Thailand, led by skipper Naruemol Chaiwai, were up against Hong Kong, led by the stand-in skipper Maryam Bibi in the absence of the regular skipper Natasha Miles, in the opening game of the 6th edition of the ACC Women’s T20 Asia Cup 2026 on 28th August 2026, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.
Hong Kong’s stand-in skipper Maryam Bibi won the toss and opted to field first. The Thailand openers Aphisara Suwanchonrathi and Phannita Maya got their side off to a promising start with a 32-run opening stand. Alison Siu broke the stand by sending Phannita Maya (19 off 19 balls) back to the pavilion in the 5th over of the innings to provide the 1st breakthrough for Hong Kong.
Marina Lamplough sent back Aphisara Suwanchonrathi (11 off 17 balls) to reduce them to 42/2 in the 8th over of the innings. Skipper Naruemol Chaiwai (43 off 31 balls) joined Nannapat Koncharoenkai at the crease, and the duo took them to the 100-run mark with a much-needed 58-run stand for the 3rd wicket. Alison Siu returned and broke the stand by sending the wicket-keeper batter Nannapat Koncharoenkai (27 off 41 balls) back to the pavilion in the 17th over of the innings to provide the much-needed 3rd breakthrough for her side.
Thailand suffered a collapse as they lost their next 6 wickets for just 20 runs, as they posted 120/9 in their quota of 20 overs. Marina Lamplough (4-1-11-4) was exceptional with the ball for Hong Kong. Kary Chan (4-0-18-2) and Alison Siu (4-0-37-3) were impressive with the ball for their side.
Chasing a decent total of 121, Hong Kong got off to a disappointing start as they lost Mariko Hill for a duck in the 1st over of the run chase. Phannita Maya provided the first breakthrough for Thailand. Wicket-keeper batter Yasmin Daswani joined Kary Chan at the crease, and the duo led the recovery with a much-needed 40-run stand for the 2nd wicket.
Onnicha Kamchomphu broke the stand by sending Kary Chan (28 off 20 balls) back to the pavilion in the 8th over of the innings to provide the crucial 2nd breakthrough for her side. Decent partnerships of 20 runs for the 3rd wicket, between Yasmin Daswani (28 off 41 balls) and stand-in skipper Maryam Bibi, followed by another crucial 23-run stand between Maryam Bibi (10 off 16 balls) and Marina Lamplough kept them interested in the run chase.
However, it wasn’t enough as Hong Kong were eventually restricted to 114/7 in their quota of 20 overs, falling just 6 runs short of the target. Marina Lamplough (22 off 11 balls) tried her best to get her side over the line with a spirited cameo. Onnicha Kamchomphu (4-0-27-3), Phannita Maya (4-0-22-2), Thipatcha Putthawong (4-0-23-1), and Sunida Chaturongrattana (4-0-18-0) were impressive with the ball for Thailand.
Thailand skipper Naruemol Chaiwai was awarded the Player of the Match for her crucial knock (43 off 31 balls) with the bat for her side. Her knock included 4 boundaries and a couple of maximums. Thailand get their campaign off to a winning start in the T20 Asia Cup, holding their nerve in an edge-of-the-seat thriller.
Loves all things female cricket