Marina Lamplough‘s all-round performance of 4 for 11 and an 11-ball 22 proved insufficient for Hong Kong in the Women’s T20 Asia Cup opener, as Thailand‘s bowlers held their nerves to successfully defend 120 in Dubai.

Offspinner Onnicha Kamchomphu‘s three-wicket haul through the middle overs of the chase brought Thailand back into the contest. She dismissed Hong Kong’s top-scorers Kary Chan (28) and Yasmin Daswani (28) before finishing with the wicket of captain Maryam Bibi.

Needing 27 off the last three overs, and with only the lower-middle order remaining, Hong Kong managed to hit just two boundaries across the final 18 deliveries and fell six runs short. Thipatcha Putthawong delivered the 20th over with 14 runs to defend, and her dismissal of Shanzeen Shahzad also took her to No. 1 on the all-time wicket-takers’ tally in women’s T20Is.

In the first innings, Thailand captain Naruemol Chaiwai struck 43 in 31 balls with four fours and two sixes. No. 3 Nannapat Koncharoenkai, in particular, struggled with her pacing and needed 41 deliveries for her 27.

The dismissal of Koncharoenkai at 16.5 triggered a slide in which Thailand lost seven wickets for 20 runs in the last 3.1 overs. Lamplough’s three-wicket burst in the 20th over gave her career-best T20I bowling figures, but Hong Kong were still left chasing 121, which proved to be seven runs too many.