HKG (Hong Kong) vs BHR (Bahrain) Match Prediction

HKG

75%

Chance of Winning

BHR

25%

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Apr 24, 202306:15 AM

National teams

Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground

Hong Kong have another Asia Cup appearance in sight as they prepare to take on minnows Bahrain in their penultimate ACC Premier Cup group stage encounter at the Tribhuvan University Cricket Ground in Kirtiput on April 24, slated to begin at 8:45 AM IST. Hong Kong have been on a winning streak of late and would be hoping to extend their run with another victory.

Hong Kong vs Bahrain Chance of Winning

Hong Kong made the world sit up and take notice by trumping Associate giants United Arab Emirates in their previous encounter and that too in style. Bahrain, on the other hand, had to play the ACC Challenger Cup to even secure their spot in the ACC Premier Cup and had fallen to a humiliating defeat to Saudi Arabia in the final of the qualifying event. Thus, there is a huge mismatch between the two sides, with Hong Kong likely to romp to a win against Bahrain.

• Hong Kong’s chances of winning @ 75%
• Bahrain’s chances of winning @ 25%

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Hong Kong vs Bahrain Prediction & Betting Tips 2023

Hong Kong finished an impressive third in the recently concluded ICC CWC Challenger League Group B, only missing out on the top spot and an opportunity to progress further by four points. They racked up nine victories in 15 encounters and had a net run rate of 0.548, suffering only five losses in the process. Bahrain, meanwhile, failed to even qualify for the 12-team qualifying phase for the marquee event. In fact, they did not have a guaranteed spot in the ongoing Premier Cup as well and only made their way here by virtue of a top-two finish in the Challenger Cup.

In their first match in the tournament, Hong Kong registered a routing victory against Singapore, chasing down a target of 175 with eight wickets and over hundred balls to spare. However, it was their next victory that was a statement-making one as they piled on 263/8 against giants UAE before having them down and out at 117/6 after 27 overs when rain-interrupted play. The DLS Method confirmed a 67-run triumph for the outfit which could prove to be monumental in their campaign to qualify for the Asia Cup.

Bahrain, on the other hand, kickstarted their campaign with a victory against Singapore as well but were given a reality check by Kuwait in their following encounter. The side failed to defend a decent total of 256 as their opponents got to the target with two wickets and 34 balls still in hand. Incidentally, Kuwait’s last encounter before the Premier Cup was against Hong Kong itself in the final of a quadrangular tournament, where the latter emerged victorious to lift the title. Thus, all things considered, there is a huge disparity between the two sides about to face each other on Monday with the scales firmly tiled in Hong Kong’s favour, as reflected in their odds of 1.35 while Bahrain’s odds read a mammoth 3.15.

Hong Kong vs Bahrain Match Toss Prediction

26 ODIs have taken place in Kirtipur so far, of which the side batting second has emerged triumphant 14 times while the defending side has only won on 12 occasions. However, the trend of late has been in favour of the side fielding first, given they have won three of the last five games at the venue, including Nepal’s triumph over Oman in the ongoing tournament. Thus, expect the captain winning the toss on Monday to set a target and then dig in to defend.

Weather Report

Rain awaits the two teams in Kirtipur on Monday, with a thunderstorm expected at around 2 PM in the afternoon followed by two more brief spells of showers before sunset, according toWorldweatheronline. Other than that, the temperature is forecast to be in the early 20 degrees centigrades at the start of the match and rise up to 28°C before the thunderstorm would bring about a rapid fall to 14°C within a couple of hours. There would be plenty of cloud cover during the rains but other than that, the players can expect clear skies and negligible wind.

Hong Kong News & Player List

Hong Kong squad:Nizakat Khan (C), Anshuman Rath, Babar Hayat, Shahid Wasif, Aizaz Khan, Haroon Arshad, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza, Adit Gorawara, Zeeshan Ali, Ayush Shukla, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Nasrulla Rana.

Predicted Playing XI

Hong Kong Team Form

Hong Kong have won all of their last five One Days, including victories against Singapore and the United Arab Emirates in the ACC Premier Cup.

Bahrain News & Player List

Bahrain squad: Haider Butt (C), Muhammad Younis, David Mathias, Rizwan Butt, Shahbaz Badar, Sohail Ahmed, Junaid Aziz, Fiaz Ahmed, Ali Dawood, Abdul Majid Abbasi, Imran Anwar, Sathaiya Veerapathiran, Waseeq Ahmed, Sai Sarthak, Junaid Niazi

Predicted Playing XI

Bahrain Team Form

Bahrain have won just two of their last six One Days, including a loss against Hong Kong. In the ongoing ACC Premier Cup, the side started off with a victory against Singapore but had to endure defeat against Kuwait in their latest encounter.

Hong Kong vs Bahrain Head to Head

Hong Kong have never played Bahrain in an official One Day. However, the two sides did meet once in a T20I earlier this year where Hong Kong ended up victorious by 15 runs.

Hong Kong vs Bahrain Betting Odds

Hong Kong’s opening stand to be over 28.5 runs @ 1.87

In their latest outing against a formidable UAE, the Hong Kong openers stood their own to tally 32 runs for the first wicket. A little over a month ago, the side had also out up a mammoth first-wicket partnership of 238 against Malaysia with both openers registering centuries. Given that Nizakat Khan and Anshy Rath are unarguably the team’s two best batters and are in solid form heading into the match on Monday, Hong Kong is more than likely to comfortably trump the mark of 29 runs set by the bookies without losing a wicket against Bahrain.

Hong Kong vs Bahrain Top Team Batters

Anshy Rath to be Hong Kong’s top batter

Hong Kong opener Anshy Rath has been in tremendous form of late, with two tons and as many half-centuries to his name across the last five encounters. In the latest encounter UAE, Rath’s 106 proved to be instrumental in the side’s victory, just days after smacking a handsome 130 against Malaysia off just 120 deliveries. In fact, his eight knocks since returning from the domestic season in India have earned him 497 runs at a magnificent average of 62.13, including three half-centuries and two hundreds. Given Bahrain’s weak bowling unit, the batters are likely to get the job done without losing many wickets, making the in-form opener the most likely to lead the run-scoring charts for his team on Monday.

Sohail Ahmed to be Bahrain’s top batter

A right-handed batter, Sohail Ahmed has 625 runs in 18 T20Is to his name at a brilliant average of 52, including six half-centuries. The 26-year-old has been in blistering form of late, having registered seven 30-plus scores in his last 10 innings, including three half-centuries. In this period, he has accumulated a total of 371 runs at an average of 46.38. He started off the ACC Premier Cup with a steady 46 against Singapore and followed it up with 34 in the latest encounter against Kuwait. Thus, the middle-order batter looks to be the team’s only hope of pulling off a miracle with the bat in Kirtipur.

Hong Kong vs Bahrain Top Team Bowlers

Ehsan Khan to be Hong Kong’s top bowler

An efficient off-spinner, Ehsan Khan has 29 ODI wickets to his name from 15 outings at an average of 20.48 and an economy of sub-five. He has been in outstanding form of late, scalping 13 wickets in the last four matches including two four-wicket hauls. The veteran started off the ACC Premier Cup campaign by crippling Singapore with a match-winning 4/24 before turning the game on his head against UAE with excellent figures of 2/23. Khan was also the team’s top wicket-taker in the CWC Challenger League, managing 22 dismissals in 14 matches, thus finishing third in the overall list. All in all, the 38-year-old looks set to decimate Bahrain on Monday.

Rizwan Butt to be Bahrain’s top bowler

Rizwan Butt’s medium pacers have proven to be highly effective for Bahrain time and again, the veteran being the team’s highest wicket-taker over the past year with 27 in 17 innings at an excellent average of 17.96. His form has not been too shabby either, managing at least a scalp in at least seven of his last nine innings, tallying a total of 15 wickets in the period including a five-wicket haul against Singapore. He managed three wickets in the ACC Premier Cup opener against Singapore before recording a solitary scalp against Kuwait and looks to be the team’s primary weapon with the ball heading into the upcoming encounter against Hong Kong.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: Hong Kong

Bahrain are not only much weaker in terms of quality than Hong Kong but also unaccustomed to playing 50-over cricket, most of their affairs being T20Is. The side was not even in with a shot to qualify for the ODI World Cup later in the year, on account of being placed in the fourth tier of teams in the longer white-ball format. They were outplayed by Kuwait in their latest encounter and seem doomed to succumb to a second straight loss in the tournament in Nepal.

• Hong Kong to win @ 1.35 (Parimatch)
• Bahrain to win @ 3.15 (Parimatch)

Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

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