Hong Kong's licence to thrill is turning out to be a dud, as the batsmen produced another limp display to gift Canada a comfortable eight-wicket victory in the ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers.
Head coach Charlie Burke has given his top order a free hand to go for the shots, especially in the opening six powerplay overs when the field is in, but it didn't work against Nepal on the first day of this competition, nor again yesterday as Hong Kong were bowled out for a meagre 81.
A number of batsmen, including opener Irfan Ahmed, threw away their wickets when a more tempered approach might have worked better.
This might force Burke to re-think the strategy, with Hong Kong on the ropes, having lost two out of their first three games. The remaining four pool games include encounters against top seeds Afghanistan and the Netherlands in the 16-team tournament, which will decide two berths at the ICC World Tweny20 in Sri Lanka in September.
'We had too many soft dismissals and this has not given us a chance to build a platform,' Burke said. 'Yes, the plan is to make the most of the powerplay overs, but it doesn't mean you have to throw away your wicket.'
Irfan is a perfect example of this. A splendid half-century in the eight-wicket victory over Bermuda the previous day must have raised his belief that he could take on any bowler, and the sight of Ugandan-born Henry Osinde, who looked as if produced from the template of a hostile West Indian fast bowler from the 1970s, must have raised his hackles.