T20 World Cup spot is prize for Hong Kong as they aim for final stage of Asian qualifying
City’s men aim to overcome Malaysia and Kuwait to reach final phase, but the Kuwaitis have beaten them three times in recent weeks
Hong Kong are staring down their two biggest men’s cricket showdowns of the year, in which victories could print their ticket to the final stage of qualifying for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Maintaining their unblemished qualifying record in Kuala Lumpur through Saturday’s match against Malaysia and Monday’s clash with Kuwait would assure the city a berth in the regional final alongside Nepal and Oman – both granted byes after their 2024 World Cup appearances.
Coach Simon Willis’ Hong Kong squad are yet to be challenged in their Asia qualifying pathway, with Maldives being their latest victims on Tuesday.
Skipper Nizakat Khan surpassed 2000 career T20I runs, hammering 35 off 13 deliveries to lead Hong Kong to a nine-wicket victory.
“Since Oman [the 2024 Asia Cup qualifiers], consistency has been key for me,” Khan said. “I have been performing, but in phases. I analysed my game, where I was lacking – especially my strike rate; that is the key in T20 cricket. I’ve worked on it and at the moment, it’s coming up really well.”
Spinner Yasim Murtaza said Khan had been inspirational.
