Asia Cup 2022: Rashid Latif Warns India Before Their Match Against Hong Kong

In their second group game, Hong Kong will face India, but they won’t be taken lightly, especially after what they did in their first encounter with India at the Asia Cup four years ago.

Back then, it looked like they could surpass India’s 286-run target thanks to a strong 174-run opening partnership between captain Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath. Rath was out for 73 runs while Khan was close to reaching his century.

That match served as a sharp reminder of the damage that these so-called “minnows” may cause if ignored.

Hong Kong Is Amongst The Good Teams In Associate Nations: Rashid Latif

“Darr lagta hai, darr lagta hai inse khlene me. (Teams must be scared to play against Hongkong.) You spoke about Nizakat Khan, Esan (Ehsan Khan). There were one or two more players like Irfan who was banned. (Irfan Ahmed).

“They have local players also and they always had good teams. They are amongst the good teams in Associate members,” former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif said on his YouTube channel.

“And in this whole qualifier you had just one team which has qualified which shows how good a team is Hongkong,” he added.

There is always something to learn from socialising with the sport’s top players especially given that they won’t be at the World Cup later this year. This is Hong Kong’s third game against India in 14 years.

Hong Kong, who has been travelling for some time, recovered strongly from their setbacks in Zimbabwe to advance over UAE and Kuwait in the Asia Cup Qualifiers. The spin trio of Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, and Yasim Murtaza, who together took 16 wickets at an economy rate of 6.23, played a key role in their victories.

Also Read: ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Indian Selectors Will Make A Big Mistake If They Don’t Pick Mohammed Shami – Madan Lal