Hong Kong, led by skipper Natasha Miles were up against Bhutan, led by skipper Anju Gurung, in the 3rd game of the Lotus Tri-nation series 2026. Both sides came into this fixture on the back of an impressive win (by 3 wickets for Bhutan) and (by 51 runs for Hong Kong) against Malaysia.
Bhutan skipper Anju Gurung won the toss and opted to bowl first. Sonam provided the home side with an ideal start as she dismissed the centurion from the previous game, and the Hong Kong skipper, Natasha Miles, 6 (10 balls), back to the pavilion in the 4th over of the innings to provide the first breakthrough for her side.
Substantial partnerships for the 2nd wicket between Yasmin Daswani and Mariko Hill (39 off 33 balls), followed by another vital 84-run partnership for the 3rd wicket between Kary Chan (40 off 20 balls) and Yasmin Daswani (70 off 53 balls), powered them to a strong total of 174/5 in their quota of 20 overs.
Ritshi Choden (4-0-36-2), skipper Anju Gurung (4-0-16-1), Tshering Zangmo (4-0-39-1), and Sonam (4-0-40-1) were impressive with the ball for Bhutan. Chasing a daunting total of 175, the Bhutan openers Karma Dema (19 off 18 balls) and wicket-keeper batter Ngawang Choden (10 off 16 balls) gave a promising start with a 32-run opening partnership.
Wai Siu broke the stand, by sending Karma Dema back to the pavilion in the 6th over of the run chase to provide the first breakthrough for Hong Kong. The innings fell apart as the home side kept losing wickets at regular intervals, which hampered the momentum of the run chase.
Bhutan were eventually restricted to 110/7 in their quota of 20 overs, falling 64 runs short of the target. Sonam Choden (28 off 25 balls) and Sonam Paldon (28 off 42 balls) top-scored with the bat for Bhutan. Kary Chan (4-0-13-3), Iqra Sahar (4-0-24-2), and Alison Siu (4-1-19-1) were outstanding with the ball for Hong Kong.
Kary Chan was awarded the Player of the Match for her decisive all-round impact, scoring 40 (20 balls) with the bat and returning with sensational match figures of 4-0-13-3 in her spell with the ball, earning the Player of the Match for her side as Hong Kong sealed their 2nd consecutive victory in the ongoing Lotus Cup 2026.
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