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Batsmen let HK down in Dhaka

BANGLADESH defeated Hong Kong convincingly in both the one-day internationals played at the National Stadium in Dhaka.

Hong Kong were beaten by 73 runs in the first game and lost by six wickets in the second.

Reports from Dhaka suggest that the territory's batsmen failed to come to terms with the slow wickets.

The fact that Stewart Brew's 54 was the top score in both the Hong Kong innings speaks little for the performances of the batsmen.

The next highest scorer was Rahul Sharma who made 42 in the second game.

Hong Kong had only one game to find their feet in alien conditions - they lost that too, by five wickets to the Bangladesh under-19s on January 29 at Sylhet.

Sharma was the only player to come out of that game with his reputation intact.

He scored an unbeaten 66 in Hong Kong's innings of 139 for nine off 50 overs.

In the first international, Hong Kong won the toss and put their opponents in. Justin Strachan, the most successful bowler with four wickets, got an early wicket when he bowled Javed Omar with the score on 13. But Atahar Ali (51) and Aminul Islam Bulbul (90) steadied the innings as the home side reached 232 for nine.

Despite a 75-run second-wicket stand between Brew and Steve Foster (33), Hong Kong were never in the chase and were bowled out for 159 in the 47th over. Bangladesh spinner Al-Saharian Rokon took a hat-trick accounting for the wickets of Mark Eames, Adrian Ashman and John Storey.

There was less joy in batting first too. Put in to bat in the second international, Hong Kong opened with Rory MacLeay and Tim Smart who put on 43 in 18 overs before Smart was dismissed for 23. MacLeay was next to go with the score on 70. Wickets continued to fall regularly and despite a breezy 42 off 63 deliveries by Sharma, Hong Kong failed to set their opponents a big enough target.

Needing 161 to win, Bangladesh reached the total in the 41st over for the loss of four wickets.

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