The ICC World Cup Qualifiers has already reached the final stages and we will be witnessing the 38th match of the competition between Hong Kong and Nigeria. After a relatively poor start to the tournament, Hong Kong has staged a comeback and has won the last two matches quite convincingly and one of the victories came against an inform Canada side.
On the other hand, Nigeria is yet to get off the mark and has already suffered 5 morale shattering defeats. However, they will hope to restore some lost pride from their final match. Despite their twin victories, Hong Kong doesn’t stand a chance of progressing through to the final 4.
Venue- Sheikh Zayed Stadium Nursery 1 in Abu Dhabi
Date and Time- 27th October, 9 AM (IST)
Hong Kong started off the tournament with 3 consecutive defeats but came back strongly in the last two matches which also included a victory against in form Canada. Kinchit Shah has been a performer per excellence for Hong Kong and will look to continue his good all-round show.
In the bowling department, Ehsan Khan has always been among the wickets and will be a sensible pick in the dream xi. Any news of injury or unavailability of a player will be updated once we get an update.
Predicted Playing XI
Nizakat Khan, Ahsan Abbasi, Aizaz Khan (C), Kinchit Shah, Waqas Barkat, Haroon Arshad, Scott McKechnie (WK), Simandeep Singh, Ehsan Khan, Kyle Christie, Nasrulla Rana.
Nigeria
They have been pretty ordinary in the tournament so far and have lost all the 5 matches in the tournament so far. It was Joseph Adedji who scored a well crafted 51 in the previous clash against UAE and will look to notch up a big score again. Barring a couple of players,
Nigeria has been walloped in every department by almost all oppositions and will require a humungous task to upstage a resurgent Hong Kong team.
Predicted Playing XI
Daniel Ajekun, Sulaimon Runsewe, Daniel Gim, Chimezie Onwuzulike, Ademola Onikoyi (C & WK), Joseph Adedeji, Isaac Okpe, Leke Oyede, Sylvester Okpe, Vincent Adewoye, Chima Akachukwu.
Form Guide
Hong Kong started off the tournament in a disastrous note and lost their first 3 matches. However, they have bounced back strongly and have won the last 2 matches which keep their hopes alive. On the other hand, Nigeria has been thrashed by most oppositions and have lost all the 5 matches they have played so far.
Hong Kong vs Nigeria Dream 11 Team Combination
Wicket-keepers- Scott McKechnie
Batsmen- Nizakat Khan, Joseph Adedeji, Chimezie Onwuzulike,
All-rounders- Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Isaac Okpe
Bowlers- Ehsan Khan, Chima Akachukwu, Nasrulla Rana, Vincent Adewoye
Kinchit Shah- He has been a pretty consistent performer for Hong Kong and has contributed in all three departments in the tournament. He scored a brilliant 79 against Ireland and scored a fluent 59 in the previous match against Canada. With the ball, he has also bagged 3 wickets and has bowled with a good economy rate.
Ehsan Khan- It could be a risky option but it might be worth the risk especially against opposition against an opposition like Nigeria. He has bagged only 3 wickets in the tournament but hasn’t been at his best in the recent matches. However, a leg spinner can prove to be the lynchpin for Hong Kong in a match against a side who has lost all their matches.