Dubai: Pakistan bowlers demolished a fledgling Hong Kong batting line-up and delivered a 155-run victory in the Asia Cup fixture at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday, securing a spot in the Super Four and a rematch with India this Sunday.

The bowling attack, led by spinners Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz, took full advantage of the sticky pitch. The pair shared seven wickets between them with four bagged by Khan and three claimed by the left-arm spinner. The foundation for the big victory was laid by pacers Naseem Shah and Shahnawaz Dahani who grabbed two wickets and one wicket, respectively. And, the batters who set a mammoth target for the relatively inexperienced team. Earlier, Hong Kong skipper Nizakat Khan won the toss and elected to field first against Pakistan.

Since then, the Men in Green started cracking shots left and right, losing only two wickets. Noteworthy performances were of Mohammad Rizwan, who was not out at 78 (in 57 balls) and Fakhar Zaman, who hit a knock of 53 out of 41 balls before getting caught out. But the star of the innings was Khushdil Shah , whose 15-ball 35 was rapid and furious. He hit five sixers, four in the last over, completely dismantling the hard work the Hong Kong bowlers put in during the first ten overs.

The winner will seal the last remaining spot of the Super Four stage while the loser goes out of the six-nation tournament that acts as a tune-up to the T20 World Cup in October-November in Australia. Pakistan and Hong Kong had lost their respective opening match to India, who made the next round from Group A.

Hong Kong, an associate cricket nation who made a respectable 152-5 while chasing 193 against India in their previous match, come in unchanged at Sharjah. “We are very good at chasing. We are going to make sure today that we stick to our plans and execute them,” the Pakistan-born Nizakat said at the toss. “Back in Hong Kong, we play on slow, low wickets. This is very similar and we also rely on spin.”

Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, lost a close first match to arch-rivals India and will be looking to make the next round with the same team. “We would have batted first,” said Azam. “We wanted to put runs on the board and put them under pressure.” 

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 03 2022

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