Hong Kong’s shot at 2024 World Cup put into question after loss to Bahrain

BY IRA GORAWARA

KATHMANDU, NEP - Cricket proved its unpredictable nature on Tuesday in Nepal.

It was almost characteristic of the sport to dash a team’s optimism and momentum after just one game.

After a blistering opening victory against Kuwait in the 2023 T20 World Cup Qualifiers, Hong Kong was riding on batting momentum – particularly after Martin Coetzee’s 81-run exhibition – entering its second matchup against Bahrain. A win and a leading net run rate had Hong Kong commanding the Group B table and on track to secure a semifinals berth and be one step closer to a coveted spot in next year’s T20 World Cup.

But as cricket goes, one lackluster performance radically redirected Hong Kong’s orbit. Wednesday’s matchup against the undefeated UAE squad will now single-handedly solidify or shatter Hong Kong’s chances at a World Cup appearance.

Aizaz Khan proved his qualification as Hong Kong’s all-round stalwart, this time sacking two Bahraini batsmen in the opening three overs to force his adversaries to regroup early in the game and ensure it could muster up a defendable total.

It didn’t take long for Bahrain to decipher the key to that demand, as left-hand batsman Imran Ali dispatched an Aizaz Khan delivery to point for four runs in the second ball of his innings. An emphatic start to his innings, Ali managed to remain on his crease till the 20th over when right-arm pacer Nasrulla Rana forced the batsman to feather the ball to wicket-keeper Zeeshan Ali who clutched the ball to complete the dismissal.

But a 20th-over expulsion after Ali’s 62-run showing off 43 balls was too little too late for Hong Kong. Ali’s 17-over long innings had already bolstered Bahrain to a defendable total of 146.

Hong Kong’s bowlers didn’t concede an excess of boundaries or maximums that allowed Bahrain to recover from a slow start to post a compelling total. But their sloppy efforts with the ball yielded 21 extras – Bahrain’s second-highest scorer of the affair.

Without any direct way of measuring this, perhaps Hong Kong’s 21 extras proved the difference maker in the contest as Hong Kong left Mulpani Cricket Ground suffering a 20-run loss.

In a contest that has the potential of sending a team to as grand of a stage as the T20 World Cup, there’s minimal margin to allow an opposition unearned runs.

After a double-wicket final over by Rana, Hong Kong had bundled up all of Bahrain’s batsmen with three balls to spare. Required to garner 7.35 runs per over, Hong Kong’s linchpin for a successful run chase would be a durable opening partnership.

The ousting of Hong Kong’s first three batsmen within four overs left the squad bereft of a strong batting foundation and in a precarious position in the game.

Anshuman Rath and Aizaz Khan’s brewing partnership forced what could have been the anchor in Hong Kong’s pursuit of 147 runs. But after batting steadily through seven consecutive overs, the latter was trapped leg-before-wicket to Imran Anwar’s delivery, as this dismissal triggered a collapse of Hong Kong’s innings.

A ferocious Rana strode on to his crease at the end of the 13th over, his gaze fixed solely on the ropes. Two maximums and a boundary in the 14th ignited a brief flicker of hope in the Hong Kong pavilion.

But that spark was short-lived for a reason.

Rana’s bails were rattled right after his 20-run over, and when back-to-back batsmen became Bahrain’s seventh and eighth dismissals in the 17th over, Hong Kong seemed to have accepted its losing fate.

Bahrain managed to run through all of Hong Kong’s batsmen to tally its first triumph of the tournament by a 20-run margin.

The men in red will take the field against UAE on Wednesday at 11:15 a.m. NPT. After their relegation to third in Group B standings, a domination in this match will be their only ticket of advancement in this Qualifier.