Dubai, Sep 7: Hong Kong will be hoping to shed their underdog tag as they prepare for their fifth appearance in the Asia Cup, starting September 9.
Despite qualifying on four previous occasions, the side has never managed a win in the tournament and has not advanced beyond the opening round.
Led by newly appointed captain and spin-bowling all-rounder Yasim Murtaza, Hong Kong will look to blend experience with fresh belief.
Murtaza, who has 70 wickets from 63 T20Is at a miserly economy of 6.33, will spearhead a bowling unit anchored by veteran off-spinner Ehsan Khan — the team’s leading wicket-taker with 127 scalps in 94 games.
With the bat, Hong Kong will rely on their top-order quartet of Nizakat Khan, Babar Hayat, Anshy Rath and Zeeshan Ali, all of whom boast over 1,000 T20I runs.
Among them, Zeeshan stands out as the aggressor, maintaining a strike rate of 141.96, the highest among their recognised batters.
Hong Kong’s road to the Asia Cup was paved through hard-fought regional campaigns.
They finished second in their qualifying group after victories over Qatar and Malaysia, eventually sealing their spot by defeating Nepal in the third-place playoff.
Their preparations have included stints in tri-series and quadrangular competitions across Malaysia and at home, along with a run to the final of the Asia-Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy in Singapore.
Drawn in Group B, Hong Kong face a stern test with matches against Afghanistan (September 9), Bangladesh (September 11) and Sri Lanka (September 15).
Yet with a mix of seasoned batters and a disciplined spin attack, the team will be aiming to script a breakthrough performance and finally register their first win at the continental showpiece.
Hong Kong squad: Yasim Murtaza (capt), Babar Hayat, Zeeshan Ali, Nizakat Khan, Nasrulla Rana, Martin Coetzee, Anshy Rath, Kalhan Challu, Ayush Shukla, Aizaz Khan, Ateeq Iqbal, Kinchit Shah, Ali Hassan, Shahid Wasif, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Mohammad Waheed, Ehsan Khan. (Agencies)
