The road to the 20th Asian Games (at Aichi-Nagoya), Japan, in September–October begins now with the Qualifier round in Malaysia from 26th to 31st May 2026. A total of six teams, divided into two groups (Group A, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Malaysia; Group B, featuring China, Indonesia, and Nepal), will be participating in the Qualifier round.
Thailand, led by skipper Naruemol Chaiwai, were up against Hong Kong, led by skipper Natasha Miles, in the tournament opener on 26th May 2026 at the Bayuemas Oval, Kuala Lumpur.
Kary Chan provided the early breakthrough for Hong Kong by dismissing the opening batter Aphisara Suwanchonrathi in the 3rd over of the innings after skipper Naruemol Chaiwai won the toss and opted to bat first. Wicket-keeper batter Nannapat Koncharoenkai joined opening batter Natthakan Chantham at the crease, and the pair assessed the conditions on offer, steadying the innings as Thailand scored 31 runs in the powerplay.
The duo went through exponential gears as they went deeper into the innings. The Hong Kong bowlers found it incredibly hard to find another breakthrough; as a result, the partnership for the 2nd wicket soared to 157, as Thailand posted 170/1 in their quota of 20 overs. Natthakan Chantham (98* off 65 balls) fell two runs short of her 2nd T20I century, and the wicket-keeper batter Nannapat Koncharoenkai (51* off 55 balls) registered an impressive half-century.
Kary Chan (4-0-22-1) was the only wicket-taker with the ball for Hong Kong. Maryam Bibi (4-0-25-0) and Alison Siu (4-0-28-0) were impressive with the ball for their side.
Chasing a stiff total of 171, the Hong Kong top-order, particularly the likes of Shanzeen Shahzad (21 off 37 balls) and Shing Chan (15 off 27 balls), got them off to a decent start, despite the early departure of skipper Natasha Miles (5 off 12 balls) inside the powerplay. The Hong Kong batters struggled to keep up with the asking rate throughout the run chase.
As a result, they were eventually restricted to 81/7 in their quota of 20 overs, falling 89 runs short of the target. The 19-run unbeaten stand for the 8th wicket between Alison Siu (6* off 8 balls) and the wicket-keeper batter Hiu Ying Cheung (11* off 12 balls) was the highest partnership of the run chase. A much more disciplined bowling display from Thailand resulted in just 8 extras in the innings, as compared to the 18 runs conceded by the Hong Kong bowlers in extras.
Onnicha Kamchomphu (4-0-11-2), Sunida Chaturongrattana (4-0-11-2), Thipatcha Putthawong (4-0-17-1), and Suleeporn Laomi (4-0-19-1) were the top performers with the ball for Thailand. Natthakan Chantham was awarded the Player of the Match for setting up the game at the top of the order with a match-defining (98* off 65 balls) innings with the bat for her side.
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