How Many Catches Did Hong Kong Drop In Asia Cup 2025 And Why?

Arnav Chopra

Hong Kong (Source: @iamMK_46/X.com)Hong Kong (Source: @iamMK_46/X.com)

After dropping six catches against Sri Lanka, the Hong Kong side lost by four wickets. Losing three out of their three matches in the group stage of the Asia Cup 2025, the Hong Kong side have crashed out of the tournament, majorly due to their poor fielding efforts.

How Many Catches Did Hong Kong Spill In The Asia Cup 2025?

It turned out to be a miserable tournament, not for the batters or bowlers, but especially for the Hong Kong fielders, who dropped as many as 11 catches in the ongoing Asia Cup 2025. Interestingly, out of those 11 catches, 6 of them came in the recent clash against Sri Lanka, which Hong Kong lost by four wickets and with just seven deliveries to spare, as they gave plenty of chances to their opener Pathum Nissanka, who scored 68, steering the Island nation to victory. While the remaining 5 came against Afghanistan.

Interestingly, these six catches were the joint-highest for a team in T20I cricket, while Nissanka, who was dropped four times, became the batter with the joint-most reprieves in T20Is.

In fact, the Hong Kong side dropped as many as five chances against Afghanistan in their opening encounter, which also cost them heavily as they lost their first game of the tournament by a heavy margin of 94 runs. Hence, after losing all three of their games, HK have been eliminated from the tournament winless, as they go home without any points in their tally.

What Is The Major Reason For Hong Kong's Dropped Catches?

The major probable cause for Hong Kong dropping catches is the fact that they haven't been involved in a single night encounter during this year with the white ball. Considering the fact that the Asia Cup, barring just one game, is being played during the night, which could be a major factor for the Hong Kong side, as the lack of match practice during night games has affected their chances badly in this tournament.

Mostly, they have been engaged in white ball day matches, considering they previously were involved in the Asia Pacific Cricket Champions Trophy, while before that they were playing the quadrangular T20 series, which involved Qatar, Nepal, and Kuwait alongside the hosts Hong Kong.

And before that series, they were participating in the Malaysia Tri-Nation T20 series, which interestingly followed the Cricket World Cup Challenge League. All of these series were played during the daytime, as there was no night game scheduled for the associate nations.

Now, apart from this reason, the second probable justification for the majority of dropped catches could be the fact that they played one of their games in Dubai, where, against Sri Lanka, they dropped as many as six catches.

For the uninitiated, Dubai International Cricket Stadium doesn't really have massive floodlights installed. In fact, they have plenty of LED lights stationed on the roof of the stadium, which is why it is called the 'Ring of Fire', where the lights installed at the top have created problems before for the fielders, who have complained regarding decreased visibility, affecting their judgment and, hence, catching.

Considering this, it could be a significant rationale why Hong Kong struggled against Sri Lanka in Dubai.

Now, another fact is that against Afghanistan, they dropped five chances, but the game was played in Abu Dhabi. In regard to this, opener Sediqullah Atal was dropped as many as three times including the very first over. Following which, he went on to score 73 not out, giving Afghanistan a total of 188, as they won by 94 runs in the end.

In this scenario, it is also likely that a lack of match practice or skills is an explanation for why Hong Kong was not able to grab as many chances as they would have liked. Hence, decreasing their match-winning percentage comprehensively, as giving batters plenty of chances costs them at least two of the three games they played.

In conclusion, catches definitely win matches, especially in games as tight and competitive as those in this Asia Cup 2025.