PAK vs HK: Clinical Pakistan advance to Super four with a thumping win

Pakistan won the match easily [PC: Twitter]

The sixth match of the Asia Cup 2022 witnessed Pakistan decimate Hong Kong by 155 runs without breaking a sweat. This was Pakistan's biggest T20I victory in terms of runs. The Men in Green will cross swords against arch-rivals India in their first Super four encounter on Sunday. 

Khushdil Shah's fireworks power Pakistan to a mammoth total

After being put into bat, Pakistan got off to a disastrous start, losing their mainstay Babar Azam to Ehsan Khan in the third over. Then, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan consolidated the innings to perfection. The duo initially found it tough to accelerate against the Hong Kong spinners, but got the momentum quickly to add a crucial 116-run stand for the second wicket. 

Khushdil Shah in action [PC: Twitter]

However, it was Khushdil Shah's blistering cameo that helped Pakistan post an above-par total. Khushdil, who entered the middle after Fakhar's dismissal, took the Hong Kong bowlers to the cleaners and smashed his way through to a 15-ball 35. He hit four of his five humongous sixes in the last over, propelling Pakistan single-handedly to 193 at the end of 20 overs. 

Hong Kong's most experienced bowler Ehsan Khan starred with the ball for them, scalping both wickets for 28 runs. 

Hong Kong batters surrender to Pakistan's spinners

Hong Kong began the chase in the worst possible manner, as Naseem Shah triggered their collapse by removing Nizakat Khan and Babar Hayat in the wink of an eye. Things worsened for Hong Kong as they lost Yasim Murtaza to Shahnawaz Dahani in the fifth over. 

Shadab and Nawaz in action [PC: Twitter]

However, the Pakistani spinners seemed in a real hurry to finish things off. Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz, after being introduced into the attack, spun their web to bowl out Hong Kong for a paltry 38, ensuring Pakistan's victory by 155 runs. In this process, Hong Kong registered the lowest ever total in the history of Asia Cup. 

Shadab was Pakistan's most successful bowler, picking four wickets for just eight runs. 

Brief Scores

Pakistan: 193/2 (20)
Mohammad Rizwan 78* (57), Fakhar Zaman 53 (41);
Ehsan Khan 2/28 (4)

Hong Kong: 38 (10.4)

Nizakat Khan 8 (13), Kinchit Shah 6 (10);
Shadab Khan 4/8 (2.4), Mohammad Nawaz 3/5 (2)

Pakistan won by 155 runs. 

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