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Captain Litton Das led from the front with a match-winning half-century as Bangladesh opened their account in the ongoing Asia Cup, defeating Hong Kong by seven wickets in Abu Dhabi. Chasing 144, Bangladesh reached the target in 17.4 overs, with Litton's fluent 59 off 39 deliveries setting up the win.
Litton, who was also adjudged Player of the Match, said the opening victory was crucial for his team. "Very important to win the first game. Last couple of series, we have played good cricket. But in Asia Cup, little bit of pressure comes automatically (smiles). We played well today," the skipper said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. He credited Bangladesh's improved pace attack in recent years and also highlighted the emergence of leg-spinner Rishad Hossain. "Last couple of years, our pace department has done really well. We were looking for a leg-spinner and Rishad, in the last two or three years," Litton noted. Speaking about the Abu Dhabi surface, Litton admitted it was not easy to go for big shots straightaway. "It was not easy to hit every ball, the ground is big so you have to play ones and twos," he explained. Earlier, Bangladesh lost both openers Parvez Hossain Emon (19) and Tanzid Hasan (14) cheaply before Litton and Towhid Hridoy stitched a decisive 95-run partnership. Hridoy remained unbeaten on 35 to see Bangladesh home. For Hong Kong, Ateeq Iqbal returned figures of 2/14, but it wasn't enough to stop Bangladesh from clinching their first win of the tournament. (ANI)
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