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They may be second on the bill but, for these two World T20 debutants, Hong Kong and Nepal, it has never been any bigger than this

The Preview by Alan Gardner in Chittagong15-Mar-2014Match factsMarch 16, 2014
Start time 1930 local (1330 GMT)Mark Chapman’s recent form, with two half-centuries, augurs well for Hong Kong•ICCBig PictureThey may be second on the bill but, for these two World T20 debutants, it has never been any bigger than this. T20 has been cricket’s major vehicle for growth and the ICC’s decision to include six Associates at this tournament for the first time should be applauded but once the coin is tossed at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, there will be no time for fraternity between Hong Kong and Nepal.This time last year, the two teams were battling the likes of Singapore, Bahrain and Malaysia at the ACC T20 Cup for spots at the World T20 Qualifier. In the UAE, Nepal stormed to third place, behind the more established Ireland and Afghanistan, sealing their place in Bangladesh with a last-ball win against Hong Kong, having taken 13 off the final over. The scenes of celebration, at the ground and back home in Nepal, were quite something.Despite losing that quarter-final, Hong Kong saw off Papua New Guinea to secure their own qualification. That seems to have ignited something in a country known more for its banking arm than its sporting prowess. A young side sprinkled with players from a variety of backgrounds has been on fire in recent weeks, beating Ireland and Netherlands during a training camp in Sharjah and then scalping Zimbabwe in their opening warm-up match in Chittagong.That win was followed by a stunning comeback against Netherlands, defending 127, with Haseeb Amjad’s display of reverse swing helping him to six wickets. Some of their inspiration in that game came from an inspired, one-handed catch by Nizakat Khan and the fielding of both sides will provide an indication of how hard they have worked.Nepal have not enjoyed such a fast start, beaten by Ireland and UAE, but they are eager to give a good account of themselves and, in the words of captain Paras Khadka, “present Nepal cricket in front of the world”. His side has become, like Afghanistan, poster boys for the Associate game, from their success at the 2006 U-19 World Cup and their rise through the ICC’s World Cricket League structure.In many ways, the journey to Bangladesh has been the story for Nepal and Hong Kong and it would be a major shock if either was to reach the second round. All games at the WT20 will have T20 international status, so both countries will also contest their first match in the format. The prospect of playing in front of 15,000 people, or more, will be both reward and challenge. As they try not to blink, they should enjoy the experience too.Form guide(including warm-up matches)
Hong Kong WWWWL
Nepal LLWLWPlayers to watchIrfan Ahmed can open the batting and contribute regularly with the ball, while captain Jamie Atkinson has experience of playing first-class cricket in England. Mark Chapman, however, could be their lynchpin, having made two classy half-centuries in the warm-up games. The left-hander, who was raised in New Zealand, plays in orthodox fashion but is capable of upping the rate.Khadka is Nepal’s totem but, on the pitches of Bangladesh, the left-arm spinner Basant Regmi will have a vital role to play. He is Nepal’s leading international wicket-taker and played a central role in securing qualification in the UAE last year. If they are in need of some bash with the bat, Sharad Vesawkar has previously displayed a cool head and strong forearms.Team newsHong Kong rested three of their first-choice XI for Netherlands but should be back to full strength. Munir Dar, their leading wicket-taker in the UAE, has been banned from bowling due to his action but remains in the squad as a batting option.Hong Kong (probable) 1 Irfan Ahmed, 2 Waqas Barkat, 3 Jamie Atkinson (capt & wk), 4 Babar Hyat, 5 Nizakat Khan, 6 Mark Chapman, 7 Munir Dar, 8 Tanwir Afzal, 9 Haseeb Amjad, 10 Najeed Amar, 11 Nadeem AhmedKhadka said that Nepal had been tinkering with their line-up in the warm-up games and would decide their XI after looking at the pitch. The top order is pretty settled. Avinash Karn provides a left-arm seam option and they could utilise Rahul Vishwakarma as a second spinner.Nepal (probable) 1 Sagar Pun, 2 Subash Khakurel (wk), 3 Gyanendra Malla, 4 Paras Khadka (capt), 5 Binod Bhandari, 6 Sharad Vesawkar, 7 Naresh Budayair, 8 Basant Regmi, 9 Shakti Gauchan, 10 Sompal Kami, 11 Jitendra MukhiyaPitch and conditionsChittagong has a reputation for high scores and slow turn but the recent T20s at the ground between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka saw something on offer for the quicks too. The evening start time, plus its location close to the sea, should mean conditions are a little cooler.Stats and trivia Nepal have beaten Hong Kong in their previous two T20s Paras Khadka is 14 runs shy of 500 in T20s Hong Kong pace bowlers Haseeb Amjad and Tanwir Afzal both represented Pakistan at U-19 levelQuotes”These last couple of weeks people have really started to take notice of Hong Kong cricket. In the past, people might have thought of Hong Kong as one of the weaker sides in the group, at major tournaments, but we’ve shown we can take on anyone.”
“There are so many people who are so eager to see what Nepal is going to do. As players we are excited, but we need to control our emotions as well. We need to play the cricket we have learnt, not go overboard.”

Match facts

Friday, December 20, 2013
Start time 1500 local (1100 GMT)Sohaib Maqsood’s 68-ball 73 was as mature as it was skilful•AFP

Big Picture

The first ODI finished in circumstances that may have left both teams with a positive outlook for the upcoming matches. Pakistan will be buoyed by the mastery of their batsmen. Mohammad Hafeez’s return to form is a valuable boost to their top order, and it was not so long ago that Ahmed Shehzad made a ton against the best pace attack around, in South Africa.Even more heartening were Sharjeel Khan and Sohaib Maqsood’s innings. Both scored briskly, but responsibly – working attack out, manipulating the field and making fine judgements as per the bowling and the pitch. So many Pakistan batsmen have burned hot in their international honeymoon only to rapidly diminish after that, so their challenge is to make good on their obvious potential in the long term.Sri Lanka, however, will be pleased at the fight from the lower order. Seekkuge Prasanna and Sachithra Senanayake hit the highest eighth-wicket stand ever in Sharjah, reviving a chase that most would have felt was irredeemable. Prasanna, in particular, has been brought into the side with the World Twenty20 in mind and to that end, his all-round contribution on Wednesday could not have been any better. He was the most economical of Sri Lanka’s bowlers – the only one to go at less than five – and he again demonstrated an affinity for big-hitting that has blossomed in his game over the last 18 months.Somewhat surprisingly for both teams, it is the bowling that must improve for the second match. Faced with fluent batsmen on a very good batting surface, Sri Lanka’s bowlers were listless and unimaginative. Their fast men attempted so many yorkers between overs 32 and 50 that Pakistan’s batsmen learned to expect them and exploit the inevitable errors in length.Pakistan’s bowlers will aim to be less wayward in the second match, after having allowed indiscipline to creep in towards the later stages of Sri Lanka’s innings. Their fielding too, slipped from poor to abysmal in the last hour, much to the chagrin of Misbah-ul-Haq who had warned against exactly that kind of complacency before the match. They know now that Sri Lanka are among the more dangerous teams to ease off on.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)

Pakistan: WLWWL

Sri Lanka: LWLWW

In the spotlight

Sharjeel’s 61 at the top of the order set the tone for Pakistan, but Sohaib Maqsood‘s 73 from 68 was arguably the more impressive innings. Maqsood not only prevented the scoring rate from waning through the middle overs, he embellished Pakistan’s advantage in an innings wrought from batting intelligence, as much as skill. He worked the field beautifully in step with Hafeez and his aggressive strokes were superbly calculated. If he can consistently play similar knocks, he will ease the middle-order burden on Misbah.At 37 Tillakaratne Dilshan‘s hand-eye coordination is not what it once was. Increasingly in the past year, he has missed big shots he would have connected with in his youth, and has often struggled for timing early in his innings. He has not only overcome these challenges though, he has found something within himself that has actually increased his output. He bides his time now, but when he pounces, he does so selectively and tellingly. He had averaged 134 in the five innings before his last match, and recently, he has not allowed failures to stack up in a series. He will be desperate to fire after a mediocre 30 in game one.

Pitch and conditions

Dew did not seem to have formed at Sharjah for the first match, just as Misbah had predicted at the toss. If another batting-friendly pitch is prepared, the team batting first will again have an advantage.

Team news

It is difficult to see Pakistan making more than one change to their XI, following the victory. Junaid Khan and Bilawal Bhatti were both expensive in the last match, but Junaid was also the top wicket-taker. may come into the team for the second game at the expense of one of the above.Pakistan (probable): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Sohaib Maqsood, 5 Misbah ul Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Bilawal Bhatti/Anwar Ali, 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10. Saeed Ajmal, 11. Junaid KhanNuwan Kulasekara’s absence from Wednesday’s XI remains a mystery. Over the past two years, Kulasekara has been Sri Lanka’s most reliable seam bowler in limited overs cricket, and moreover, his often prodigious inswing provides and edge that no other bowler can replicate at the beginning of the innings. He is likely to return in place of Suranga Lakmal.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Kusal Perera 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5. Angelo Mathews (capt), 6. Lahiru Thirimanne, 7. Thisara Perera 8. Seekuge Prasanna/Ajantha Mendis, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10. Sachithra Senanayake, 11. Lasith Malinga

Stats and trivia

• Shahid Afridi has more wickets (62) and 50-plus scores (8) against Sri Lanka, than he does against any other nation.
• 2013 has comfortably been Tillakaratne Dilshan’s best year by average (67.20), but his worst in terms of strike rate since 2005 – before he began opening the innings.

Quote

“It’s extremely important to begin a series with a win. We know what it’s like to begin a series losing too. We did that against South Africa, and we did it against Sri Lanka when we toured there last year. It is important to draw first blood, albeit in a close game. But whether you win by one run or a hundred runs it’s still a win, and that was important for us.”
Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore