Maldives vs Hong Kong Prediction: Hong Kong won all their three games

Maldives and Hong Kong lock horns in Match 10 of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier at UKM-YSD Cricket Oval, Bangi on 3rd September 2024. Hong Kong won all their three games in the tournament so far. Who will win this game of cricket?

Maldives form

In match number seven of the ICC Men's T20 WC Asia Sub-regional Qualifier A on Wednesday, Kuwait thrashed the Maldives by taking a superb lead of 142 runs as it set an attractive target of 226/4 in 20 overs. Hassan Ibrahim was the only successful bowler for the Maldives, who took two wickets in three over's while conceding 28 runs. It was Shunan Ali and skipper Yoosuf Azyan Farhath who scored a single wicket each after spending 32 and 46 runs, respectively. In response to 227, the Maldives had difficulty in rebuilding partnerships as they managed 84/7 in their allocated 20 overs. The top-scoring came from Adam Nasif Umar, 27 runs in 13 balls, followed by Mohamed Azzam with 11 runs off 16 balls and Ismail Ali with 7 runs off 11 balls; these were not enough as the required target was quite steep.

The Maldives have been in inconsistent form lately, losing four of their last five matches with the inclusion of this defeat. Their only win in this period was sandwiched by a spate of poor performances, hinting at how the ability to find stability and momentum has been hard to achieve. Coming into their next fixtures, the Maldives will have to rectify the loopholes to stand a better chance.

Predicted Lineup for Maldives

Mohamed Rishwan, Mohamed Azzam (WK), Gedara, Piyal Kumara, Ismail Ali, Mohamed Shiyam, Yoosuf Azyan Farhath, Adam Nasif Umar, Hassan Ibrahim, Ibrahim Rizan, Leem Shafeeq, Shunan Ali

Hong Kong team

Hong Kong defeated Singapore in Match 8 of the ICC Men's T20 WC Asia Sub-regional Qualifier A through D/L method by 23 runs. Hong Kong eventually set a total of 201/8 in their 20 overs with Zeeshan Ali setting the bar high at 70 runs off 35 balls. Nizakat Khan added another 34 runs off 20 balls as Aizaz Khan chipped in with a quick 30 off 20 balls. Rain disrupted the second innings, leading to a revised target for Singapore. For that, they have reached 73/4 in 8 overs. The most successful of the Hong Kong bowlers was Ehsan Khan, with figures of 3-18 off his 2 overs; Yasim Murtaza took 1-30 off his 2, while Ateequl Rehman Iqbal was extremely economical, conceding just 6 runs off his 2 overs. Hong Kong won the rain-affected match through a very disciplined bowling performance.

Hong Kong is in very inconsistent form. After winning their last two most recent games in a show of really good form, they earlier suffered a loss, then had another win, then an earlier defeat. So, they win one, lose one, win one, lose one, win one. They are thus inconsistent but apparently catching momentum to their next match.

Predicted Hong Kong Lineup

Jamie Atkinson, Zeeshan Ali (WK), Nizakat Khan, Babar Hayat, Martin Coetzee, Yasim Murtaza, Aizaz Khan, Ehsan Khan, Ateequl Rehman Iqbal, Anas Khan, Ayush Shukla

Maldives vs Hong Kong Expert Prediction

The UKM-YSD Cricket Oval, Bangi, is a venue with a somewhat balanced pitch. It is renowned for its flat track, which assists the pace bowlers with good bounce and, in the same breath, is fairly assisting the spin bowlers too. Conditions are pretty reasonable for batsmen, which means there will be a race between the bowlers and batsmen throughout the game.

Regarding Bangi weather, it is forecasted to be warm, about 33°C, with a likelihood of precipitation at 50%. The humidity will be high and reach 71%. Light winds of 10 km/h are expected. This is going to be pretty scattered with thunderstorms and, hence, may bring interruptions, making the match pretty unpredictable.

Hong Kong comes into this match with much confidence, having won the previous game convincingly, and looks set to continue their winning run. With a good lineup backed with recent performances, they stand a good chance of pulling off a win in this game.