ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019: Group B, Match 2, Hong Kong vs Ireland- Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The second match of the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019 will be played between Hong Kong and Ireland at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

The match starts at 9:00 AM local time (IST) (3:30 AM GMT). This match will be telecast live on Star Sports 3. Live streaming will be available on Hotstar.

Preview for Dream11 Fantasy

The tournament that all the associate teams have been waiting for will begin on Friday. Over the course of the next few days, fourteen teams from different continents of the world will battle it out to stake their claims of participating in next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

The first match of Group B will see Hong Kong square off against Ireland at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Hong Kong entered the Qualifiers on the basis of automatic selection courtesy their rank being between 11 to 16 as on December 31st, 2018. Having previously qualified for the 2014 and 2016 edition of the T20 World Cup, Hong Kong will be hoping for their maiden qualifiers victory.

Their returns, however, in T20 cricket over the last three years have been far from ideal, having won just one of their eight completed fixtures during the period. Their first game will test them to the hilt though, as it is against Ireland who has emerged as a perfect blend of youth and experience under Gary Wilson’s leadership.

They finished in the top-16 of the T20I ranking to gain automatic qualification for the tournament. They have had mixed fortunes leading into the tournament. While they won the tri-series involving Scotland and Netherland, Ireland proceeded to go down to Oman in the pentangular series and finished second in the competition.

Weather Report

It is expected to be a bright and sunny day in Abu Dhabi. According to the weather report, the humidity is expected to be around 54% while the temperatures will hover between 28-33 degrees celsius.

Pitch Condition/Report

The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium usually favours the team batting second. In 31 T20Is played at the venue, 18 have been won by the chasing side. The spinners are also expected to come into play as the game progresses.

Average first innings score: 138 (In 31 T20I matches)

Record of the chasing teams: Won – 18; Lost – 13

Injury and Availability News:

(Will be added once there is an update)

Probable Playing XIs for Dream11 Fantasy

Hong Kong:

Nizakat Khan, Ahsan Abbasi, Kinchit Shah, Waqas Barkat, Haroon Arshad, Aizaz Khan (C), Scott McKechnie (WK), Shahid Wasif, Ehsan Khan, Kyle Christie, Nasrulla Rana.

Bench – Mohammad Ghazanfar, Raag Kapur, Simandeep Singh, Aarush Bhagwat

Ireland:

Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien, Andy Balbirnie, Harry Tector, Gary Wilson (c & wk), Mark Adair, Gareth Delany, Simi Singh, Stuart Thompson, George Dockrell, Boyd Rankin

Bench: Lorcan Tucker, Shane Getkate, Craig Young, David Delany

Top Picks:

Ireland: The last time these two sides’ squared off in a T20I, Kevin O’Brien smoked Hong Kong bowlers to the tune of 124. The right-handed all-rounder will once again be the spearhead followed by consistent performers in Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling and skipper Gary Wilson. The trio of George Dockrell, Boyd Rankin, and Stuart Thompson will lead the bowling unit.

Hong Kong: Haroon Arshad has been in great form this year. The all-rounder was the leading run-scorer (132 at 66.00) for his side in the recently concluded Oman Pentangular series. He, along with Kyle Christine (5 wickets) and Ehsan Khan (4 wickets) will be the players to watch out for.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options: Kevin O’Brien, Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie

Vice-Captain Options: Andrew Balbirnie, Gareth Delany, Kinchit Shah

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Dream11 Fantasy:

Keeper –Scott Mckechnie

Batters – Kevin O’Brien (C), Andrew Balbirnie, Paul Stirling

All-Rounders – Haroon Arshad, Kinchit Shah, Gareth Delany (VC), George Dockrell

Bowlers – Ehsan Khan, Boyd Rankin, Mark Adair

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Dream11 Fantasy:

Keeper – Scott Mckechnie

Batters – Paul Stirling (C), Kevin O Brien, Harry Tector, Nizakat Khan, Ahsan Abbasi

All-Rounders – Aizaz Khan, Gareth Delany

Bowlers – Ehsan Khan, Mark Adair (VC), Nasrulla Rana

Expert Advice:

Picking Ireland’s top-order would be wise in your Dream11 Fantasy team as they are expected to dominate.

Probable Winners:

With the kind of form that Hong Kong is coming off (4 defeats in as many games in Oman Pentagular series), Ireland start as massive favorites.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.