India beat Bangladesh in the 11th-12th place playoff at the Hong Kong Sixes on Sunday, 1 November, at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok. Bangladesh posted 116 for 5 in six overs, and India chased the target down, finishing on 117 for 1 in six overs. The win gave India 11th place in the tournament and ended a run of three defeats. The Hong Kong Sixes playoff was the first game of finals day in Hong Kong.
The result gave India a win to take from a tournament that had brought only defeats until Sunday morning. India had lost their Group C opener to Pakistan by four wickets on Friday, then lost to the UAE on Saturday morning and to England by three runs in the Bowl semi-final later on Saturday. The win over Bangladesh stopped that run at three, and it left Bangladesh in 12th place.
Hong Kong Sixes: India chase down 117 in six overs
Bangladesh’s total of 116 for 5 set India a target of 117 from six overs in the Hong Kong Sixes playoff. India reached it in the sixth over, losing only one wicket along the way. A chase of that size in six overs leaves little room for a quiet over, and India’s batters kept the scoring rate high enough to stay ahead of the target through the innings.
India’s day had started badly against the UAE on Saturday. Zahid Ali took three early wickets and reduced India to 14 for 3. Rahul Tripathi made 24 and captain Krunal Pandya made 15 from eight balls, but India needed a late push to reach a total. T Natarajan provided it with an unbeaten 38 from 14 balls, including three fours and four sixes, as India finished on 94 for 6.
The UAE chase was short. Captain Khalid Shah hit an unbeaten 52 from 14 balls, including six sixes, and Ansh Tandon was not out on 39 from 12 balls. The pair hammered 25 from the first over and wrapped up the chase in 4.2 overs without losing a wicket. The defeat moved the UAE into the Cup semi-finals and sent India into the Bowl phase of the Hong Kong Sixes.
England made 124 for 2 in the Bowl semi-final, with Martin Andersson smashing 51 from 13 balls and Ed Barnard unbeaten on 35 from 14 deliveries. India replied with Rahul Tripathi hitting 56 from 14 balls, including seven sixes, and Krunal Pandya adding 28 from seven balls. India finished on 121, three runs short of England’s total, and dropped into the playoff against Bangladesh.
Hong Kong Sixes: Bangladesh batting form before the playoff
Bangladesh reached the playoff after a dramatic Bowl semi-final against South Africa. Habibur Rahman smashed 60 from 14 balls, including six consecutive sixes off Blake Simpson in an over that cost 36 runs, as Bangladesh posted 129 for 4. Jorich van Schalkwyk made 50 from 13 balls for South Africa, and Ayabulela Gqamane hit four sixes in a row off Abu Hider. Van Schalkwyk closed the chase with three sixes and a four in the last over.
Bangladesh therefore carried batting form into the playoff, even though they lost that semi-final. Habibur’s innings in particular gave India’s bowlers a warning, since six-over games can turn on one over. India captain Krunal Pandya leads a squad that also includes Tripathi as wicketkeeper, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tewatia, Shashank Singh, Kulwant Khejroliya and Natarajan, and the balance between batting depth and bowling options mattered again in a short game.
Hong Kong Sixes: the other finals on Sunday
Sunday also brings the main finals of the Hong Kong Sixes. Australia meet Afghanistan in the Cup final, South Africa meet England in the Bowl final, and Oman meet Pakistan in the Plate final. India against Bangladesh was the first of those finals-day games, and the result set India’s final position in the tournament.
India finish 11th in the Hong Kong Sixes standings, with Bangladesh 12th. The win came after three straight defeats in the tournament, and it was India’s first victory of the Hong Kong Sixes.