SL vs HK

This was a thriller! You just did not know which camp to put your money into! We will let you catch your breaths. This is Dwaipayan Mukherjee, signing off with my hardworking co-commentator, Bidipto Datta. We will see you soon! 

Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka captain): "When we were losing wickets, our hearts were in our mouths! I was disappointed with the way we started with the ball and then after the 16th over while batting, we were shoddy. Things do get out of hand in this format, but not so regularly. Credit has to be given to Hong Kong, they batted and bowled well. But as professionals, we have to do better than this." 

Yasim Murtaza (Hong Kong China captain) : "Yes, really proud with the way that our boys stood out. Specially in the batting, Nizakat and Anshuman's knocks were truly fulfilling. It was not ideal to drop catches and not be as sharp in the 2nd half of the 2nd innings. We were thinking to get 150-160 at the start of the game so that was a good effort. Positives for us revolve around playing at a big stage and it has given us a lot to work on once we go back." 

Pathum Nissanka (Player of the Match, 68 runs off 44 balls): "It was not an easy pitch to bat on, but I tried to drag the innings along to take it deeper. The more we got deeper, the more our chances came about! I am quite happy about how I am batting, especially on a wicket like this!" 

10:04PM local time (11:34 PM IST): Sri Lanka (153 for 6 from 18.5 overs) defeat Hong Kong China (149 for 4 from 20 overs)

Pathum Nissanka - 68 (44) | Yasim Murtaza - 2/37
Kusal Perera - 20 (16) | Ehsan Khan - 1/25

Sri Lanka were tested tonight! They huffed and puffed their way to the score! But 6 dropped catches help their cause! This might hold them in good stead as far as wake-up calls are concerned! Always better to stutter in the group stages than the knock-out phases of the game! 17th T20 fifty for Pathum Nissanka - the most by any Sri Lankan batter and he played a vital cog in this tricky chase.

Hong Kong China thought that they had an early breakthrough when Ayush Shukla trapped Pathum Nissanka in front of the wicket that was followed by the umpire raising his dreaded finger. But it was a successful review by the chasing side to reverse the decision. The runs were kept under the lid with only 11 runs in the first 3 overs and Kusal Mendis became the first wicket to fall in the 4th over, after playing out a maiden over.

The ball was stopping, gripping and turning a bit which kept the likes of Ehsan Khan, Yasim Murtaza and Kinchit Shah into the game right till the end of his spell. Hong Kong hardly provided any pace which was an area of strength when Sri Lanka had played against Bangladesh in their tournament opener. Hong Kong made Sri Lanka work for this. At the halfway stage, the score was 65 for 2.

A tough caught and bowled chance went down when Nissanka darted one straight to Ehsan Khan in the 11th over but when the Hong Kong players get to their hotels today, they just might think what could have been possible had that stuck in Ehsan Khan's hands. At that time, the opener was on 40. He went on to bring up his 4th Asia Cup fifty in the 13th over (equalling Virat Kohli's tally) that saw another half chance off Kusal Mendis not being grabbed. Nizakat Khan was the culprit when a relatively easy chance got grassed later in the same over.

Nissanka paced the innings beautifully, he did not panic when the going was tough and then switched gears effortlessly later in the chase with some productive shot selection and he was aided further when another opportunity went to ground in the 14th over. Hong Kong have taken 10 catches but they have also dropped 11 catches in Asia Cup 2025 which will be a big reason why they fly back home without any wins in the campaign.

In 14 balls since the 15th over, 4 wickets fell in quick succession soon after in what was a middle order collapse and a terrific comeback by Hong Kong's spinners. That's when Yasim Murtaza pulled off the cardinal sin of overstepping which was then capitalised to full effect by Hasaranga who smashed the free hit down the ground, over the bowler's head for a maximum. He showed his temperament to finish the game with the positive result. 

18.5 Ateequl Rehman Iqbal to Wanindu Hasaranga, FOUR RUNS TO FINISH IT! SRI LANKA WIN! Quite full on middle-stump. Hasaranga waited for it and drilled it down the ground to the right of the bowler for a boundary! That was bunted like an arrow! Hong Kong will rue those missed chances in the field! 

18.4 Ateequl Rehman Iqbal to Wanindu Hasaranga, FOUR RUNS! SCORES ARE LEVEL. Good length and just around off. Punched on the up by making room to the left of mid-off for a boundary. 

18.3 Ateequl Rehman Iqbal to Wanindu Hasaranga, good length on the pads. Tucked off the legs to deep backward square-leg's right for another brace! 

18.2 Ateequl Rehman Iqbal to Wanindu Hasaranga, good length on off-stump. A bit of a mistimed square-drive on the up that gets stroked to deep third for two. 

18.1 Ateequl Rehman Iqbal to Wanindu Hasaranga, back of a length on off. Chopped on the up to the short cover area from the back foot, no run. 

17.6 Yasim Murtaza to Dasun Shanaka, FOUR RUNS! Short and slow on off-stump. Shanaka gets into position on the back foot and heaves it to the left of deep mid-wicket for a boundary! Should have been fielded, that one! 

17.3 Yasim Murtaza to Wanindu Hasaranga, FREE HIT! SIX RUNS! Length ball on off-stump. Hasaranga comes forward, bends and smacks it over the right of long-off! 

17.3 Yasim Murtaza to Dasun Shanaka, round the wicket, good length around off. Bunted on the up to the wide long-off area on the up for a single. Well well, it is a front-foot no-ball!