Match Facts: Bangladesh v Hong Kong
Bangladesh is almost assured of progressing to the Super 10 phase of the ICC Twenty20 2014 after two comprehensive wins that have acted as morale and confidence boosters. A win against Hong Kong on Thursday (March 20) will mean a spot in the Super 10 is sealed beyond doubt and give Bangladesh a hat-trick of wins ahead of its clashes against the higher ranked teams. On the other hand, Hong Kong is coming into its final match of the tournament on the back of two losses and nothing to lose. Those who have watched Hong Kong through the qualifiers would say the team has far more talent than the results reflect so far, and that will be a key motivating factor for the side. Against Bangladesh, Hong Kong could face its biggest challenge, but also its greatest opportunity to leave on a high. Here is a look at some key facts heading into the clash.
Facts:
Bangladesh v Hong Kong
· Bangladesh has won seven of their 10 T20Is against ICC Associate members.
· Hong Kong has lost all nine of their previous T20 matches against teams who are involved in this tournament.
· One wicket for Shakib Al Hasan would see him join an elite club of players to score 500 T20I runs and take 40 wickets; Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi are the players who have already achieved this.
· Shakib has scored 217 runs in his last six innings at the ICC World Twenty20, at an average of 54.3.
· Shakib hit four of his 15 T20I sixes in his team’s win against Nepal. He is now Bangladesh’s leading T20I six-hitter.
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Approaching milestones:
· Shakib needs one wicket to become the second player after Abdur Razzak to take 40 T20I wickets.
· Mushfiqur Rahim needs one dismissal to become the sixth player to take 30 T20I wicket-keeper dismissals.
· Haseeb Amjad needs one wicket to become the second player after Munir Dar to take 20 T20 wickets for Hong Kong.
Key Battles
Shakib has proved himself to be one of the most valuable T20 players in recent times and the all-rounder has added to that reputation with some explosive displays in this event. His 47 runs have come at a strike rate of 16.7 and his three wickets at an economy rate of 4.2. It is said quality all-rounders rarely fail with both bat and ball, but Shakib is regularly excelling in both innings – his last seven T20Is have brought his 274 runs and 12 wickets.
Hong Kong has struggled with the bat in this tournament and their hopes of causing an upset depend heavily on skipper Jamie Atkinson. He appears like the player most likely to explode into life – no other top order Hong Kong batsman has scored their runs in this tournament at a strike rate above 100. The keeper-batsman hit two half-centuries at the 2013 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier and his team need another one against the hosts.