After registering a nail-biting win against the arch-rivals Pakistan, Team India will now take on minnows Hong Kong in their second game of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022. While the Men in Blue are the clear favourite to thump Hong Kong for obvious reasons, let's take a closer look at the associate team's journey in international cricket so far and their route to Asia Cup 2022.
Hong Kong cricket history
Not many are aware but the International Cricket Council 9ICC) granted associate membership to the Hong Kong Cricket Association in 1969. In 1982, the nation participated in its first ICC tournament qualifiers but its participation didn't go as planned. The big break for the associate nation came in 2004 when they participated in the Asia Cup at played an ODI match for the first time ever.
They succumbed to far superior sides - Bangladesh and Pakistan - but made a mark on international cricket. Four years later, Hong Kong again participated in the continental tournament but there was no change in the outcome.
Despite losing against top-class international teams, Hong Kong cricket continued to grow at a rapid pace and the country has fared well against other associate teams.
Overall, Hong Kong has played 52 T20Is so far, winning 21 matches while losing the remaining 31. The country has also participated in 26 ODI matches, registering nine wins while tasting a defeat on 16 occasions. One match ended in a No Result.
Asia Cup 2022 qualifiers
Hong Kong qualified for the Asia Cup 2022 after winning all their three matches in the qualifiers. They first registered an eight-run win against Singapore, followed it with an eight-wicket win over Kuwait and then wrapped up the qualifiers with another eight-run win against the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The rivalry between India and Hong Kong
India and Hong Kong have squared off against each other in two international matches. The first one came in 2008 when India thumped the associate nation by 256 runs. The next meeting between the two teams came a decade after their first match-up but the result remained the same despite Hong Kong playing good cricket.
Chasing a target of 286 runs, Hong Kong scored 259/8 in 50 overs and fell short of the Indian total by just 26 runs.
