Bangladesh’s not-so-smart cricket, the Hong Kong-China puzzle and cheeky Manjrekar

By K.R. Nayar
From Dubai International Stadium

At a time when people prefer smart watches, smart appliances and smart phones, Bangladesh decided to play ‘smart cricket’ against Hong Kong at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium. They beat Hong Kong by seven wickets with only 14 balls to spare, labelling it as ‘smart cricket’. Bangladesh’s middle-order batter Towhid Hridoy, who hit an unbeaten 35, while speaking at the post-match press conference said: “The goal was to play ‘smart cricket’ and win the first game instead of focusing on the run rate.” He hit out at the media, adding: “You (the media) would have had something to say had we lost today.” 

Though Hridoy stated they preferred smart cricket, the fact is that they were cautious because in May 2025, Bangladesh had lost the series 2-1 to the UAE at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. So frankly, it was not smart cricket, as most likely the toppers in this group (called the group of death) with Afghanistan and Sri Lanka as the other opponents, may qualify on run rate. Stating that they played smart cricket to ensure the media does not write about them if they lose wasn’t smart at all.

Towhid Hridoy addressing the media 

Why should it be a Hong Kong-China team?

 A debate ensued among journalists soon after official releases referred to the Hong Kong team as Hong Kong-China. “When all players are based in Hong Kong and there are no Chinese players in the team, why should one call this team ‘Hong Kong-China’?” queried a journalist. Soon the reason was traced. In 2023, the name was altered in line with the requirement from the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong to name all sporting associations by adding China to their names. If not, they risk losing government funding and the right to represent Hong Kong (which is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China). 

This led to a question: if Hong Kong without Chinese players are called Hong Kong-China, then shouldn’t UAE and Oman be named UAE-India-Pakistan and Oman-India-Pakistan, since their teams are filled with cricketers whose roots are from these two countries? The debate continued as the China Cricket Association is a separate body and has been a member of the ICC since 2004.

Oman skipper Jatinder and Paaji

Oman skipper Jatinder Singh respectfully addressed Team India players as Paaji. While talking about the star Indian players, he said players like Suryakumar Paaji and Abhishek Paaji are his idols. Paaji in Hindi and Punjabi means brother. Jatinder was born in Ludhiana, an industrial city referred to as ‘India’s Manchester.’ His father migrated to Oman in 1975 and worked for the Royal Oman Police as a carpenter.

Oman skipper Jatinder Singh with G Force Cricket Academy coach Gopal Jasapara 

Jatinder, who made his T20 debut in Dubai against Afghanistan in 2012, was on the verge of retiring from the game in 2024 due to sciatic nerve compression, but his wife encouraged him to stage a comeback. Thirty-six-year-old Jatinder is today Oman’s most capped player, having played in 61 ODIs and 64 T20Is. He frequently plays in the UAE and has many friends here.

Commentator Manjrekar and his cheeky comments

With Sanjay Manjrekar here as a commentator for the Asia Cup 2025, one can expect many cheeky comments from him. He asked Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav during the post-match presentation whether his team would get the full match fees for the match against the UAE as the contest had ended in just two and a half hours. Yadav laughed and handled the question well, saying he would talk about it later. Manjrekar, known for his cheeky remarks, also wrote about Kuldeep Yadav, who has often been ignored, on social media platform X, stating: “Kuldeep has 3 (wickets) in one over. He may not play the next game now.” Yadav was part of the recent England tour but did not get to play a single game.

Kuldeep Yadav receives the Player of the Match award from Emirates Cricket Board member Zayed Abbas 

Manjrekar, during the 2019 ODI World Cup, had made a cheeky comment on Ravindra Jadeja, calling him a 'bits and pieces' player. Jadeja retorted saying: “I’ve played twice the number of matches you have and I’m still going strong. It’s time to respect those who have achieved.”