Bangladesh vs Hong Kong, Asia Cup 3rd T20I Highlights: Litton Das scores half century as Bangladesh defeat Hong Kong by 7 wickets

Iqbal will bowl this one and he has got Litton who tries a big hit and is castled!! Jaker Ali in and with a leg bye, the scores are level. Hridoy on strike and he can finish this one off. Iqbal making him wait though and he finally gets a hit away and gets the single. Bangladesh win!!

Ehsan will bowl what is likely to be the last over of the match. Hridoy takes a single, followed by another by Litton. 4 more to get. And more singles with just 2 runs left. And we will still have another over.

BAN 142/2 after 17 overs

Murtaza in to bowl the next one and litton welcomes him with a slog sweep which yields a six!! Follows it up with 2 more as he gets to 50!! And you guessed it, he takes 2 more before he plays a cut shot to get a four as they roar towards the target!! 2 more balls left in this over and they need 8. Takes a single and Hridoy can see this over off. He takes a single and keeps strike.

BAN 138/2 after 16 overs

Ehsan Khan will continue and litton has changed gears as he slaps the second ball through the offside for a 4!!! Bangladesh closing in quickly. The singles keep on mounting before Hridoy heaves one towards the deep midwicket boundary!! But it's saved for just 2 runs.

BAN 122/2 after 15 overs

Shukla brought back and starts with a cutter which Litton pushes for a single. Hridoy with 2 more as the target is getting closer. And a four now!! Gets a top edge and that's over the keeper to third man boundary!! And that's followed up with a lap shot as Litton gets 4 more!! Target down under 40.

BAN 112/2 after 14 overs

Kinchit Shah in the attack now and an excellent reverse sweep from Litton to welcome him. Follows it up with a single and Hridoy is brought on strike. He takes a single as well, followed by one more from Litton. That's the 50-run partnership up for this duo. 100 up for Bangladesh.

BAN 100/2 after 13 overs

Aizaz to bowl his third over and shouts for an LBW on Litton. Not given by the umpire so Hong Kong review. And it looks to have hit the gloves so it's not given as the third umpire says that the evidence was not conclusive. Litton with a single now to put Hridoy on strike. Quick 2 runs now as the running between wickets have been excellent. Back to back wides now. Bangladesh won't mind this at all. 7 from this one

BAN 89/2 after 12 overs

Murtaza back in the attack after the drinks break and yields 2 singles off the first 2 deliveries. Hridoy goes inside out next but gets just 2 as Ayush cuts it off before it can reach the boundary. And Litton gets 2 more as Bangladesh are trudging towards the target.

BAN 82/2 after 11 overs

Aizaz Khan will continue and Litton and Hridoy are dealing in quick runs at the moment as the target gets smaller and smaller. Just 3 from the first 3 balls though as Aizaz keeps it pretty tight. Hridoy swings and misses the 4th ball as his patience looks to have worn thin. Just 4 off this one.

BAN 74/2 after 10 overs

On to the 9th over and Murtaza to bowl this one and yields just 3 singles from the first 4 deliveries as the boundaries have dried up. Ultimately just 4 from this one.

BAN 70/2 after 9 overs

Aizaz Khan in to bowl the 8th over and Hridoy and Litton take back to back singles. Follows it up with two dots as Khan keeps Bangladesh on the backfoot. Wide ball!! He'll have to bowl that one again. Hridoy cuts the extra ball for a single and Litton ends the over playing a dot.

BAN 66/2 after 8 overs

Captain Murtaza now with the ball in hand. His Bangladesh counterpart Litton will face him. He starts with back to back dots as we have a break in play as Litton is not happy with something on the sight screen. Plays a sweep next to get 2 and follows it up with a four through the covers. And a no ball next but the bowler does well to keep the free hit down to a single.

BAN 62/2 after 7 overs

Iqbal will bowl the last over of the powerplay and gives away just 1 from the first couple of deliveries. Tanzid swings and misses the third. And with the pressure building, Tanzid is gone!! Tries a big shot early, doesn't get all of it and Nizakat with a great catch!!

Tanzid Hasan c Nizakat Khan b Ateeq Iqbal 14(18)

Ehsan Khan in the attack now and yields 3 runs from the first two deliveries as the BAN batters' running between the wickets have been immaculate. And that's 5 wides!!! Not what Hong Kong want at this juncture. 14 from this over. Bangladesh cruising.

BAN 46/1 after 5 overs

Iqbal will continue and dear, dear!! That has gone fine, through the keeper for 4 byes!! Tanzid slams the next one and gets 2 more. That is followed by 2 more as the scoreboard is kept busy. 8 from this over.

BAN 32/1 after 4 overs

Ayush Shukla will continue and Emon with a single to get off the mark. Tanzid in the other end now and he has an opportunity to get something off a free hit as Shukla has overstepped. It's sliced up in the air and it's just a single. So no real harm done. Great running by Emon and Tanzid to get 2 more. Aaand Shukla rushes Emon as he gets an top edge and hauls it over the third man rope for a SIX!!! AND GONE!!! Emon tries to go for a big hit, doesn't get the distance and Hayat with an easy catch

Parvez Hossain Emon c Hayat b Ayush Shukla 19(14)

Ateeq Iqbal will bowl the second over and he does well to keep Emon quiet for the first couple of deliveries. Finally gets off the mark with a single off the 5th over as Iqbal keeps it tight. 2 runs to end. Just 4 from this one.

BAN 13/0 after 2 overs

Welcome back to the chase. Ayush Shukla will be bowling to Parvez Hossain Emon with Tanzid Hasan in the non-striker's end. And just the start that BAN needed as Emon gets back to back boundaries. One was deliberate which he smashed through the covers while the next one was lucky as he got an inner-edge for a four to third man. Good start, 9 off the first over.

BAN 9/0 after 1 over

Taskin will bowl the final over and he has snapped up a wicket as well as Hong Kong are crumbling. Azaz goes high and it goes down the throat of Jaker Ali. A no ball now, Taskin's second of the match. Free hit for HKG. Just a single off it so no real harm done. Last ball of the over and it ends with a single.

HKG react 143/7 after 20 overs

AAAND ANOTHER SHOUT FOR AN LBW AND IT'S GIVEN!! Kinchit Shah, however opts to go for the review. No bat involved, finds UltraEdge and we are waiting for ball tracking. Plumb, three reds. Review lost.

Kinchit Shah lbw b Rishad Hossain 0(1)

Penultimate over of the HKG innings now. Rishad to bowl this one. Starts with a single as Azaz Khan goes off strike. Nizakat to face the next one and he has smashed it over the long on ropes for a SIX!!! He is nearing his 50 now. Tries again, gets a leading edge but it falls safely. AND GONE!!! He has hit it straight into the hands of Tanzim!!

Nizakat Khan c Tanzim Hasan Sakib b Rishad Hossain 42(40)

AAAND A RUN OUT NOW. That's gifting the wicket away. Nizakat Khan's hit gets a fielder and murtaza just ran but his partner doesn't. the HKG captain is in no man's land now as Rishad calmly takes off the bails.

Yasim Murtaza run out (Rishad Hossain/Mustafizur) 28(19)

Taskin Ahmed is brought back and Nizakat Khan at long last gets a boundary as he bottom-edges the yorker to third man. Takes a single next and Murtaza has 3 balls to deal with. And after a dot, Murtaza pulls and finds a gap for a 4!! An appeal now for a caught behind but Litton says he heard nothing so no review.

HKG 117/3 after 17 overs

Mustafizur back in the attack and yields 3 runs from the first couple of deliveries as he keeps Murtaza in check. Tries too hard next as he bowls a full toss across the batter for a wide. A quicker bouncer which Nizakat swings at and misses. Good over. Just 6 from it.

HKG 107/3 after 16 overs

Mahedi Hasan back in the attack and gives away 2 singles to start. A great bit of fielding from Tanzim in the deep to save a certain boundary!! It's getting checked though. And it's absolutely fine. Nizakat tries a huge shot but his luck is out this match as he can't get a boundary away. Just a single. On the other end, Murtaza is dealing in sixes as he slams it over the long on fielder for another maximum!! 100 up.

HKG 101/3 after 15 overs

Tanzim to bowl out with this over and Nizakat is beaten off the first ball!! Shimmies sideways next and gets off the mark with a single. Emon with a save now but he's hurt it looks like as he goes off the field to get treatment. And Murtaza with a huge six next as it sails over the backward square leg boundary!! 11 off this one.

HKG 89/3 after 14 overs

Rishad back in the attack and Nizakat tries to swing for the fences, can't quite get the full bat to it and gets just a single. Captain Murtaza and Nizakat mines some singles now as the scoreboard is kept ticking. And Murtaza with a shot straight down the ground for a 4 to get off the mark. Goes again and almost caught!! Rishad got his right hand up but it just pops out of his hands.

HKG 78/3 after 13 overs

Tanzim Hasan Sakib brought back into the atatck and starts with back to back dots. With the pressure building, Zeeshan tries to go for a big hit again, gets it high but not wide and Mustafizur takes a great catch!!

Zeeshan Ali c Mustafizur b Tanzim Hasan Sakib 30(34)

Mahedi to bowl after drinks and Zeeshan finds the gap once again to get a 4!! There's a sudden surge in the run rate after a quiet start. Back to back dots follow before Nizakat takes a single of his own. 7 from this one.

HKG 71/2 after 11 overs

Mustafizur to bowl the 10th now and Nizakat swings at that quick delivery and misses!! Follows that up with a slower which Nizakat lets go, unsure if he wants to have a poke at it. Quicker again as the fizz brings out all the variations in this over. And another quicker as Nizakat gets a huge outside edge but it falls safely between the two fielders. Zeeshan on strike and he rides the cutter and gets the gap for a boundary!!

HKG 64/2 after 10 overs

Rishad will continue and Zeeshan plays an inside out off the second ball for a maximum!! Over long on it goes!! And follows that up with another shot which finds the gap for a four!! That's more like it from Hong Kong. 13 from this one.

HKG 58/2 after 9 overs

Mahedi Hasan brought back in the attack now. And 3 wides off the third delivery as he misses everyone. Zeeshan with a sweep to get a single as the run rate is crawling at the moment. Just over 5.60. 8 from the over.

HKG 45/2 after 8 overs

Rishad brought in to bowl now as Nizakat gets a bat to the first ball and takes a single. A reverse sweep from Zeeshan but gets just a single. Back to back dots next as Rishad keeps it tight. Just 3 from this one.

HKG 37/2 after 7 overs

Last over of the powerplay and Mustafizur is in the attack. Nizakat pushes the first ball for 2 runs before taking a quick single to put Zeeshan on strike. Back to back dots as The Fizz utilizes the seam movement expertly. A half-hearted shout for an LBW again but turned down. Was pitching outside the leg stump anyway.

HKG 34/2 after 6 overs

Penultimate over of the powerplay and the replay shows that Zeeshan hadn't completed the run in the last over so just a single instead of the 2 in the last ball. Tanzim, meanwhile, will bowl the fifth and starts with back to back dots. And Hayat finally middles one and it sails over the long off ropes for a SIX!! And he's gone the next ball!! Hayat tries another big hit and that's gone straight through his gates and rattled his stumps.

Hayat b Tanzim Hasan Sakib 14(12)

On to the 4th over and Taskin will continue his spell. Hayat and Zeeshan take singles off the first two deliveries. And Hayat tries a big shot but does not get the middle as it fall in no man's land for the batter to add 2 runs to his tally. Follows that up with another mistimed shot but this time gets 3 runs. 2 more runs to end.

HKG 25/1 after 4 overs

Tanzim brought into the attack for the 3rd over and what a jaffa to start!! That had bounce and pace, almost head height and straight to the keeper!! Almost a run out next but Hridoy misses!! Zeeshan was a goner if it had found the target. Hayat smacks the next ball but gets the toe-end so gets only 1. Zeeshan with a big heave now and misses wildly!! Gets stared down by the bowler. A bouncer to end as Tanzim brings out the stare once again.

HKG 16/1 after 2 overs

Taskin Ahmed now with the ball in hand. And starts with an outswinger which narrowly misses Rath's willow. Oh wait, that's a no ball as well. Free hit for Hong Kong and Rath slashes it through the offside for a 4!! Huge shout for a caught behind now but the umpire is again unmoved. Taskin thinks he got an outside edge and he convinces his captain to take the review. And there's a spike when the ball passes the bat. That's a stone-cold dismissal!!

Anshuman Rath c Litton Das b Taskin Ahmed 4(5)

Hasan in to bowl the first over and Hong Kong start with 2 runs. And there's a huge shout by the bowler for an LBW on Zeeshan. The umpire isn't interested so Bangladesh review. UltraEdge shows no bat involved. And the impact is umpire's call. Very close to BAN's first breakthrough. Just the 2 rom this one.

HKG 2/0 after 1 over

And we are away with Zeeshan Ali and Anshuman Rath starting the innings for Hong Kong. Mahedi Hasan will start the attack for Bangladesh as they opt to start with spin.

And here are the two teams in the ground as the national anthems are underway. first, Hong Kong's, followed by Bangladesh's.

Sep 12: Pakistan vs Oman, 4th Match, Group A

Sep 13: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 5th Match, Group B

Sep 14: India vs Pakistan, 6th Match, Group A

Sep 15: United Arab Emirates vs Oman, 7th Match, Group A

Sep 15: Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong, 8th Match, Group B

Sep 16: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, 9th Match, Group B

Sep 17: Pakistan vs United Arab Emirates, 10th Match, Group A

Sep 18: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, 11th Match, Group B

Sep 19: India vs Oman, 12th Match, Group A

Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Litton Das (C & wk), Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman

Zeeshan Ali(w), Anshuman Rath, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Kalhan Challu, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza(c), Aizaz Khan, Ehsan Khan, Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal

Litton: We'll bowl first. First game for us, don't know how the pitch will behave so looking to bowl. Have played very good cricket in the last three series but these are different conditions. Three seamers, two spinners and six batters. Every game is important for us. Have to give 100 percent.

Murtaza: Wanted to bat first. We got what we wanted. Made few mistakes in the middle with the batters in the last game. Whatever has happened has happened in the past. New day today.

We are now in the middle for the toss. Litton spins the coin and he wins the toss and Bangladesh opt to bowl first against Hong Kong

Sep 9: Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, 1st Match, Group B: AFG won by 94 runs

Sep 10: United Arab Emirates vs India, 2nd Match, Group A: IND won by 9 wickets

Group A: India, Pakistan, Oman, UAE

Group B: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Hong Kong

Tonight's match takes place at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi which has so far hosted 91 T20 matches. Teams batting first in this venue have won 42 times while the teams chasing have won 49 times. The highest score ever in this ground was 225/7 by Ireland vs Afghanistan which the Irish won by 68 runs.

Oct 2: Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, 1st T20I

Oct 3: Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, 2nd T20I

Oct 5: Afghanistan vs Bangladesh, 3rd T20I

When it comes to the top bowlers of the tournament so far, India's Kuldeep Yadav leads the roost with his 4-wicket haul against UAE on Wednesday. He is followed by Shivam Dube who took 3 and Gulbadin Naib rounds up the Top 3. They are followed by Fazalhaq Farooqi and Kinchit Shah of Hong Kong in the Top 5

From the top of the pile, India gnash their teeth, the sport’s invulnerable powerhouse. The next Asian side, Sri Lanka, is six spots beneath them. Behind them are clustered Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, in one chunk, reflecting the diminishing prowess of the Asian bloc. Asian teams, with the passion and talent supply, apart from the T20 leagues, were touted to dominate the shortest format. But it has not quite unfolded the predicted way.

In this time of despair, an adolescent Hussain, his world revolving around tape-ball tennis in the dry, parched fields, picked up a cricket ball and found that he was releasing the ball from his wrists, not finger. “The first time I picked the ball, I gripped it like a leg-spinner. It came naturally to me, and I stuck with it,” Rishad said in an interview with Daily Star. His childhood coach Arman Ali didn’t bother to tweak or tamper with what came naturally to him. “I didn’t change because there was no need to change,” says Ali, aka Monu bhai. “He was raw but had a spark, because of his height got good bounce, was brisk. He had to develop control, but the talent was there and took wickets in heaps in school cricket,” he says. (READ MORE)

As of now, the highest run-scorers' list have been dominated by Afghanistan which is no secret due to their thumping win against Hong Kong in their previous match. India have also played their first match but they had such a apaltry score to chase vs UAE, their batters didn't have the opportunity to score runs.

Sediqullah Atal (AFG), Azmatullah Omarzai (AFG), Babar Hayat (HK), Mohammad Nabi (AFG) and Abhishek Sharma (IND) are currently the top 5 batters of the tournament.

Bangladesh:

vs Sri Lanka on September 13

vs Afghanistan on September 16

Hong Kong:

vs Sri Lanka on September 15

Bangladesh: Parvez Hossain Emon, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Litton Das(w/c), Towhid Hridoy, Saif Hassan, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Nurul Hasan, Shoriful Islam, Shamim Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib

Hong Kong: Zeeshan Ali(w), Anshuman Rath, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Kalhan Challu, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza(c), Aizaz Khan, Ehsan Khan, Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Shahid Wasif, Nasrulla Rana, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Mohammad Waheed, Martin Coetzee, Ali Hassan

Hong Kong have started off their Asia Cup campaign with a 94-run loss to Afghanistan and it'll basically be game over for them if they fall to Bangladesh as well, which looking at BAN's run of form coming into the tournament, seems pretty likely. They'll then have only a match left vs Sri Lanka, which to be fair, might also be out of their reach and they are in the danger of not even opening their points tally. But a win against BAN might change all that.

Bangladesh comes into the Asia Cup on the back of bilateral series win against Netherlands, Pakistan as well as Sri Lanka. They defeated Netherlands earlier this month 2-0 and before that in July, put down Pakistan 2-1. Also in July, they snapped up a 2-1 series win against Sri Lanka as well.

BAN: Litton Das (C), Tanzid Hasan, Mohammad Parvez Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman

HK: Zeeshan Ali (wk), Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Challu, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, KD Shah, Yasim Murtaza (C), Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan

Bangladesh and Hong Kong have faced each other just once in their history, back in 2014 where the Bangla Tigers coming up trumps with a 2 wicket win.

It's time for the second match of Group B as Bangladesh begin their Asia Cup campaign against minnow Hong Kong., who have already lost convincingly to Afghanistan in their opening match. things won't get easier for them on Thursday as well as they take on one of the most consistent T20I teams in the past one year in Bangladesh. Can they pull off an upset or will it be business as usual? Find out in our live blog here.