Nissanka fifty

helps SL edge sloppy HK in a thriller

By Champika Fernando in Dubai

Sri Lanka were made to work much harder than they would have liked before sealing a nervy four-wicket win over Hong Kong China in their second Asia Cup match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium last night.

What was billed as a routine chase of 150 turned into a far more complicated affair as Hong Kong bowled with heart and discipline, and only a spate of dropped catches denied them the chance of pulling off something extraordinary. Six chances went down in all – four of them from the bat of Pathum Nissanka (two either side of his half-century) and two off Kusal Perera (on 4 and 5) – and those errors ultimately cost the Associate side dearly.

Earlier, Hong Kong put together a highly respectable 149 for 4 after being sent in. Zeeshan Ali’s brisk 23 set the early tempo, and although wickets fell either side of the powerplay, the innings was held together by Nizakat Khan. He shared a 61-run stand with Anshuman Rath, who played fluently for 48 before holing out at deep mid-wicket.
Nizakat carried on, surviving some edgy moments to finish unbeaten on 50 off 42 deliveries – only the second Hong Kong batter to score a half-century in the T20 Asia Cup. Their innings may not have been flawless, but it was full of intent and enough to rattle Sri Lanka’s bowlers, who struggled in the heat. Dushmantha Chameera picked up two wickets, but the rest of the attack looked flat. Maheesh Theekshana, brought in for Matheesha Pathirana, was largely ineffective.

Sri Lanka’s reply began nervously. Kusal Mendis struck two early boundaries but was soon caught at deep mid-wicket, leaving the score at 26 for 1. This was after Ateeq Iqbal produced a rare maiden over that tightened the squeeze, and by the end of the powerplay Sri Lanka had crawled to 35 for 1 – a sluggish start that gave Hong Kong belief.

Kamil Mishara, fresh from his heroics against Bangladesh, showed glimpses of form but perished to a diving catch in the deep for 19 off 18 balls.

It was Nissanka who held the chase together, though he did so with the full co-operation of Hong Kong’s fielders. He was dropped on 22, 40, 63 and 68, and made them pay by reaching his 17th T20 international half-century from 35 balls. He looked set to carry Sri Lanka home before a run-out cut him short on 71, the result of a muddled second run and a fine throw from Yasim Murtaza.

Kusal Perera’s vigil ended tamely when he was trapped in front sweeping across the line the very next ball after Nissanka departed. Suddenly Sri Lanka were wobbling, and at 119 for 4 the contest was still alive.

Charith Asalanka and Kamindu Mendis had only short stays in the middle, but Dasun Shanaka and Wanindu Hasaranga kept their cool in the closing overs, hitting a flurry of boundaries to ensure there would be no upset. The winning runs eventually came with eight balls to spare, but the relief on Sri Lankan faces told its own story. Hasaranga made a quick-fire 20 off 9 balls while Shanaka remained unbeaten on 6 off 3 as they walked back to the dressing room with a sigh of relief.

For Sri Lanka, the performance was far from the polished display they produced against Bangladesh in their opening match. The bowling looked ragged, the batting over-reliant on Nissanka, and the fielding lacked sharpness. But they will take the points, and in tournament cricket that is sometimes all that matters.

Hong Kong, meanwhile, walked away with heads held high. Nizakat’s landmark innings, Rath’s enterprise, and the discipline of their bowlers showed they can compete at this level. Their fielding, however, betrayed their inexperience, and against seasoned opponents those errors are rarely forgiven.