Hong Kong make disappointing return to international cricket with 4-wicket loss to Kuwait
- Bowler Ayush Shukla concedes record 56 runs from 3.5 overs in T20i Tri-Nations Series, while several batters struggle for runs
Hong Kong made a losing return to international cricket on Wednesday, slumping to a four-wicket defeat by Kuwait in their opening fixture of the T20i Tri-Nations Series in Malaysia.
And Ayush Shukla got the sort of record no fast bowler wants, conceding an eye-watering 56 runs from his 3.5 overs at Selangor Turf Club – the most by a Hong Kong bowler in a T20 international.
To make matters worse for the opening quick, his bowling display, which included two wides and two no balls, came a day after head coach Simon Willis had said his side were finally getting over their fielding woes.
The batsmen also showed up their head coach, with Nizakat Khan (57) and Babar Hayat (41) once again providing the bulk of the runs in an innings where Hong Kong scored 168 for eight in their 20 overs.
Opener Anshy Rath, Aizaz Khan and Yasim Murtaza were all out for 16, while of their teammates only wicketkeeper Zeeshan Ali, who was run out for nine, came close to double figures.
Despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, in discussing his side’s “outstanding” preparation for a gruelling eight months of cricket, which includes the start of T20 World Cup qualification later this month, Willis had insisted his side batted “from one to 11”.
Kuwait reached 169 with seven balls to spare. Clinto Anto scored 33 from 25 balls at the top of the order, while Bilal Tahir (36*) and Muhammad Umar (20) put on 57 for the sixth wicket, taking their side from 98-5 in the 12th over to 155-6 in the 18th.
Hong Kong’s next game is against the hosts on Friday, with a second game against Kuwait the following day. They face Malaysia on Monday, with a final pencilled in for Tuesday.
Immediately after, the journey to end a decade-long wait for a second World Cup appearance begins, and Willis said that “every game now is about winning”.
“We will select the team that we believe gives us the best chance given the conditions we’re facing,” he said. “We know if we play at our best, we can beat most teams in associate [member] cricket.”
All three teams in the current series will be involved in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Asia subregional Qualifier A, which starts on August 30 in Kuala Lumpur, and also includes Singapore, the Maldives, Mongolia and Myanmar.
Before arriving in Malaysia, Hong Kong travelled to Colombo for two practice matches against Sri Lanka’s Emerging squad.
Hong Kong struggled in the first, giving up 183 runs with the ball and then falling well short in the run chase, despite skipper Nizakat Khan’s valiant 52.
Martin Coetzee and Babar Hayat ensured it was a different story second time around, scoring 43 and 78, respectively, as Willis’ side scored 178, and then squeezed to a five-run win on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method when the rain came.
The overall performance left Willis confident his team, which has struggled in the field on occasion, were steadily improving in all facets of the game.
“Our fielding: we’re taking a large percentage of our opportunities when they come along, whether that’s catches or run-outs,” Willis said.
While Khan, Coetzee and Hayat combined for 197 of their side’s runs in Sri Lanka, Willis said there was the ability to get runs throughout the team.
“It’s shown in the past that even if we lose early wickets, we’ve got the experience and quality in our middle and lower order to get us up to a competitive score,” he said.
“There’s no responsibility on one or two players, it’s very much a collective unit that’s playing with confidence.”
Hong Kong squad: Nizakat Khan (capt), Yasim Murtaza (vice-capt), Adil Mehmood, Aizaz Khan, Anas Khan, Anshuman Rath, Ateequl Rehman Iqbal, Ayush Shukla, Babar Hayat, Ehsan Khan, Martin Coetzee, Nasrulla Rana, Rajab Hussain, Zeeshan Ali.
