We Care About Winning, Net Run Rate Isn’t Important: Hridoy After Hong Kong Clash

The 2025 Asia Cup began on a successful note for Bangladesh, as on September 11 (Thursday) in Abu Dhabi, they began the competition with a convincing 7-wicket win over Hong Kong, China. Bangladesh restricted Hong Kong, China, to 143/7 before knocking down the target for the loss of just three wickets.

However, that did not stop the team from getting criticised, as many were disappointed with the pace at which the Tigers batted. Bangladesh took 17.4 overs to chase down the target, and that was seen as a missed opportunity to boost the Net Run Rate (NRR) in a tight group, especially considering this was against a relatively weaker opponent. 

But after the contest, a frustrated Towhid Hridoy lashed out at critics who were unhappy with the side’s run rate, claiming that victory was all the team prioritised and cared about.

"We tried to end the game early but I couldn't connect the ball that well. I think the result is more important than finishing one or two overs earlier. You (the media) would have had something to say had we lost today,” Hridoy said after the game, reported ESPNCricinfo.

"We could have finished the game earlier but we stuck to the demands of the situation. Our mentality is to always win. I think we played smart cricket. We could have finished two or three overs earlier, but we could have lost one or two more wickets. We must prioritise partnerships. We tried to hit more boundaries, but it didn't happen."

The 24-year-old, who finished with 35* off 36 balls, further went on to reaffirm how the side are not paying much heed to NRR, despite being part of the ‘group of death’ consisting of both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

"So, should we have gone to the ground to lose against Hong Kong? Our target was to win. Every team can have their day in T20s. Maybe we could have finished earlier had I struck a few more boundaries," Hridoy said.

"We want to beat Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, so run-rate isn't what we are worried about at this stage. We don't want to complicate matters so early in the tournament."

Bangladesh’s next clash of the Asia Cup 2025 is against Sri Lanka at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in  Abu Dhabi on September 13 (Saturday).