Agency :
Hong Kong beat UAE by eight wickets on the final day of the Qualifier in Oman as Hong Kong joined India and Pakistan in group A for the upcoming Asia Cup in Dubai.
Hong Kong won its third consecutive Asia Cup qualifier at the Al Amerat Cricket Stadium in Muscat, Oman, after chasing down a target of 148.
Following Kuwait’s stunning win over Singapore, Hong Kong and the UAE were placed in a must-win situation ahead of the final league encounter.
Hong Kong earlier brushed aside a plucky Kuwait to move top of the table and will advance as the top team from the Qualifier group.
After winning the toss, Hong Kong’s disciplined bowling effort helped to restrict UAE to 147.
Nizakat Khan, the captain, and opener Yazim Murtaza then led the team to a strong start in the pursuit.
Before Nizakat fell for 39, the duo established Hong Kong’s highest-ever T20I opening partnership (85) The chase eventually came down to the wire, with Hong Kong crossing the finish line with six balls to spare.
Ranked 23rd in the ICC T20I rankings, the 2022 edition will mark Hong Kong’s fourth appearance in the Asia Cup after 2004, 2008 and 2018, and the first in the T20I format.
Hong Kong Squad: Yasim Murtaza, Nizakat Khan(c), Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott McKechnie(w), Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Ayush Shukla, Wajid Shah, Aftab Hussain, Dhananjay Rao, Mohammad Waheed, Ahan Trivedi, Ateeq Iqbal.
