Hong Kong face defeat in T20I Tri-Nations Cup after Malaysia shines in powerplay

BY IRA GORAWARA

KLANG, ML - When Hong Kong’s spinners orchestrated a breakthrough in the ninth over, a pocket of hope emerged in the visitors’ dugout.

After the guests yielded 15 runs per over in the powerplay, skipper Nizakat Khan handed the leather to his squad’s spin bowlers in an effort to flip the game’s trajectory.

And it didn’t take long for right-arm off-spin bowler Ehsan Khan to engineer the first departure of the match and subsequently claim his next two victims – opener Zubaidi Zulkifle and Malaysia’s captain Ahmad Faiz in consecutive balls.

Leg-spin bowler Mohammad Ghazanfar and left-arm off-spinner Anas Khan delivered wickets of their own, dispatching a beacon of hope for Hong Kong as the squad regained some control of the match.

It seemed as though Hong Kong had reversed its fortune after allowing 90runs in the powerplay – putting Malaysia in place to rack up well over 200 runs in its innings.

But even after Hong Kong’s spinners took the reins of the squad’s bowling attack, initial success was quickly thwarted by Vijay Unni and Virandeep Singh, Malaysian middle-order batsmen who steadied the innings for the hosts after suffering six quick losses courtesy of Hong Kong’s spin wizards.

The two hit the gas again towards the end of their innings, posting 20 runs in the penultimate over and propelling their squad to a competitive 181-run total – forcing Hong Kong to muster 9.1 runs per over to rival the total on the board.

Lackluster bowling and excessive extras plagued Hong Kong’s efforts with the ball. This included a prolonged fourth over that took 12 deliveries to complete, ultimately providing Malaysia with a windfall of 10 free runs in that over itself.

The early dismantling of Hong Kong’s opening partnership – as right-hand batsman Nasrulla Rana was forced back to the pavilion in the first over – ensnared the squad in a precarious position right off the bat. And it took just 14 more deliveries for Hong Kong’s skipper to walk off the pitch.

Filling the captain’s void was 15-year-old debutant Shiv Mathur, who made his inaugural appearance on the international field alongside Akbar Khan. The two were the next in line to be removed from Hong Kong’s pitch – after which the Hong Kong batsmen tumbled in succession.

Malaysia put on an efficient bowling display, committing just two extras compared to Hong Kong’s 23. In addition to their precision, the Malaysians limited Hong Kong to just five boundaries – and zero maximums – throughout their endeavors with the stick.

The prospect of a resurgent victory for Hong Kong grew dimmer with each over, as its required run rate incremented bit-by-bit after each ball bowled. Led by Singh’s four-wicket spell and Man of the Match performance, Malaysia’s bowlers waved goodbye to all of Hong Kong’s batsmen before the visitors could reach the 20-over mark.

Malaysian wicketkeeper Ainool Hafizs managed the final dismissal of the affair, removing a crown from Ghazanfar’s stumps. With that, the hosts had secured the first victory of the T20I Tri-Nations Cup, simultaneously snapping Hong Kong’s three-game win streak in the squads’ T20 matchups.

It’s back to the drawing boards for Hong Kong before the coin goes up against Papua New Guinea on Thursday at 10:30 a.m.