Asia Cup 2022, IND vs HK: Hong Kong's predicted playing XI for Match 4

After three back-to-back wins in the Asia Cup qualifiers, Hong Kong has once again made it to the grand stage of Asian cricket. The team defeated Singapore by eight runs and won against Kuwait and UAE by eight wickets to make it here but from now on, things will be extremely difficult for the Nizakat Khan-led side. To qualify for the next round of the tournament, the team needs to win against Pakistan but with a win over India, things can be much easier for the 20th ranked team of ICC’s Men’s T20I.

There’s a lot of discussion about how they should shae up against the number one T20I side in the world but it’s unlikely that they will make any tactical changes after their three back-to-back wins.

Here’s a look at Hong Kong’s predicted XI for opening encounter against India

Openers - Nizakat Khan and Yasim Murtaza

Captain Nizakat Khan is in good form lately and will be opening the batting with Yasim Murtaza. The duo has played some sensational cricket in the qualifiers and has a partnership of 144 runs in the three matches that they played so far.

Yasim Murtaza has been the showstopper of the side with his two half-centuries against UAE and Kuwait. He has made 134 runs in the tournament so far. He has been a deadly bowler for Hong Kong as well. In the 12 overs that he has bowled, Murtaza gave away just 54 runs and picked up 3 wickets in the process. He has by far been Hong Kong’s best player in the tournament.

The captain on the other hand scored 85 in the three matches. His strike-rate can be a matter of concern but as long as he is scoring the important runs, the team will not bother. Especially because he played a crucial role in the 2018 Asia Cup when Hong Kong was on the verge of defeating India but eventually lost the match by just 26 runs.

Middle Order - Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Scott Mckechnie, Zeeshan Ali

Babar Hayat will be batting at number three for Hong Kong. With a 50 against Kuwait, Babar scored 97 runs in the three qualifiers that he has played. He is known to strike the ball well and score quick runs for the team. He was batting at a strike-rate of 176.67 against Kuwait while had 146.15 against UAE. He can target the Indian bowlers if Hong Kong manages to start well in the match. 

Kinchit Shah will follow Babar Hayat and will be batting at number four. The Indian-born southpaw scored 34 off 32 deliveries in the first match and remained not-out against UAE with 6 runs from 6 balls. He’s also a part time bowler and picked a wicket against Singapore in the first qualifier.

Scott Mckechnie will be batting at number six. The wicketkeeper scored 11 off 12 deliveries against Singapore and also his record in the recent past isn’t something he can be proud of. He is a flexible player and can bat anywhere in the middle.

Zeeshan Ali will be batting at number seven and can hit the ball hard. He is given the role of finishing the games for Hong Kong and will be key in the key stage of the tournament. If required he can bat above Scott Mckechnie in the team.

All-rounder- Aizaz Khan

Aizaz Khan will be batting at number five in the team. He is an important player for the squad as the all rounder already made a significant contribution with the ball. In the three matches, Aizaz bowled 9.3 overs and picked up four wickets giving away 56 runs. He didn’t get a lot of chances to bat but will fancy himself in pressure situations. His skills will be tested against India and Pakistan in the main round of the Asia Cup. 

Bowlers- Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar

Right-arm medium pacer Haroon Arshad will be the number eight player in the team. He can prove to be costly at times. He didn’t have a great time with the bowl so far but can be a handy batter in the lower middle order.

The 37-year-old veteran Ehsan Khan is Hong Kong’s main strike bowler and picked 9 wickets in the three qualifiers. He picked 4-wickets against UAE in the last match and gave away just 24 runs in the process. If he manages to strike early, the bowlers in the middle overs can keep India under pressure.

Spinner Mohammad Ghazanfar can be economical and has picked 3 wickets so far in the tournament. The right arm pacer Ayush Shukla was brilliant against UAE and picked up four wickets in the two matches that he played. The 19-year-old has enough firepower in him and is considered as Hong Kong’s future.

Hong Kong Probable XI - Nizakat Khan ©, Yasim Murtaza, Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott Mckechnie (WK), Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghaznafar, Ayush Shukla.