia Cup 2025, but Hong Kong have an unbeaten record against the Bangla Tigers, as they stunned Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup 2014 in their home conditions.
New Delhi: Bangladesh are set to lock horns against Hong Kong in the Asia Cup 2025 clash at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on September 11, Thursday. Hong Kong are coming off a loss against Afghanistan in their first group match while the Bangla Tigers are set to commence their campaign in the continental tournament against the lower-ranked side.
The contest is most likely to be one-sided as Bangladesh have more experienced players compared to Hong Kong. The arrival of Julian Wood in the Bangladesh camp eases the power-hitting ability of batters, as the team had been trailing in power-hitting cricket in recent times, which is now fueled by Wood's inclusion in the coaching staff.
On the other hand, Hong Kong haven't played much cricket against full-member nations. The team qualified for the Asia Cup 2025 by defeating Nepal in the third-place play-off match in the 2024 qualifiers.
Minnows have had a history of pulling off an upset over a big team in the shortest format and with the contest between Hong Kong and Bangladesh touted to be an exciting one, can the former pull off another upset over the latter in the Asia Cup clash?
Hong Kong's habit of dazing big nations
Despite having an inexperienced side, Hong Kong have had a history of upsetting big teams in big ICC events. In the T20 World Cup 2015, Hong Kong pulled off victories over heavyweights Afghanistan and Ireland in the same tournament.
Additionally, they have defeated Afghanistan twice in their cricketing history—once by 4 wickets in a one-off T20I match and in the 2015 T20I WC qualifier by five wickets. But they have never won a single match in the Asia Cup history.
This will be the first time that Hong Kong are not in the India-Pakistan group, as in the history of the tournament, Hong Kong have only played against the big giants India and Pakistan. The team is also yet to win a single game in the history of the tournament.
Can Hong Kong stun Bangladesh again?
Hong Kong have an unbeaten record against the Bangla Tigers, as in the only T20I match both teams have played, the former has managed to defeat the latter. During a game in the T20 World Cup 2014, Hong Kong beat Bangladesh by two wickets, registering one of the biggest shocks in cricketing history.
For the Bangla Tigers, this was one of the biggest shocks, as the side has a history of beating every team in their home conditions. Hong Kong's performance in Thursday's clash will be fresh in the minds of the Bangladesh cricketers, as some of the players who will play against them in the Asia Cup match were also part of that side that stunned the Bangla Tigers in the 2014 T20 WC. Nizakat Khan, who led Hong Kong's win against Bangladesh with three-for in the game, will also be in the playing XI for the team.