Hong Kong’s hopes of qualifying for the T20 World Cup were dealt a huge blow on Tuesday with a shocking 20-point loss to Bahrain.
Nizakat Khan’s side paid dearly for the collapse of their top order and their bowling performance, conceding 21 extra runs while their opponents defended 146 runs to win in Nepal.
There were strong expectations that they would repeat their comfortable win against Kuwait in the first match, and a victory would have set them up for a battle against the UAE for the top spot in Group B.
But this time, Hong Kong will be competing against the group favorites for a spot in the World Cup, with only the top two teams advancing to Friday’s semi-finals. The two finalists in Nepal will qualify for next year’s global showpiece to be held in the West Indies and the United States.
However, for Hong Kong, who are ranked 21st in the world, the road to integration with the world’s best team became even more difficult, as they escaped a predicament against a team ranked seven places below them.
After winning the toss, Khan chose to bat first despite defeating Kuwait and the UAE in their final warm-up match.
And when Bahrain slumped to 3-24, the decision looked vindicated, but Imran Ali rescued his team’s innings with 62 off 43 balls, taking three wickets in the final over. I caught up with Nasrullah Rana.
20 wides and a one-leg bye by the Hong Kong bowlers helped Bahrain post a total of 146 at 6 for 6.
The Hong Kong captain has struggled with the bat, averaging just 7.67 in his last six innings as he dropped four in his first over.
Meanwhile, fellow opening pitcher Martin Coetzee entered the game with a record in the 80s, but alarm bells rang when he dropped two. The warning sirens got louder when Ali Dawood burst through Babar Hayat’s defense to rattle Hong Kong 13-3.
Aizaz Khan and Ansee Rath put together a partnership of 50, but both lost their wickets within 11 balls, and despite late-order hits from Rana and wicketkeeper Zeeshan Ali, Hong Kong lost just five balls. He was sent off with a score of 126.
Bahrain have a superior net run rate and have just finished their pool game against powerhouse Kuwait, so they go into the match against the UAE knowing that a win alone will not be enough.