Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong Highlights, Asia Cup 2025: Sri Lanka beat Hong Kong by 4 wickets

Ateeq Iqbal to Pathum Nissanka, Fractionally short and around middle, Nissanka presses back and pulls it in the gap towards deep mid-wicket for two runs.

Ateeq Iqbal to Pathum Nissanka, On a length, angling in, around middle, Pathum Nissanka gets cramped and chops it down beside the pitch on the off side. Kamil Mishara wants a single but is sent back.

Ateeq Iqbal to Kamil Mishara, Hard length and outside off, Kamil punches it towards mid off and takes a quick single to get off the mark on his sixth ball.

Anshy Rath is struggling with cramps here. The physio is in to check on him and is doing some stretching. However, he is walking off the field for now. Hopefully, it is nothing serious.

Ateeq Iqbal to Pathum Nissanka, On a length and angling in, around middle, PN knocks it down to long on for a single.

Ehsan Khan to Kamil Mishara, Arm ball, full and on middle, angling in, Kamil Mishara gets cramped up and misses his flick to get hit on the pads. Excellent comeback from Ehsan Khan after giving away three runs on his first ball, he ends with five dots.

Ehsan Khan to Kamil Mishara, Flatter, short and around off, Kamil Mishara steers it away to backward point.

Ehsan Khan to Kamil Mishara, Flighted, full and on middle, Kamil Mishara drives it to short covers.

Ehsan Khan to Kamil Mishara, Looped up, full and on middle, Kamil Mishara tries to push it away but ends up lobbing it in the air but it falls in front of mid off.

Ehsan Khan to Kamil Mishara, Tossed up, full and on off, turns away with bounce, Kamil Mishara stabs it out to short covers.

Ehsan Khan to Pathum Nissanka, Sloppy fielding! Floated, short and around off, Pathum Nissanka cuts it wide of point where the fielder dives over the ball. The ball rolls away in the deep as the batters take three runs.

Kamil Mishara is in at 3. Also, Ehsan Khan comes into the attack.

Ayush Shukla to Kusal Mendis, OUT! TAKEN! Ayush Shukla has the last laugh here! After conceding 15 in the over, he gets the breakthrough for Hong Kong, China. He bangs this hard into the pitch, on middle, and pace on this time. Kusal Mendis stays back and looks to pull it away, but the ball just gets a bit big on him. He gets a top edge as the ball goes high in the air, wide of deep square leg. Anshy Rath runs a long way to his left, keeps his eyes on the ball and takes a fantastic catch with a reverse cup, tumbling forward. Sri Lanka are 26/1, chasing 150!

Ayush Shukla to Kusal Mendis, FOUR! 15 runs already with one ball to go in the over! Another slower one, pitched up and on middle, Kusal Mendis reads it early this time, gets under it and smacks it over mid-wicket for four more runs.

Ayush Shukla to Kusal Mendis, Back of a length and around off, Kusal Mendis stabs it out to short covers.

Ayush Shukla to Kusal Mendis, FOUR! Gets it away! Pitched up but angling into the pads, and takes pace off. Kusal Mendis brings his wrists into the play and whips it away stylishly to the deep square leg fence for a boundary.

Ayush Shukla to Pathum Nissanka, Fuller one and outside off, slower too, Pathum Nissanka throws his bat at it but gets a top edge on the bounce to third man for a single.

Ayush Shukla to Pathum Nissanka, SIX! BANG! That will release a bit of pressure! Back of a length and on middle, it does not bounce that much and sits up nicely for the batter. Pathum Nissanka picks up the length quickly and smokes it over the deep square leg fence with ease for a biggie.

Ateeq Iqbal to Kusal Mendis, MAIDEN OVER! Brilliant stuff from Ateeq Iqbal! He hits the hard length and on off, Kusal Mendis just defends it on the back foot. Pressure building!

Ateeq Iqbal to Kusal Mendis, On a length and around of, Kusal Mendis pushes it to covers.

Ateeq Iqbal to Kusal Mendis, Pitched up and on middle, Kusal Mendis clips it to short mid-wicket. Four dots now!

Ateeq Iqbal to Kusal Mendis, Three dots in a row now! Back of a length and on middle, Kusal Mendis neither gets forward nor backward and just stays there to pat it on the pitch.

Ateeq Iqbal to Kusal Mendis, Full again and on middle, pace off, Kusal Mendis fends it away to short covers.

Ateeq Iqbal to Kusal Mendis, Fuller in length and on off, Kusal Mendis strides out and blocks it out.

Ayush Shukla to Pathum Nissanka, Bangs this into the pitch, on off, slower again, Pathum Nissanka this time goes through his pull early and takes a blow on his back. Fine over from Ayush Shukla!

Ayush Shukla to Pathum Nissanka, A big shout for LBW, and GIVEN! However, Pathum Nissanka takes the review after a chat with his partner. Ayush Shukla rolls his fingers to take pace off, full and on middle, and angles in a bit. Nissanka goes through his on-drive a bit early and misses, getting hit on the back pad. UltraEdge confirms no bat is involved, and Ball Tracking shows it just goes past the leg stump. A lucky escape for Nissanka as the on-field call gets overturned.

Ayush Shukla to Kusal Mendis, Back of a length and on off, Kusal Mendis stays back and works it towards mid on for a single.

Ayush Shukla to Kusal Mendis, Hits the length hard, on middle, angles in, Kusal Mendis has no room to work with and just pats it down the pitch.

Ayush Shukla to Kusal Mendis, Good length and on off, Kusal Mendis gets behind the line of it and blocks it out.

Ayush Shukla to Kusal Mendis, Ayush Shukla begins with a back-of-a-length delivery around off, Kusal Mendis rides the bounce well and punches it through cover-point for a brace. Gets off the mark as well.

Ayush Shukla will bowl from the other end. 

Yasim Murtaza to Pathum Nissanka, Quicker, short and on off, Pathum Nissanka pats it back towards the bowler. 8 runs off the first over!

Yasim Murtaza to Pathum Nissanka, FOUR! First one of the chase! Loopy delivery, full and on off, Pathum Nissanka goes down on his knee and lofts it down the ground. He knows that mid on is up in the circle and clears the fielder with ease for a boundary.

Yasim Murtaza to Pathum Nissanka, Slows it up, full and on off, Pathum Nissanka strides out and blocks it out to short covers.

Yasim Murtaza to Pathum Nissanka, Flatter, shortish and on leg, Pathum Nissanka clips it away wide of square leg as the fielder gives chase and collects it. Two taken.

Yasim Murtaza to Pathum Nissanka, Floated, short and around off, Pathum Nissanka stays back and steers it to backward point.

Yasim Murtaza to Pathum Nissanka, Pathum Nissanka and Sri Lanka get underway in the chase! Yasim Murtaza starts with a tossed up delivery, full and around off, Nissanka goes down and drives it firmly through covers for a couple of runs.

Back with the chase! The players of Hong Kong, China, come out and form a final huddle before they spread out to take their respective positions. Also, walk out the two openers of Sri Lanka, where Pathum Nissanka will open the innings alongside Kusal Mendis. Yasim Murtaza has the new ball in his hands, and he will start the proceedings. Here we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Sri Lanka bowled 42 dot balls, yet gave away 13 extras, which can prove costly in a game of fine margins. So here we are - 149/4 on the board. Will Sri Lanka’s batters make this a stroll, or can Hong Kong, China, produce the spells of their lives to make this chase a thriller? On this slow pitch, the Powerplay batting will be Sri Lanka’s best bet, using fielding restrictions to kill the game early. Let's see how it goes. The chase is about to begin, so hop up.

That control was broken by the partnership between Anshy Rath and Nizakat Khan. Rath anchored with 48, while Nizakat found timely boundaries, adding a crucial 61 runs for the third wicket. Rath fell just short of his fifty, undone by Chameera, and skipper Yasim Murtaza didn’t last long either, dismissed by Shanaka on his second ball. But Nizakat kept his calm, shifting gears in the final overs to finish unbeaten on 52 off 38 balls to drag his team close to 150.

The innings began with drama in the Powerplay. Zeeshan Ali got a lifeline on the fourth ball when an LBW decision was overturned, and then another when Chameera dropped him, all in the first over. Still, the reprieve didn’t last long as Dushmantha Chameera struck, removing Zeeshan for 23. By the end of six overs, Hong Kong, China, were 42/1, steady but not flying. Babar Hayat struggled to get going, falling to Hasaranga, and the Lankans looked on top at that time, where the ball was holding onto the surface for the spinners.

150 to chase? A TRICKY, TESTING, and perhaps just about COMPETITIVE total on a slow Dubai deck. Could it be enough for Hong Kong, China, to cause an upset? Their innings had bright moments but also lacked acceleration at crucial phases, finishing with 149/4. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s bowlers were sharp in patches, but they let the game drift in the middle and at the death, where Nizakat Khan's unbeaten 52 gave his team some hope. Now, it’s all about whether their bowlers can defend this or if Sri Lanka’s openers will crush the chase early in the Powerplay.

Maheesh Theekshana to Nizakat Khan, No, they can't! However, this is still a fantastic effort from them against a top side. Maheesh Theekshana floats it up, full and on off, Nizakat Khan lofts it down to long off for just one. Aizaz wants the second but is sent back, the throw comes at the keeper's end, where Kusal Mendis collects it wide of the stumps and takes the bails off. It is referred upstairs, and the third umpire is called in. However, the replay shows that Khan has made his ground. Hong Kong, China, finish on 149/4!

Maheesh Theekshana to Nizakat Khan, Maheesh Theekshana sees the batter advance and darts in a yorker, on middle, Nizakat Khan drills it down the pitch. Theekshana gets a hand on his follow-through as the ball hits the bat of the non-striker and stays put. Can Hong Kong, China get to 150 here?

There is a slight halt in the play as it looks like Nizakat Khan is struggling with cramps. The physio is out there, and Khan is having some refreshment drinks. He is up on his feet, back and good to continue for the last two balls.

Maheesh Theekshana to Nizakat Khan, FIFTY FOR KHAN! A fantastic knock from him. He is just the second player from Hong Kong, China, to score a fifty in the Asia Cup (T20s). Flighted, full and outside off, Nizakat Khan goes hard at it and slices it towards deep point for a brace. He raises his bat to take in all the applause. However, it looks like he is just struggling a bit with something here. 

Maheesh Theekshana to Aizaz Khan, Slows it up, short and on middle, Aizaz Khan goes through his pull early as the ball goes off his back towards point. A leg bye taken.

Maheesh Theekshana to Nizakat Khan, Fires one full and on middle, Nizakat Khan jams it out to long on for a run. Khan wants the second, but there isn't any.

Maheesh Theekshana to Aizaz Khan, Floated, full and on off, Aizaz Khan uses his feet and thrashes it to long off for a single.